Strong opposition to te reo Maori to English name change for Omiha on Waiheke Island

Submissions are open on a proposed name change for Omiha on Waiheke Island to Rocky Bay. Photo / Supplied

There has been an overwhelmingly strong negative response from the public on a proposed name change from te reo Maori to English for a village on Waiheke Island.

Consultation is currently underway on a suggestion to change the name for Omiha to Rocky Bay. The village overlooks Kuakarau Bay and Omiha Bay on Waiheke Island.

The New Zealand Geographic Board (NZGB) received a proposal from Waiheke resident Nobilangelo Ceramalus to change the name in March 2016. The proposal was accepted for consultation, with submissions being open until September 22.

To date, 135 objections to the change have been received by the NZGB, compared to just five in support. Of the submitters, 52 per cent were from Waiheke Island.

Ceramalus told the Herald he believes the name Omiha is an error, and outlined the reasons he felt it should be changed.

"You fill out your address as ABC but back it comes with XYZ on it, and then there's the damned inconvenience because you get problems with postal deliveries and courier deliveries.

"And then there's the damned dangerous because there are three slightly important computer systems that are linked to the address finder - the national call centres for the police, the Fire Service and the ambulance. You don't have time to redraw the map when you're in panic because you're having a heart attack or a stroke or folks are trying to beat you into a pulp."

Ceramalus said he has also had problems with the Electoral Office not recognising his address, and there is confusion between the similarly spelled Omiha and Omaha in Warkworth.

"The buses are all labelled Rocky Bay and the road signs are all pointing to Rocky Bay and we all call it Rocky Bay.

"It's not a change, it's just a correction."

Waiheke Local Board member Shirin Brown said she understood the name change request was made because of issues with emergency services being unable to find addresses in the area.

"A lot of people feel strongly that it shouldn't change," she said.

"My feeling is why don't we just start calling it Omiha rather than Rocky Bay, or if people call it Rocky Bay they actually understand that's not going to get you your mail or the emergency services, so you need to make sure that you do say Omiha, which is the official name of the place."

She said despite a similar proposal being rejected in the past, she felt safety issues meant the NZGB should be involved.

"Because we felt that there was a compelling reason for it to be looked at as in the fact that emergency services weren't necessarily getting through properly, we suggested that ... he should take it to the (NZGB).

"Waiheke has a reasonably high proportion of Maori and it does have a really strong connection with Maori, like a lot of places, and one of the bigger questions is should we be thinking about some of our other names and calling them by their Maori names?"

NZGB secretary Wendy Shaw said the board sought comments from the police and New Zealand Post.

The NZGB considered the same proposal in 2011, but declined to change the name due to "long-term use of the existing names, a lack of evidence, and a lack of consultation or support for the proposals".

Auckland Council and iwi will also be consulted as part of the process.

Shaw said they encourage people to share their views.

Anyone can have their say on the proposed change, with submissions closing at 5pm on September 22. A decision will be made at the NZGB's next meeting in October.