New Zealand Geographic Board confirms Turakina as official name

The name Turakina is now official - and refers to a river crossing made long ago. Photo / Bevan Conley

It's been called Turakina for a very long time - but the name Turakina for the Rangitīkei town has only just been made official.

The New Zealand Geographic Board - New Zealand's place-naming authority - made 699 place names from the North Island and top of the South Island official on July 16. There were 655 that were already in common use.

Turakina was one of those. Others were Mangaweka and Waikanae.

"It may surprise many to learn that the name of the place they live in has not yet been made official, even if it has been used for a long time," board chairman Anselm Haanen said.

Once official, the names must be used on official documents like maps, road signs and websites.

For some Māori names the official spellings gained macrons. Whanganui examples include Ōhingaiti, Waitōtara, Ōhura and Kawhātau.

The macrons make the meaning of the names clear and also help with pronunciation.

Māori place names, like all place names, have stories behind them, Haanen said. Ensuring their correct spelling keeps those stories alive.

For example, many of the river names in the southwest of Te-Ika-a-Māui North Island relate to the overland journey of the ancestor Haunui-a-Nanaia. Turakina River is the river he "felled a tree to cross", Rangitīkei River he "strode across" and Waimeha Stream is where "the waters disappeared into sands".

"Knowing the story behind a name gives it special meaning within the community. When place name proposals are made, having the story is a key criterion in the board's considerations," Haanen said.

Whanganui has had its own brushes with the board.

In 2012 it decided both Whanganui and Wanganui are official names for the town. Then in 2015, it determined Whanganui was the only official name for the district.

In 2013 it decided the North Island had Te Ika-a-Māui as an official alternative name, and the South Island had Te Waipounamu.

The board welcomes feedback on its decisions, which can be given by emailing NZGBenquiries@linz.govt.nz.

The place names it has made official are listed on its website, which has a link to an online map where the locations are marked.

For many of the names there are more than one location. Waitōtara, for example, is used in nine New Zealand places, and Matarawa in three.