Consultation opens on National Park name change to Waimarino

National Park Village is close to Mt Ruapehu in the central North Island. Photo / LDR

Consultation has opened on a proposal to change the name of National Park Village in the central North Island to Waimarino.

Submissions also opened on Tuesday for changing the name of the village’s railway station from National Park Station to Waimarino Railway Station.

The two proposals were made to Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa New Zealand Geographic Board by mana whenua Uenuku and the iwi collective Te Korowai o Wainuiārua.

“Waimarino is the original Māori name for this place,” board secretary Wendy Shaw said.

“It refers to the calm waters pooling on the plains as they come down from the maunga [mountain].”

Waimarino Station opened in 1907 and the “Town of Waimarino” was surveyed for the village around the station in 1910.

In 1926, after a bag of mail got lost, the Railways Minister agreed to change the name of the station to National Park Station and the name of the village followed suit.

The Geographic Board said unsuccessful attempts were made to restore the name Waimarino in the 1950s and 1960s.

At a Ruapehu District Council meeting in August, councillors Janelle Hinch, Rabbit Nottage and Vivienne Hoeta called on fellow councillors to revoke a 1957 decision by the Waimarino County Council not to change the name of the National Park Railway Station back to Waimarino.

The council unanimously supported revoking the 1957 decision and backed the proposed name change and place name consultation.

Shaw said the Geographic Board considered its function was to encourage the use of original Māori names and it would consider the potential for confusion with other national parks.

The board noted support from the community, including Ruapehu District Council, Ōwhango-National Park Community Board and some residents. It now wants to hear what others think before final decisions are made.

Submissions can be made online, by email or letter to the New Zealand Geographic Board via Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand. The three-month consultation closes on February 8, 2024.

Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air.