Seven new and altered geographic names made official by the Te Atiawa Treaty settlement have now been published in the New Zealand Gazette.
The new and altered names took effect when the Te Atiawa Treaty settlement was formalised on February 23 2017 and were published in the New Zealand Gazette recently. Some of the new and altered names are for popular places in New Plymouth such as East End Beach, which is now Autere / East End Beach and Marsland Hill which is now Pūkākā / Marsland Hill.
CEO for Te Kotahitanga o Te Atiawa Hemi Sundgren says that having the names of these important sites changed recognises Te Atiawa’s identity in the landscape, and works to balance out the political imposition of naming in colonial times.
As part of the redress package for the Te Atiawa settlement seven geographic place names were changed which included dual Māori-English names. Offical name changes included:
- East End Beach (former) – Autere / East End Beach
- Blagdon Hill (former) – Maungaroa / Blagdon Hill
- Barrett Street Hospital (former) – Otūmaikuku
- Mount Moturoa (former) – Papawhero / Mount Moturoa
- Marsland Hill (former) – Pūkākā / Marsland Hill
- Barrett Lagoon (former) – Rotokare / Barrett Lagoon
- Te Mōrere Pā (previously unnamed)
For more information – https://gazette.govt.nz/notice/id/2017-ln1233