According to the council’s 2026 LGNZ remit
application, the proposal calls for:
“LGNZ to advocate for legislative changes to
devolve decision-making authority for officiating specified geographic place
names from the Minister for Land Information to local authorities…”
The request follows a 2025 decision by the Minister for Land Information, Chris Penk, to decline an application by the Kororāreka Marae Society to change the name of Russell to Kororāreka. If these naming powers were devolved to councils, would the FNDC overturn the Minister’s decision?
Would it seek to rename Cape Reinga as “Te
Rerenga Wairua”? And would the WDC rename the Poor Knights Islands —
internationally renowned for diving — as “Ngā Motu o Tawhiti Rahi me Aorangi”?
The FNDC proposal may appear reasonable if
one assumes local councillors fully represent the views of the wider community.
In practice, that is not always the case. A more democratic approach would be
to require any official place-name change to be approved through a binding
public referendum held alongside local body elections. Surely everyone should
have a say in how their geographical identities are expressed — or are some
voices considered more important than others?
More
Te Ao Māori23 May 2025: Proposal to change Russell's name to Kororāreka declined
Northern Advocate: Historic Northland town Russell will not be called Kororāreka, minister decides