Lower Hutt suburb Petone to keep its name as proposal for change rejected
Wednesday, 18 December 2024
Petone will keep its name after a proposal to rename it Pito One was rejected.
Pito One was the Lower Hutt suburb’s original name, but it was misspelt during colonial settlement.
Decisions on 11 other place names were also made.
A proposal to change the name of Lower Hutt suburb Petone back to its original Māori name Pito One has been declined.
Minister for Land Information Chris Penk rejected the proposal that had support from both local iwi and Hutt City Council.
In April, the NZ Geographic Board announced they were considering the name change of the suburb, an area that was once a pā of local iwi Te Āti Awa.
The area’s original name Pito One was misspelt during colonial settlement and it has been called Petone ever since.
The original name Pito One refers to the burial of pito (umbilical cord) in the one (sand) as a symbolic tethering of a newborn to the land and their tūrangawaewae (place to stand) and as an expression of ahi kā (continuous occupation).
In 2023, Hutt City Council voted to support a change back to the traditional name and sent an application to the New Zealand Geographic Board.
The board is responsible for all geographic names in New Zealand and considers any proposed changes to place names.
The council said that in submitting to get the name changed they wanted to correct historic injustices.
“We are in a privileged position as elected mayors to make decisions that will impact future generations,” said Hutt City Council Mayor Campbell Barry said at the time.
In deciding to reject the proposal, Penk said his decision was based on official advice and submissions from the public.
“People feel strongly about the name of their home and each proposal received a range of submissions both for and against,” Penk said.
“The factors I considered included respecting historical context, minimising disruption where relatively minor changes were proposed, and removing ambiguity of a generic place name.
“I weighed all factors carefully and, while I recognise there will always be a range of views on these matters, I am comfortable we have landed in a reasonable place.”
Decisions on 11 other place names were also announced on Wednesday.
Of note, a proposal to change the name of Auckland suburb Takanini to Takaanini was declined, while a proposal to make Te Tōangaroa the official name for an unnamed area in Auckland’s CBD by Spark Arena was approved.
A decision on the proposal to rename Russell to Kororāreka is expected to be announced in 2025.