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A political party has suggested that Christchurch’s name be changed to Ōtautahi, but Pākehā’s name is not official anyway, according to the nation’s register of place names.
The previously ousted Maori Party launched a campaign to return to Parliament on Monday, with candidate Rawiri Waititi calling for the nation to be renamed Aotearoa and for cities to regain their Maori names. It would be a bold move that “lifts a Maori prisoner to his rightful place,” he said.
Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa, New Zealand Geographical Board secretary Wendy Shaw, said she was still moving across the country to make city names official on her gazetteer. The Christchurch name was not official.
ALDEN WILLIAMS / Stuff
Christchurch does not have an official name in the New Zealand Gazetter. Should Ōtautahi’s name be changed?
Anyone could submit a proposal to have a name changed or made official, and the request could be accelerated like Wellington’s in July. But formalizing the name of a city like Christchurch would require a public consultation because it had another name in common use: Ōtautahi.
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Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel said the council informally used Ōtautahi to acknowledge the city’s shared history, but that a political party or government could not officially change a name. She did not provide a personal opinion on the name of the city.
Ngāi Tahu City Councilor James Daniels said that while he would support a change to Ōtautahi, it is unlikely to happen.
“But if it does, I can’t wait to see the letters to the editor.”
He thought Dalziel’s “gentle” approach to using the name Ōtautahi Christchurch more and more in council documents was “fantastic.”
“You can have it as official as you want, but it’s if people will use it,” he said.
Alden Williams / Stuff
Christchurch City Councilor James Daniels believes the letters to the editor of The Press will be interesting if the city changes its name to Ōtautahi.
ChristchurchNZ CEO Joanna Norris said she was “pleased that this conversation is happening.”
The city’s advocacy agency referred to the city as Ōtautahi Christchurch, supported the incorporation of Maori tea into everyday life, and actively encouraged residents to do the same.
“I think an ongoing discussion about our identity and the name of our place is healthy for our residents,” he said.
Former All Black Dallas Seymour, who is Ngāti Hikairo but lives in Ōtautahi and has spoken about going back to Maori place names in the past, said it was important to recognize a shared heritage.
“I think it is part of the real foundation of Aotearoa as a nation.
“All these place names have a kōrero story behind them.”
He believed that more original Maori names had been preserved on the North Island than in the South.
MAJOR PARTY / Supplied
The Maori party candidate for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi, has called for the nation to be renamed Aotearoa.
Shaw said 824 Maori place names became official last year.
Some names were not challenged and could be “sped up” to become official, but others like Ōtautahi could be controversial and would have to go through a full public consultation.
“The current legislation says that anyone can make a proposal.”
The board welcomed proposals from the public that sought to restore the original Maori place names, make existing Maori place names official, or correct the spelling of existing Maori place names, Shaw said.
Ngāi Tahu was contacted for comment.
