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Regional | New Plymouth

Te Atiawa place names officially recognised

The New Zealand Geographic board has announced a revision of place names in North Taranaki.

Six locations in Te Atiawa will now be recognised by their Māori place names. A seventh location has been given a Māori title.

The revision is part of the Te Atiawa Claims Settlement Act 2016 (“Settlement Act 2016”).

Te Kotahitanga o Te Atiawa CEO Hemi Sundgren says that the changes recognise Te Atiawa's identity in the landscape, and works to balance out the political imposition of naming in colonial times.

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'.

The new seven geographic place names in full are:

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 - which was formerly unnamed