9 Nov 2012

Ngai Tahui seeks dual names for mountains

7:17 pm on 9 November 2012

The national body which oversees geographical name changes says it is not uncommon for iwi to want to pair English titles with ancestral areas.

South Island iwi Ngai Tahu has asked the Crown to rename several mountains in the Aoraki-Mt Cook range to include ancestral Maori titles, but as dual English-Maori names.

Don Grant, chairman of the New Zealand Geographic Board, says the requests reflect ancestral names significant to local iwi.

Dr Grant agrees with Ngai Tahu that doing away with the English name in favour of a Maori alternative would be too confusing.

Public consultation on the name changes will remain open until mid-February before they are officially decided upon at the next Geographic Board meeting next year.