Māori place names formal endorsement

Environment Canterbury Commissioners formally endorsed the dual use of Māori place names with their European equivalent by the regional council at their public meeting today.

“The use of Māori names enables Environment Canterbury to meet its requirements as agreed in the Ngāi Tahu Deed of Settlement (1997) and the Ngāi Tahu Claims Settlement Act (1998) and recognises the value of Environment Canterbury’s relationship with Ngāi Tahu as tangata whenua,” said Commissioner Donald Couch.

“These Māori place names are a symbol of Ngāi Tahu’s relationship with the landscape. It serves as a daily reminder of our history in Te Wai Pounamu (the South Island) as tangata whenua,” he said.

Environment Canterbury has used dual Māori / European place names for many years, but had not formally endorsed its agreement to do so at council level.

List of Ngāi Tahu place names to be used by staff of Environment Canterbury:

Canterbury Mount Cook (mountain & township) Aoraki Ashburton River Hakatere Ashley River Rakahuri Avon River Ōtakaro Cam River Ruataniwha Coopers Lagoon Muriwai Estuary of the Heathcote and Avon Rivers Ihutai Little Mount Peel Huatekerekere Lyttelton Harbour Whakaraupō Mackenzie Pass Manahuna Mount Grey Maukatere Mount Harper Mahaanui Mount Herbert Te Ahu Patiki Mount Nimrod Kaumira North Branch Ashburton River Hakatere Port Levy (Potiriwi) Koukourarata Selwyn River Waikirikiri South Branch Ashburton River Hakatere Southern Alps Kā Tiritiri o te Moana