Residents in the Bay of Islands town of Russell are still waiting to hear if the submission to change the town's name to the traditional Māori name of Kororāreka will be accepted.
In September 2021, the Kororāreka Marae Society lodged a name-change application with the New Zealand Geographic Board under the previous Labour government.
The board considered three options: an outright change to Kororāreka, the dual name Kororāreka/Russell, or the alternative names option where both have equal standing.
Kororāreka Marae Society Debra Rewiri told Breakfast that Kororāreka was "the only town in the Far North that did not carry its original name".
"There's something unusual about that, when Paihia is Paihia and Waitangi is Waitangi … all the traditional names that were part of our history and in terms of Russell, it wasn't there.
"Even though when our people, our Maori people, [came] into the village that's all they'd call it, Kororāreka."
The history behind the name
Rewiri said it had been shared anecdotally that the name came from the dying wish of an ailing chief who requested kererū (wood pigeon) and was instead served kororā (penguin) broth.
"From that, came the name kororā, meaning penguin and reka meaning sweet. So that's where we get the history of the name.
"So the history and the historical context of that name is really significant for us," she said.
The name Russell also derived from Okiato, which was the first place where the Government was based, where the car ferry is caught now, Rewiri said.
"They put Lord Russell's name on Okiato, and somehow the name drifted around to Kororāreka, which was always known as one of the significant ports in all of the North Island."
'Not a straightforward decision' - Minister Chris Penk
When the Geographic Board was unable to reach a decision, responsibility was handed to Land Information Minister Damien O'Connor under the previous Labour government and had now fallen to Minister Chris Penk.
Penk said he had read and was considering the Geographic Board's report.
"I know people feel deeply about the name of their home and given there are a range of views both for and against changing Russell's name, it is not a straightforward decision. I hope to provide an update later this year regarding the Government's decision."
Rewiri said she was told to "give the new Government time to settle in".
"It was shared with me by one of the members [of the NZ Geographic Board] that they agreed wholeheartedly with the new change."
"So for Minister Penk to say that there were reasons for or against … we're pretty much at an even keel."
She said the "racist rhetoric that continues to come forth is really quite tiresome".
"I know that as iwi Māori, as whanau Māori we're used to this on the daily. But ... really? This is a name change. Or I say restoration."
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