January 29, 2018
Gisborne looking at Poverty Bay name change
Gisborne District Council is asking the public if there is support for Turanganui a Kiwa to be used as an alternate to Poverty Bay.
Keita Kohere, the council’s director of transformation and relationships, says the dual names would recognise the special historical and cultural significance of both original Maori and non-Maori names.
The name Poverty Bay was given by Captain James Cook, who after making his first New Zealand landfall there in October 1769, said there was no one thing he or his crew wanted from the area.
Turanganui a Kiwa meanwhile means the great standing place of Kiwa, and is already known in the district as the Maori name for the Gisborne area.
People can complete a survey online or at council offices before February 9, after which the decision on the name change will be given over to the New Zealand Geographic Board.
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