A Gisborne councillor says a decision to have both Māori and English names for her region doesn't go far enough and the name Poverty Bay should be dropped entirely.
A view over Poverty Bay, or Tūranganui-a-Kiwa, from Kaiti Hill lookout in Gisborne. Photo: Wikimedia commons
The Gisborne District Council has voted to recommend the region be re-named Turanganui a Kiwa/Poverty Bay.
Nearly 2000 public submissions were made on the proposal to restore the East Coast district's original Māori name.
Tūranganui-ā-kiwa translates to the long standing place of Kiwa, who was a rangatira and tohunga of the area.
A final decision will be made by the Geographic Board.
Gisborne councillor Meredith Akuhata-Brown said she would prefer the name Poverty Bay to be dropped completely.
"Like all things to do with how we gently kind of impose things on people - we still have a portion of our public that are strong supporters of the name Poverty Bay.
"So, this is kind of a stepping stone in the right direction, we feel. It's about getting people onboard with the notion of removing a name. Small steps."
"I think dual culture is something we do need to do well in New Zealand...but at the end of the day this is about reengaging history that was forgotten or pushed to the side...
"For Māori, for a long time, their heritage, their culture, our culture, has been kind of pushed into the margins."
