The New Zealand Geographic Board Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa is inviting public submissions on changing the name of Maxwell near Whanganui to Pākaraka.
Board secretary Wendy Shaw says Ngāti Maika wants the locality restored to its original name because Maxwell commemorates Sergeant George Maxwell and his role in the so-called Affair at Handley’s Woolshed in 1868 during Tītokowarau’s War in which unarmed children were killed by a local militia.
This history was acknowledged in the Ngā Rauru treaty settlement, which supported a name change.
Submissions close on August 30.
People have until the end of July to comment on a proposal to give the name Paekākā to the area of inner-city Wellington covering the Botanic Garden precinct, Anderson Park, and Bolton Street Memorial Park.
The proposed name is not for a suburb, but covers a wider area of traditional significance to mana whenua.
As well as recognising Māori history and traditional resource use in the area, the name makes a connection to the recovery of kākā in Wellington, which are now once again found in the area.
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