New Zealand Geographic Board Rejects Proposal to Rename Russell Back to Kororāreka

The New Zealand Geographic Board has turned down the idea of changing the name of Russell back to its original Māori name, Kororāreka.

The Kororāreka Marae Society, which has been pushing for this change since 2021, is pretty disappointed as many people were in favor of it.

Some reasons against the switch include that Russell is a popular tourist spot, and people worry that Kororāreka might be hard to say and that changing signs could be costly. Still, Kororāreka is already used by lots of folks in town.

The board noted that both names have important ties to New Zealand’s history.

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