Whakatāne District Council has officially adopted its new Road Naming and Addressing Policy following a public consultation process.
Approved during the Living Together Committee meeting last week (Thursday, 3 October), the updated policy aims to better reflect local history, culture, and identity, while ensuring the naming process provides opportunity for iwi/hapū participation as well as provide clarity for timeframes.
Harvey Keravel, Acting Manager of Strategy and Performance highlighted the significance of this update.
“The new policy strengthens our commitment to telling our local stories through road names and ensures the process is clear and inclusive for everyone involved.”
The previous policy, last reviewed in 2014, no longer aligned with the Council’s strategic priorities, leading to delays and unclear processes for applicants. The new policy addresses these challenges by introducing clearer guidelines and a more collaborative approach to road naming.
“Our focus has been to bring this policy in line with the Council’s strategic priorities and Māori Relationships Strategy,” Keravel added.
“We wanted to ensure the policy not only provides a clear process for applicants but is also respectful of the cultural and historical context of our region.”
An important update is the requirement for applicants to engage with local iwi and hapū for all road naming processes, regardless of whether a Māori name is proposed. This change aims to improve participation from iwi, hapū, and whānau, ensuring road names reflect the district’s rich cultural heritage.
The draft policy received strong support from iwi and hapū, as well as from individual community members during the public consultation process.
In the consultation process, some residents expressed concerns the Council might be considering renaming existing roads. To clarify, this is not the case. The adoption of a new road naming policy is intended to guide future applications only.
Now adopted, the new policy will guide all future road naming and renaming applications, ensuring that road names are selected with respect to the district’s identity and in line with the Council’s vision.