MINUTES Policy Committee Meeting Tuesday, 3 March 2020
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MINUTES Policy Committee Meeting Tuesday, 3 March 2020
Policy Committee Meeting Minutes 3 March 2020
Order Of Business
1 Apologies .................................................................................................................................. 3
1 Public Forum ............................................................................................................................. 3
2 Acceptance of Late Items ........................................................................................................ 3
3 Confidential Business to be Transferred into the Open ...................................................... 3
4 Change to Order of Business ................................................................................................. 3
5 Declaration of Conflicts of Interest ........................................................................................ 3
6 Business .................................................................................................................................... 4
7.1 Hearing of submissions on the draft Naming Policy .................................................... 4
7 Discussion of Late Items ......................................................................................................... 9
Page 2Policy Committee Meeting Minutes 3 March 2020
MINUTES OF TAURANGA CITY COUNCIL
POLICY COMMITTEE MEETING
HELD AT THE TAURANGA CITY COUNCIL, COUNCIL CHAMBERS, 91 WILLOW STREET,
TAURANGA
ON TUESDAY, 3 MARCH 2020 AT 1PM
PRESENT: Cr Steve Morris (Chairperson), Cr Dawn Kiddie (Deputy Chairperson), Mayor
Tenby Powell, Cr Jako Abrie, Cr Larry Baldock, Cr Kelvin Clout, Cr Bill
Grainger, Cr Andrew Hollis, Cr Heidi Hughes, Cr John Robson, and Cr Tina
Salisbury
IN ATTENDANCE: Christine Jones (General Manager: Strategy & Growth), Carlo Ellis (Manager:
Strategic Māori Engagement), Ariell King (Team Leader: Policy), Emma Joyce
(Policy Analyst), Robyn Garrett (Team Leader: Committee Support), and Raj
Naidu (Committee Advisor)
1 APOLOGIES
COMMITTEE RESOLUTION PO6/20/1
Moved: Cr Larry Baldock
Seconded: Cr Andrew Hollis
That the apologies for lateness from Mayor Tenby Powell and absence received from Dr Wayne
Beilby be accepted.
CARRIED
1 PUBLIC FORUM
Nil
2 ACCEPTANCE OF LATE ITEMS
Nil
3 CONFIDENTIAL BUSINESS TO BE TRANSFERRED INTO THE OPEN
Nil
4 CHANGE TO ORDER OF BUSINESS
Nil
5 DECLARATION OF CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
Nil
Page 3Policy Committee Meeting Minutes 3 March 2020
6 BUSINESS
7.1 Hearing of submissions on the draft Naming Policy
Staff: Emma Joyce, Policy Analyst
Key points:
• The report was taken as read and there were no questions by councillors to staff.
COMMITTEE RESOLUTION PO6/20/2
Moved: Cr Tina Salisbury
Seconded: Cr Andrew Hollis
That the Policy Committee:
(a) Receives written and verbal submissions on the draft Naming Policy.
(b) Notes the late submissions from Bryan Johnson (86), Reverend John Hebenton (87),
and Te Rūnanga o Ngāi te Rangi Iwi Trust (96).
CARRIED
(1) Submission ID: 43 - Mary Dillon
• Cancelled
(2) Submission ID: 82 - Ngā Pōtiki ā Tamapahore Trust - Colin Reeder (Chairman) and
Victoria Kingi (Deputy Chair)
A copy of the supporting document for this item can be viewed on Tauranga City Council’s
website in the Minutes Attachments document for this committee meeting.
• The submitter explained what a post-settlement governance entity was and
acknowledged the three iwis and four treaty tribes of Tauranga.
• In 2013, Ngā Pōtiki had signed a deed of settlement agreement with the Crown to
address past excesses of the Crown from the 1860s onwards.
• The submitter congratulated Council on the draft naming policy because it was seen as
a positive step towards acknowledging Te Reo Māori as the first language of the land.
• However, the draft policy did not go far enough and Section 8 of the Māori Language
Act 2016 had principles that could assist in strengthening the draft policy further.
• Māori was the indigenous language of the country, had inherent enduring mana, and it
was the foundation of cultural and national identity.
• Māori were the stewards of the language and its transmission was generational.
• Māori was protected under Article 2 of the Treaty of Waitangi and the Crown had
recognised the importance of the language which was why it was the official language
of New Zealand.
• The submitter outlined concerns that were in their written submission on Section 5.3.3
and Schedule 1 of the draft naming policy.
• Te Reo Māori was not expressed in short words, sentences or phrases and certain
criterions in the draft naming policy did not take this into account.
• It was recommended to have an exception for Te Reo Māori as per the reasons
outlined in the submission.
• The Auckland City’s 2019 naming guidelines were deemed best practice for naming
conventions or policies when it came to Te Reo Māori due to its exceptions,
comprehensiveness, and inclusivity with Mana Whenua involvement.
Page 4Policy Committee Meeting Minutes 3 March 2020
• Council was also mandated by the Local Government Act Sections 14 and 14.1(d)
which stipulated that Māori be given opportunities in local government decision making
processes.
• For new roads and streets, it was important for Council to engage with Mana Whenua
from that area to make an informed choice and decision about naming.
• The Trust did not advocate that there should be a hundred percent (100%) changeover
of road naming to Te Reo but rather that it should be done in a consultative manner.
(3) Submission ID: 96 - Ngāi te Rangi - Reon Tuanau
• Cancelled.
(4) Submission ID: 79 - Richard Prince
A copy of the PowerPoint Presentation and Tabled document for this item can be viewed
on Tauranga City Council’s website in the Minutes Attachments document for this
committee meeting.
• The submitter had doubts about the results of Council’s 6 November 2019 ‘Proposed
Changes to the policy and why we want them’ survey because he believed that it was
not representative of all the views of the wider Tauranga community.
• The submitter had made a Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act
(LGOIMA) request and concluded that the survey was designed inhouse by council staff
and promoted to iwi, hapū, the Tauranga Historical Society, and others but not to
Citizens Advocacy Tauranga, various ratepayers or residents groups, Mainstreet, Grey
Power, Hobson’s Pledge.
• The submitter considered that the survey process demonstrated a lack of impartiality in
the way it was designed, promoted, carried out, and how its information was used for
the report
• Due to these reasons, the submitter believed that the results of the survey had a
predetermined bias to mislead councillors and the wider Tauranga community.
• Descendants of the first settlers also had a history, culture, and heritage that needed to
be recognised and acknowledged by the names in the city but be balanced with the
interests of the Tangata Whenua as well.
• The submitter had requested information on what percentage of Te Reo names existed
in Tauranga; Council was unable to provide this information so he had conducted his
own research.
• According to his findings, there were approximately 2000 streets named.
• Based on his calculations, the submitter stated that there was already a significant
number of Te Reo names in Tauranga and believed that the demand for a naming
policy was coming from a handful of activists.
• The submitter urged Council to do another independent survey or hold a referendum to
get the view of the majority.
• Dual naming would go against Land Information New Zealand’s guidelines, cause
problems with GPS maps, and hinder emergency services from reaching locations.
• The submitter was not against dual naming but if a street or park already had a Pakeha
name then it should stay there as first and Te Reo should come second as was in the
case of Gate Pa Pukehinahina.
• Dual naming would be an expensive process, at cost to the ratepayers, and it was the
councillors’ responsibility to fairly represent Tangata Whenua and Pakeha.
• It could become a platform to rewrite history by demanding English names to be
dropped entirely as was happening in the cases against Cameron Road and Greerton.
• The notion of dual naming had to be accepted and not imposed so there needed to be a
ratio applied to naming for balance. Subdivision developers who had invested money
and taken risks would be forced to use names put forward by those who have no
expertise in the sector.
Page 5Policy Committee Meeting Minutes 3 March 2020
(5) Submission ID: 94 - Rob Paterson
A copy of the Tabled document for this item can be viewed on Tauranga City Council’s
website in the Minutes Attachments document for this committee meeting.
• 98 written submissions were received on the draft naming policy of which 34 supported
it, (62 were against it, and two were neutral.
• There were eight submitters who had wanted to speak to their submissions of which six
were supporters of the policy.
• Out of the approximately 870 submissions that had been canvassed by Council staff, a
majority were opposed to the policy.
• The city had a Māori name (Tauranga), (50%) of suburbs had Māori names, and 25% of
street names were of Māori origins.
At 1.34pm, Mayor Tenby Powell entered the meeting.
• New streets, parks, recreational areas and so forth would get Māori names as had been
displayed in The Lakes subdivision development.
• The submitter questioned the necessity and impetus for the policy, particularly from the
standpoint of residents and developers.
• According to the submitter, the developers had invested significantly into the land they
owned and should have the right to name it and residents should be able to have a say
in what the name of the street was going to be.
• Residents should be given an opportunity to air their thoughts on naming/renaming
streets in which they live in.
• Whilst Council had the final say in naming, that discretion should be measured, fair,
unbiased, and done in a collaborative manner rather than along racial lines.
• The Phoenix Park renaming was strongly opposed by most of the responders during
consultations and was now seen as a failure.
• Due to a lack of due diligence and consultation, the new name for the park was 26
characters long and remedial work had cost $7000 at the expense of ratepayers.
• It should not be made mandatory to accept gifted names from any source and dual
naming should show the English name first because it was the primary language of
New Zealand.
• Dual naming could cause significant confusion with google earth, GPS applications or
LINZ.
• When the submitter had resided in West Auckland from 1943 to1966, ten out of twelve
streets in his suburb had Māori names after native trees or birds, were short and easy
to pronounce, and were accepted by residents with pride.
• Council had bigger issues to focus their attention or resources on rather than the draft
naming policy because there was nothing wrong with the existing policy that dealt with
naming and in its current form had very little financial impact on the ratepayers.
• The submitter questioned whether all 43 suburbs, all council assets, facilities, parks,
road signs, and so forth would be renamed and if so, who was going pay for it.
• It was the submitter’s request that existing names be exempt from any renaming and
that residents should have a say in any proposed changes.
• The submitter was of the conviction that the motive of the draft naming policy was to
erase the history of Tauranga’s first settlers.
• The submitter stated that new names for new locations was acceptable based on public
benefit, ease of recognition, and when done in a consultative way.
• The submitter was asked if he was aware that Wales (United Kingdom) had very long
names for their towns and whether he had any data on GPS problems where towns and
countries had undertaken dual naming to which he answered in the negative.
• The Chair of the Policy Committee had responded to the submitter’s concern about late
submissions accepted after the hearing date by advising him that Council, at its
discretion, could accept late submissions after the closing date.
Page 6Policy Committee Meeting Minutes 3 March 2020
(6) Submission ID: 66 - Don Finlayson
• There was a distinct difference between Wales and New Zealand in that Wales had a
very strong policy on promoting their language and most people in Wales were Welsh
whereas in New Zealand, most people were not Māori.
• Most GPS systems in Wales and the United Kingdom worked using the postcodes.
• The submitter was against changing existing street names to Māori but, where
appropriate, new streets could be given suitable Te Reo names.
• Most Tauranga residents were already familiar with street names and changing them
would cause confusion and angst in the community.
• A vocal minority was pushing for the changes and were determined to live in the past by
holding on to grievances for events that happened 200 years ago.
• The new name for Phoenix Park was unpronounceable, elongated, and even Council
had trouble spelling it which was why the signage had to be changed.
• Gifting a name was fine but common sense should prevail on accepting it or not.
• Several councils in New Zealand had a policy for naming for new streets and
subdivisions in Te Reo but the naming was restricted to twelve letters in most cases.
• The submitter was of the view that there were unelected advisors who sat on Council
committees defeating the purpose of democratically elected councillors making
decisions.
• New Zealand was a multiracial country and future generations or newcomers would
struggle to pronounce difficult Māori names; however, given that Māori was one of the
three recognised languages in New Zealand meant pronunciation was important.
• Names would go through transformation and pronunciation would become better due to
natural progression and evolution of language like Old English to new English.
• It was clarified that Council and the policy did not seek to overturn existing names
unless there was a significant reason to do so.
(7) Submission ID: 72 - Irene Walker
• The submitter had supported the policy because a Te Reo name was the identity and
historical knowledge of Tangata Whenua and Mana Whenua, and it protected that
knowledge and language for future generations and newcomers alike.
• The submitter acknowledged the work Tauranga City Council had done in this area and
on the draft naming policy itself.
• The Tauranga Moana Design Principles were a guidance tool being used in the Te
Papa design and it was an example of a consultative, collaborative, and engaging
process between stakeholders of getting Te Reo naming and pronunciation correct.
• With time, effort, and practice the pronunciation would become easier just as Māori over
time had learnt English and Pakeha pronunciations.
• This was a challenge as well as an opportunity for learning institutions to educate on
correct pronunciations.
• Tangata Whenua had to work in partnership with Tauranga City Council to find
innovative ways of educating such as artist Mr G’s out-of-the-box style of teaching
people on pronouncing ‘Tauranga’ correctly.
• Whakapapa was essential for naming rights because it gave the genealogy and the
history of the area, and subsequently its connection to the people.
• The submitter supported bilingual naming but stressed that care had to be taken in
ensuring the name chosen was correct and appropriate for history of any area.
• Pyes Pa Road was often mistaken as Māori but was named after Major Pye who was a
controversial figure; this was testament to a lack of Māori history taught in schools
where history of other countries was prioritised over Māori history.
(8) Submission ID: 90 - Puhirake Ihaka
• The submitter spoke on behalf of Te Rangapu and supported the policy.
Page 7Policy Committee Meeting Minutes 3 March 2020
• The history of Tauranga city was pre-European and there had always been Tangata
Whenua and Mana Whenua names.
• The names of places, streets, reserves, parks and so forth depicted Māori stories,
history, and connection to that area.
• Dual naming was kotahitanga that fostered togetherness because a Pakeha name also
had a Māori history and by recognising that would create a climate of inclusivity.
• It was the submitter’s view that consideration should be given to Te Reo and dual
naming for new streets.
• The submitter believed it was important that when land or subdivision projects were
initiated, Council gave the project a Māori name so that it normalised the process for
interactions between developers, Council and Tangata Whenua.
• Pronunciation was important and would cement the relationship between Māori and
non-Māori.
• Incorrect pronunciation had become embedded because of incorrect and lack of
education; however, with time and practice, with a willingness to learn and engaging
with Tangata Whenua this could be overcome.
• Pronunciation and Māori could be learnt because Pakeha who went overseas learnt
other more difficult languages relatively quickly.
(9) Submission ID: 87 - Reverend John Hebenton
• The submitter was in support of the policy and applauded Council for the bold step of
encouraging Māori naming.
• There were not many Māori named streets, places, reserves, and facilities in
Pukehinahina Gate Pa.
• The lack of Māori names diminished and undermined the significant history of the area
as one of the major Māori settlements in Aotearoa before European arrival.
• Cameron Road was a divisive name due to the person it was named after and some
Māori did not drive on it because General Cameron’s actions had left once wealthy
Māori landless and poor.
• Greerton, Yatton Park, Chadwick Road, Durham Street, Hamilton Street, Mitchell Street
and many other streets, roads or places were named after the invading forces and
those who led these forces, or after missionaries and early settlers.
• Information about colonial history and its victories commemorated in names was readily
available but it was difficult to locate information on Māori history or about those Māori
who fought to defend their lands.
• However, in a positive step some of the Māori names are being recorded on street
names in The Lakes subdivision and the submitter thanked Council for making it
happen.
• The submitter’s church was on Church Street and they were open to the street name
being changed.
• First to Sixth avenues are examples where better or creative naming could have been
done and this was an opportunity to engage with Mana Whenua on it.
• There was a need to honour the first peoples of Tauranga Moana as well as honouring
all other history so that harmony could begin to happen.
Attachments
1 Supporting Document - Nga Potiki a Tamapahore Trust
2 Presentation - Richard Prince
3 Tabled item - Richard Prince
4 Tabled item - Rob Paterson
Page 8Policy Committee Meeting Minutes 3 March 2020
7 DISCUSSION OF LATE ITEMS
The meeting closed at 2.30pm
The minutes of this meeting were confirmed at the Policy Committee meeting held on
16 June 2020
...................................................
CHAIRPERSON
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