Road naming and renaming

Under the Local Government Act 1974, the council has the power to name and alter the name of roads, both public/vested roads and private/ROWs.

The authority to name a previously unnamed road is held by the Community Board. FNDC prepare a report for their consideration.

The authority to rename an already previously named road is held by the council. FNDC prepare a report to go through the Community Board where a recommendation will be made to Council for their decision.

A Māori name is not a requirement for applications; however, the Naming Policy has an objective to promote social and cultural wellbeing by encouraging and enabling the use of appropriate names in te reo Māori.

For all proposed names (whether English or Māori), local iwi /hapū will be consulted on whether the name is appropriate. In some cases, mana whenua will suggest a name that holds cultural significance to the area.

Your steps:

1. First, read the policy Roading Naming and Property Numbering and Naming Policy 2022
2. Fill out the Road Naming or Renaming Application Form
3. Supply a detailed map of the road in question.
4. Provide feedback from all property owners who will be affected.
5. If you have consulted iwi/hapū yourself, add details in the history section.

FNDC steps:

1. Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) is contacted to see whether the proposed names are available and meet NZ/AU Road Standards
2. Local iwi/hapū are consulted for feedback (this process may take approximately a month to complete). Alternatively, to complete this yourself, please find the groups listed here: TKM | Te Tai Tokerau | Te Kahui Mangai
   Note: If at any point during these two steps the proposed names are not approved, we will contact you for alternative names.
3. The final report is submitted to the Community Board. We will advise you of the date and time and invite you to attend (optional) to speak to your report.
4. If the application is for renaming an existing named road, steps 1 to 3 still apply, however there is an additional step of the report also being put to the council (please note that this may add an additional month to the processing of your application).
5. Once the decision has been made, we will notify you of the outcome, as well as all appropriate organisations.

If you have further queries, please email ask.us@fndc.govt.nz