City Council elected members have voted six to five to adopt an official name for the new urban space, located in the heart of the Mount retail area.
The space will be titled Te Papa o Ngā Manu Porotakataka (The Place of the Circling Birds).
The new name was provided by Ngai Tukairangi and Ngati Kuku. Council has been working with local iwi and hapu since 2016 about the concept design of the new open urban space in the Mount, and invited iwi to provide a name for the park.
The name refers to the fishing traditions of the local people who were guided as to where to fish by birds circling above. The concept of circling birds is appropriate, given the new open space will be a place where people will gather, meet, socialise and eat.
'This urban space has never been formally named. As part of our ongoing discussions with iwi, we asked them if they wanted to have input into the name for the park," says City Council Deputy Mayor, Kelvin Clout.
'Naming this high profile site Te Papa o Ngā Manu Porotakataka promotes both Te Reo Maori and local history, providing an opportunity for visitors and residents to connect with the cultural history of Mount Maunganui."
Elected Members were asked to approve the proposed name, Te Papa o Ngā Manu Porotakataka, on 20 November. Elected Members wanted to hear the views of the local community about the name.
The total number of people who completed the online survey was 1042. Of that, 285 were in support of naming the space Te Papa o Ngā Manu Porotakataka, and the majority of the remaining 757 respondents thought it was too long.
'We considered the community's concern about the length of the name. We expect that over time a shorter name will be unofficially adopted by the community”, says Kelvin.