11. Question No. 11—Land InformationDr ELIZABETH KEREKERE (Independent) to the Minister for Land InformationQuestion No. 11—Land Information11. Dr ELIZABETH KEREKERE (Independent) to the Minister for Land Information: Does he agree with the New Zealand Geographic Board Te Rautaki | Strategy 2020-2025 vision statement We continuously improve our capability and processes to achieve our goals and objectives"; if so what changes if any have been made to improve processes for Māori participation? Hon ANDREW LITTLE (Acting Minister for Land Information): To the first part of the question yes. In terms of the goals and objectives of the New Zealand Geographic Board Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa this includes naming "features and places so that people can effectively communicate information about location and preserve New Zealand's heritage and culture". To the second part of the question the board is bound by a statutory process which generally requires historical research direct iwi engagement and public notification. The board has made a number of improvements in recent years to their engagement with Māori to ensure that Māori are supported to participate in the work that the board does. This includes significant engagement with mana whenua on the development of new maps for Te Ika-a-Māui and Te Wai Pounamu to encourage the use of original Māori place names establishing a fast-tracked process to work directly with mana whenua to have unofficial place names added to our maps and records and agreeing an approach to encourage councils and iwi to submit alternative Māori place names for towns and cities. Dr Elizabeth Kerekere: What does the Minister say to kuia Aki Paipper and Margie McGuire from Operation Pātiki at Kohupātiki Marae who struggled with the lengthy New Zealand Geographic Board application process to successfully restore Te Awa o Mokotūāraro as the rightful name of their river today? Hon ANDREW LITTLE: On behalf of the Minister firstly I would begin by congratulating Aki Paipper and Margie McGuire for their leadership in restoring the name of Te Awa o Mokotūāraro. The original proposal made by ngā kuia which was to have the river named Ngaruroro Moko-tū-ā-raro ki Rangitira was declined because that is the name of the original river before it was diverted for flood protection and before the river was split and therefore also to avoid confusion with the adjacent Ngaruroro River. Members of the board personally met with Kohupātiki Marae on 26 July last year to break the news of that proposal being declined and to be there to acknowledge their disappointment and to make the suggestion that they come back with a different name that they would be happy with. Following that the proposal of the name Te Awa o Mokotūāraro was then proposed by Kohupātiki Marae instead and that name is official and indeed it has been made official from today. The name Te Awa o Mokotūāraro acknowledges the stories and history of the river and is a step towards restoring its mauri which was what prompted Kohupātiki Marae to propose a new name in the first place. The process—it is true—has been lengthy but it has allowed for ample consultation and engagement with stakeholders to ensure that their whakaaro will respect it and the board will fulfil its statutory responsibilities. Dr Elizabeth Kerekere: How will the Minister ensure tangata whenua are fully supported to achieve the New Zealand Geographic Board's goal of restoring original Māori place names and will he commit to simplifying the process to one led by tangata whenua? Hon ANDREW LITTLE: On behalf of the Minister to the member: by definition all the work that the board does involves engaging with Māori and upholding Te Tiriti o Waitangi—that's the statutory obligation that they have. Some things that the board has done are to establish a fast-tracked process to work directly with mana whenua to have unofficial place names recognised and on some occasions when there is no objection and there are no alternative names then that can be done in a way that doesn't have to be publicly notified. Secondly it involves agreeing an approach to encourage councils and iwi to submit alternative Māori place names for towns and cities and then finally developing new maps for Te Ika-a-Māui and Te Wai Pounamu to encourage the use of over 1800 original Māori place names."