Whakatāne District Council has approved the renaming of a Thornton road, providing its residents agree.

Thornton Hall Road residents Simon and Wini Geddes, with the support of Ngāti Awa, first applied to the council to rename the road Ōkōrero Road five years ago.

The proposed name recognised the site being a place where Ngāti Awa chiefs gathered to kōrero on tribal matters.

Mr and Mrs Geddes addressed the council’s Living Together Committee on the name change yesterday.

They said a significant pā site dating back to the early to mid-1300s had been discovered in the area, named Te Pākira.

Other grounds for changing the road name were that the community hall on the road, for which the road was named, had been removed and there were two other roads in close proximity, Thornton Road and Thornton Beach Road, with Thornton in their name, which could cause confusion for the public, emergency services and navigation systems.

Mr Geddes said they often saw campervans and trucks driving down the road, mistaking it for Thornton Beach Road on the opposite side of the river. The larger vehicles struggled to turn around once they realised their mistake.

A report to the committee included an explanation of the name Ōkōrero by the council’s cultural adviser, Pouroto Ngaropo, who said it was given to the area by the founder of Ngāti Awa iwi, Awanuiārangi.

“He would blow his pūtātara (conch trumpet), bringing all Ngāti Awa together at the lower catchment of the Rangitaiki River.”

The name is also recognised in Ngāti Awa Treaty settlement legislation and Bay of Plenty Regional Council has renamed the lagoon at the end of the road Ōkōrero.

In a report, staff said not all property owners had confirmed support for the new name. The council’s road renaming policy states road renaming applications must be accompanied by signed support from at least 80 percent of the property owners that front the road.

Committee chairman Wilson James said he had spoken to four of the seven residents of the road the day before and none were aware of the name change happening.

“The last contact they had was four years ago.”

Mayor Victor Luca said it was not a trivial matter having to change your address.

Councillor Gavin Dennis said he liked the name and agreed it would be better to differentiate between the three roads.

Mr Geddes said five years ago when they applied for the name change, they provided signed statements from all residents, except one who had been overseas, giving their consent to the name change.

It was unclear what had become of their original application.

Mr Geddes said he was prepared to go back to the neighbours if need be, to have them sign statements again as there had been some new homes built in the meantime.

Committee members were happy with the new name, but wanted to ensure residents of the road were in agreement.

They voted to approve the renaming, subject to approval by 80 percent of residents.

Council staff would engage with residents around the name change.

Mrs Geddes said the name was appropriate as the popular fishing spot was still an area where people met up to kōrero.

Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air.