Gazetteer name status

The New Zealand Gazetteer contains both official and unofficial names. In the Gazetteer does not mean official.

Official

Official names have been formally agreed by the New Zealand Geographic Board or made official through other legislation, including Treaty settlement legislation. They must be used in official documents.

Recorded

Recorded names are unofficial names depicted in maps, charts or other publications the Board considers authoritative but which the Board has not formally approved as official.

Collected

Collected names include original Māori and Moriori names for places/features that often also have another name in use. They are unofficial and can represent older layers of naming/occupation.

Dual and alternative

A dual name is a combined name where both parts apply with equal significance and are used together. Alternative names are official names of equal status that may be used separately or together according to their official form.

Keep the status field

Do not export only name. Retain status and Name ID so a recorded or collected name cannot later be presented accidentally as official.

Official source: LINZ place names of New Zealand.

Last reviewed: 26 August 2026