Identity crisis for Wairarapa township

It’s known as the gateway to Wairarapa but it appears Featherston cannot officially lay claim to its own name – well, not yet anyway.

The New Zealand Geographic Board will seek public submissions in a month’s time on the possibility of adopting the name that most people already think it has.

It turns out the town’s name doesn’t properly exist because it was never formally gazetted – a quirk that South Wairarapa Mayor Viv Napier described as ‘‘weird’’.

‘‘I just assumed that because Featherston’s been Featherston for well over 100 years, it would be official. But obviously not.’’

She did not envisage any issues with adopting a formal name. ‘‘I couldn’t imagine so. Featherston’s pretty proud of being Featherston ... but you never know, I suppose.’’

The approach to the Geographic Board came from former Featherston Ratepayers Association president Perry Cameron, who was previously responsible for having the township of Lake Ferry’s name recognised.

Cameron said the board secretary had told him none of the South Wairarapa townships had official names. ‘‘That’s what got the association going on it.’’

Getting official recognition avoided townships like Featherston having their names missed off maps, as he had seen happen. ‘‘It helps with tourism and things of that nature.’’

A Land Information New Zealand spokeswoman said it was not clear how many other locations might be known by unofficial names.

If Featherston had any other name, it would likely be Burlings, after Henry Burling, who cut a track from the area to the base of the Rimutaka Range to drive cattle to and from his run near Morrisons Bush.

A council agenda on the official naming records that Burling was granted a licence in 1849 to establish a ‘‘house of entertainment’’, Burling’s Bush Inn, where the Rimutaka track met the Wairarapa plain.

‘‘I just assumed that because Featherston’s been Featherston for well over 100 years, it would be official.’’ South Wairarapa Mayor Viv Napier