Hamilton or Kirikiriroa?
A former Hamilton mayor is calling on the Hamilton City Council to let residents decide the name of the city where they live.
Waikato Regional Council chairman Russ Rimmington, who was the mayor of Hamilton from November 1998 to November 2001, has issued a challenge to civic leaders to ‘‘let the people decide’’ whether the city should remain being called Hamilton, or if it should revert to the original Ma¯ ori name of Kirikiriroa.
Kirikiriroa means ‘‘long stretch of gravel’’ in Ma¯ ori and is in reference to an area on the west bank of the Waikato River.
Debate over the moniker has flared up in recent days following the sudden removal of a statue depicting the man the city was named after from the town square outside the city council headquarters.
The bronze effigy of Captain John Fane Charles Hamilton was removed by council contractors after Huntly kauma¯ tua Taitimu Maipi told he intended to tear it down at the conclusion of a protest march through the city’s streets on Saturday.
Rimmington waded into the debate yesterday and, while he would not be drawn on his personal views of the city’s name, said the time was ripe for the people of Hamilton to be allowed to have their say.
‘‘It should be fully debated and left to the people to decide. I think we can’t rewrite history, and Hamilton is a historic name . . . but it needs to be a decision of the people.’’
If a referendum were to be held, speed would be required, he said. That meant it should not be delayed until the 2022 local body elections, Rimmington said.
‘‘It can’t wait until then. This has been brewing for a while, and the issue has come to a head now.
‘‘It can’t wait two-and-a-half years for something to happen.
‘‘They need to keep a singular focus and do it now.’’
Rimmington said he was a firm advocate for the use of referendums to help decide contentious issues. During his mayoralty ratepayers voted in a Hamilton City Councilsponsored referendum 61.2 per cent in favour of helping fund the $25.8 million redevelopment of Rugby Park, and a $4.5m upgrade of Seddon Park.
The council subsequently voted to contribute $9m to the two projects.
Current Hamilton mayor Paula Southgate took a guarded approach to suggestions of a public referendum.
‘‘I want to be really clear. There have been no discussions at council during my mayoralty about changing the name of the city. It hasn’t been on the table – but no doubt there will be lots of conversations going forward.
‘‘It’s a conversation the whole city would need to have, not just the council.
‘‘In terms of a referendum, I’d need to understand the costs, the implications and everything else. I just don’t have that information, so I really can’t make any comment until then.’’
The process for making a place name proposal is outlined on the Land Information New Zealand website.
It requires certain information to be submitted including a proposal form, a map or chart showing the place name, a checklist to demonstrate minimum proposal requirements have been met, documentary evidence of research and consultation undertaken, and the reasons for assigning a new place name or altering an existing one.
Hypothetically, should a mandate for changing the city’s name be provided from any future referendum, the Hamilton City Council would be the appropriate body to make a formal proposal.
The New Zealand Geographic Board is the body charged with considering the merits of any proposal against well-established naming guidelines. It factors in spelling, duplication, ambiguity, long-term use, appropriateness, and numerous other factors.
Hamilton City Council staff were unable to provide information on the likely process they would go through if the council decided a referendum was warranted.
Captain Hamilton was a naval commander who led a detachment of the 43rd regiment at the Battle of Gate Pa¯ in Tauranga during the New Zealand Wars.
It’s doubted he ever set foot in Hamilton, but the city is named after him and a statue was erected in 2013, after being gifted to Hamilton by the Gallagher Group.
Maipi said that Hamilton was a ‘‘murderous a...hole’’ standing in the city as though he were a hero.
‘‘I think we can’t rewrite history, and Hamilton is a historic name . . . but it needs to bea decision of the people.’’
Russ Rimmington