Gisborne Councillor Manu Caddie is campaigning for the Poverty Bay to go by its Māori name Oneroa.
Caddie says the place name has always painted Poverty Bay in an unfavourable light.
The name was given by Captain James Cook – the first known European to discover the area. Believing that the land could not produce good crops and after he was unsuccessful in getting provisions for his crew he named it Poverty Bay.
Mr Caddie wants the name changed to Oneroa, or both Poverty Bay and Oneroa, saying the name given by Cook was a blight on the region, the Sunday Star-Times reported.
“It is a PR disaster from the branding perspective. It doesn’t look good on the map and I don’t think it’s helped us over the years.
Connect with Te News