New Māori road names have been approved for three new subdivisions in Ōpōtiki that are providing 37 new homes for the town.

Pākōwhai Crescent, Hou o Te Rangi Lane and Ngāti Tū Lane will take their place among the 60-odd street names in the township, most of which are named for the Europeans that settled the area.

Social housing provider Kāinga Ora Homes and Communities and Whakaatu Whanaunga Trust made applications to Ōpōtiki District Council for approval of the names in order to complete final delivery requirements for the new homes, which were approved on Monday.

The naming was done in accordance with the council’s road naming policy, which requires names to reflect local cultural history. The names have been chosen with input from mana whenua and represent historic names associated with Whakatōhea.

A cul-de-sac for the 17 new homes in the subdivision at 3a-7 Balneavis Place and 79 Brabant Street will be called Pākōwhai Crescent.

Pākōwhai was identified by iwi authority Te Tāwharau o Te Whakatōhea as the original name of the village at the site of present-day Ōpōtiki township.

A report to the council said the village was bombed during the Crown invasion of September 1865, an event that contributed to the subsequent confiscation of Whakatōhea lands through raupatu.

The 12 new homes at the subdivision at 52-54 Ford Street have a new lane, called Ngāi Tū Lane.

Ngāi Tū is an ancient tribe that four Whakatōhea hapū, that have traditional and customary occupation of Ōpōtiki township, whakapapa from.

The new lane created at 47 Buchanan Street with 10 new homes will have the road name Hou o te Rangi Lane. The name was given by Whakatōhea’s Taumata/Kaumatua group and members of Ngāti Ngahere hapū.

Hou o te Rangi was an ancestor of Mana and held in high regard by Te Whakatōhea. The land the new subdivision sits on has significance to this ancestor.