Road naming

The applicant must present a preferred name and at least one alternative name. The names proposed need to show significant content or meaning for the area and/or city. Offensive names, names that refer to people who are alive or recently deceased (within three years), or duplicates (or similar to an existing road in the city) must be avoided.

Please note there is a Road name register with pre-approved names that do not need to be assessed by staff prior to be submitted to Council for formal approval, however, community boards (where relevant) will still be informed of the proposed names and given the opportunity to comment.

• Road name register

Submit your names using the Road Name Application form, providing comprehensive information to support a road name means that a decision can be made more easily.

Please note that any proposal lacking sufficient reasoning and relevance to the specific location of the road or not providing sufficient evidence of consultation when required will be rejected.

For more information refer to the to the Road Naming Policy and the Selection criteria for a road name.

At this stage, both the preferred and the alternative names proposed are evaluated against the Road Naming Policy to see if they comply with the ‘Selection criteria for a road name’.

During the assessment, staff will liaise with the developer and/or applicant where necessary.

If the road to be named is within a Community Board area, it will be considered by the board at the next suitable meeting.

The recommendations of the Community Board (including advice on consultation) will be considered and communicated to the applicant. Once the Community Board supports at least one of the proposed names, the case is ready to be considered by The Infrastructure Services Committee.

• Community Board maps

The Infrastructure Services Committee (ISCOM) will make a decision on the options presented. The applicant will be informed of the outcome. Following this, LINZ will be informed so they can add the names into the relevant registers.

The DCC will contact the applicant to arrange payment for the installation of the road name sign.

The proposed name should reflect one of the following:

1. A common or established theme. In a subdivision with multiple roads to be named, we recommend choosing a common theme. If a common theme has already been established, the names should remain consistent with the theme.
2. A historical person that can be identified in written or oral historical records.This refers to the name of a notable person from early history. Evidence of this must be provided by the applicant.
3. A historical event. This refers to an event from early history. The event should preferably have local association with the immediate location or the wider Dunedin area. Historical events can be identified in written or oral historical records and evidence of this must be provided by the applicant.
4. A significant feature of social, cultural or physical importance. It is appropriate to name a road after a significant and well-known feature of the area (geographical feature, landscape, flora, or fauna). In that sense, naming features inexistent in the area should be avoided. (For ex. plants that are not evident in the area or views that cannot be identified).
5. A traditional or appropriate Māori name.If the name is Māori, the name must be checked by the applicant with the local Rūnaka/ mana whenua to ensure that it has been spelled and interpreted correctly and is acceptable to mana whenua. Evidence of this consultation is required.
6. A personal name for special service. This relates to people who contributed significantly to the fields of conservation, sport, arts, research, community service or some other sphere of activity with a local or national association. Evidence and explanation provided by the applicant is essential for the assessment.

1. Personal names. They are discouraged unless the submitted name has a historical connection with the property being subdivided or is a well-known or prominent person.
2. Living or recently deceased people. We do not accept names after living persons or recently deceased persons (before three years).
3. Amalgamation or derivatives names. Names that have been created by combining parts of words or names into a single word, such as anagrams or other amalgamations.
4. Names related to the commercial/marketing name of the subdivision. The council may not necessarily accept the commercial/marketing name for a development, as a road name.

1. Spelling and length. Names over 15 characters (including the space between the names but not including the suffix) will not be approved.
2. Alphabet and diacritics. Only the English and Māori alphabets should be used. This means special characters and diacritical marks should not be used except for the use of macrons in the spelling of Māori names.
3. The road name suffix for the road should be the one that most accurately reflects the type of roadway to be named. Road names without a suffix are not uncommon in Dunedin, but should only be used, if necessary, to accurately reference another name (e.g. Canongate is the name of an Edinburgh Street).

A list of suggested suffixes and their meanings is included in the table.

Proposing a road name may require consultation with anyone directly affected and evidence of consultation must be submitted to the DCC. These are the most common cases:

1. Names of a prominent person require consultation with close family members. (Present evidence of contact and support for the name to be used.)
2. Names of people closely associated with an organisation or group will require consultation with that group.
3. Traditional or appropriate Māori names need to be checked by the applicant with Otago Runaka/Mana Whenua.
4. Where a new name is proposed and a change on existing addresses on that road can be expected, owners of properties directly affected or connected to the new road need to be consulted and should agree with the proposed name. Evidence is required.

Road names are named by the DCC through the Infrastructure Services Committee (ISCOM). When a road is formed and requires a name, the applicant presents options and the DCC Transport department assesses the options before submitting the final options to ISCOM (assessment is based on the Dunedin Road Name Policy). Alternatively, the applicant may choose an option from the Road Name Register which do not require prior assessment before ISCOM makes a final decision.

The consent holder of a new subdivision must have road names approved prior to application for a Section 223 certificate. (Evidence of this approval must be submitted). Please allow at least six months for road names to be approved.

If your property falls within a Community Board area the DCC will present the road names to the nearest community board meeting prior to formal approval. There are six community boards:

1. Mosgiel-Taieri
2. Otago Peninsula
3. Saddle Hill
4. Strath Taieri
5. Waikouaiti Coast
6. West Harbour

If you are unsure if this applies to you, you can check the Community Boards map

The Dunedin City Council (DCC) is responsible for the naming of roads in the city and numbering of land and buildings under Sections 319 (1)(j), 319A and 319B of the Local Government Act 1974.

All new roads, access or private way potentially serving more than five addressable sites. This is normally determined at the point of subdivision.

The DCC is engaging with the wider Dunedin community to increase the diversity of road names used in the city.

As part of this, we will engage with mana whenua to have road names that represent the stories, values and local history of mana whenua.