It's a hard road to come up with new and different street names in New Zealand – I know, because I've named quite a few! There are numerous, fairly complex guidelines to follow, and of course, road names need to be unique in their area, to avoid confusion for posties, couriers and visiting relatives.
So I've put together a few pointers for street naming – or, of course, you can call on The Namery to nail it for you.
Follow best practice – you can't just come up with any old (or new) street names. To start with, road names in New Zealand should generally:
Be reflective of the history, culture, topography, and identity of the area they're located in
Not feel out of place with surrounding suburb and street names
Be easy to spell and pronounce to help with clarity and directions
Be unique and not duplicated anywhere else in the region, and not have a similar sound or spelling to existing road names
Not be offensive or easily corrupted into an offensive or denigrating version.
2. Create at least 3 names per road/street
On top of that, Auckland Council likes developers to propose three different names per street or road, so your first choice of name may not be your final choice.
Councils also encourage the use of Māori road names and recommend engaging relevant mana whenua early on in the development process, particularly for medium to large developments with multiple new roads.
3. Double-check against other road names in the area
Local councils need to check and confirm that proposed names are acceptable for use before you proceed with an application. What can make this doubly difficult is that numerous different developments are often being proposed at the same time, so even if you've checked for similar names in the area, this may create unknown conflicts. In other words, it pays to have a few back-up names!
4. Keep road names short and easy to get
Equally importantly, names must be relatively easy to say, write and spell and as short as possible (no more than 25 characters).
6. Create names that people will actually like
It’s also important that street names sound desirable and aspirational – a place you’d want to call home. For example, 'Sapphire Seas Road' is a street I named at Pacific Heights in Orewa – a lovely, evocative name that sounds like somewhere I'd love to live.
6. Allow plenty of time
The naming process can take months, especially if it's necessary to consult local iwi, which in most cases it is. If you're a developer and street names are part of your remit, it would pay to get the process underway as soon as possible.
Luckily, here at The Namery, we're used to working within Council guidelines – and we're experts at creating distinctive and relevant names that meet the above criteria.
One recent development we named is Pacific Heights in Orewa, which, naturally, lent itself to names that reflected its coastal location. However, we soon discovered that these kinds of names are prolific on the Hibiscus Coast, so we developed a 'three-name' convention for major roads, rather than two names. For example, 'Sapphire Seas Place' and 'Nikau Ridge Road'. This not only made it easier to get through Council, it also created a series of similar-sounding, highly desirable street names.
Likewise, The Namery was engaged to help with naming streets in Ara Hills, a new sub-division right across the motorway from Pacific Heights. Again, we created a convention of related, relevant yet unique names, which made the approval process much smoother and ensured no time-consuming trips back to the drawing board.
Personally, I think there's something very special about creating a timeless, memorable street name that will become home to generations of Kiwis. If you need roads named for your next development, remember our name – I'd love to help out!
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