The Short Title of this Act is “The Designation of Districts Act, 1908.”

This Act is a consolidation of the enactments mentioned in the Schedule hereto, and with respect to those enactments the following provisions shall apply:—

Savings.

The Governor may assign a name or designation to any district, city, borough, town (whether public or private), town district, village, village or special settlement, valley, land area, railway, railway-station, goldfield or mining district, hill, mountain, glen, forest, lagoon, swamp, creek, stream, river, lake, bay, harbour, or other place or locality whatsoever in New Zealand, and also may determine by what name any port of entry shall be designated; and may also from time to time by Proclamation, but subject to the provisions of the next succeeding section alter the geographical name or designation of any place or locality in New Zealand, whether the same was given before or after the coming into operation of this Act, but shall not alter the name of New Zealand.

The Governor in Council, from time to time, at the request or with the consent of the Council of any county, city, or borough, to be signified to the Governor by resolution of such Council adopted at any ordinary meeting thereof, may by Proclamation alter the name of any county, city, or borough in New Zealand, whether existing before or after the coming into operation of this Act; and in all such alterations and future naming preference shall be given to the original Maori names.

No two places in New Zealand (whether a city, borough, town, town district, village, village or special settlement, or private town or township), either now existing or hereafter to exist, shall bear the same name, or a name so similar to another or to others, with or without a prefix, as to lead to mistakes or confusion; and wherever such is the case the Governor, notwithstanding anything in section three hereof, may require the local authority (if any) of the place or places the more recent in date of existence under such name to submit a new name or names for the said places respectively for his approval.

On approval of such name or names, or on refusal or neglect of any local authority to submit as aforesaid a new name for the place under its jurisdiction within three months from the date of being required so to do as aforesaid, the Governor may by Proclamation alter the name of such place as he thinks fit.

All towns or townships laid off in or upon any land other than Crown land shall be deemed to be private towns or townships, and shall be subject in all respects to the provisions of this Act as if they were public towns.

When any hill, mountain, glen, forest, lagoon, swamp, creek, stream, river, lake, bay, harbour, or other natural feature in New Zealand bears the same name, or a name so similar to another or others as to lead to mistakes or confusion, the Governor may by Proclamation alter the name or names thereof respectively as he thinks fit.

Whenever any town, township, town district, railway-station, or other locality whatsoever, or any river, stream, or other natural feature of New Zealand whatever, is generally known or named by a name professing to be a Maori name, but is not the true spelling of the said Maori name, or is a corruption thereof, the Governor may by Proclamation alter the name of such locality or natural feature as aforesaid in consonance with the correct Maori orthography.

Every Proclamation issued under this Act—

Any such alteration of name as aforesaid shall not affect any rights or obligations of any county, district, city, borough, town, or other locality, or of any Council, Board, authority, or person, or render defective any legal proceedings; and any legal proceedings may be continued or commenced as if there were no alteration of name.