One origin of the name is that a certain area on the beach was known for burying the 'pito' or umbilical cords in the 'one' or the sandy part of the beach. (Pictured is Petone Beach) Photo: RNZ / Soumya Bhamidipati
* This article has been amended to clarify the application to the Geographic Board was made by two iwi groups, not the council.
The New Zealand Geographic Board is today considering a name change for the Lower Hutt suburb Petone to Pito One.
The area was once a pā of local iwi Te Āti Awa but the traditional name was misspelt during colonial settlement.
One origin of the name is that a certain area on the beach was known for burying the 'pito' or umbilical cords in the 'one' or the sandy part of the beach. Hence the name 'Pito-One'.
Another is that it translates to the 'pito' or end point of the 'one', the beach.
Last year, Hutt City Council voted to support a change back to the traditional name. Two iwi groups, Wellington Tenths Trust and Palmerston North Māori Reserves Trust, put in an application to the New Zealand Geographic Board.
The board, Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa, is New Zealand's place naming authority.
Board secretary Wendy Shaw said the board would consider the proposal and decide whether it would go out for public consultation.
The board would announce any proposal, including any decision to move to public consultation, in a month's time to allow time to notify key stakeholders, she said.