Three controversial place names in north Canterbury have been changed to something less offensive.
Nigger Stream will be officially known as Pukio Stream, Niggerhead as Tawhai Hill, and Nigger Hill is now Kanuka Hill.
Land Information Minister Lousie Upston says the old names "reflect a time when attitudes towards this word were markedly different to what they are now".
"It is a word that is clearly offensive to most people today, so I am pleased to make this decision.
"This isn't about rewriting history - it is and will remain a matter of public record that these three places used to carry different names.
"However, in a society like ours that is multicultural and where most New Zealanders do not go out of their way to be offensive or exclude others, I do not believe this word has a place in our official names."
Newshub.
