List of New Zealand place names and their meanings
Placenames in New Zealand derive largely from the British and Maori origins of the people who speak the two official languages.
- Auckland - in honour of George Eden, 1st Earl of Auckland, a patron of William Hobson
- Canterbury -
- Hawke's Bay - in honour of Edward Hawke, 1st Baron Hawke of Towton
- Kerikeri- not definitively known, but several possibilities discussed at Kerikeri link
- King Country -
- Levin - from a director of the railway company that created the town to help boost its railway;
- Nelson - in honour of Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson
- Otago - anglicised from the Maori name Otakou, a kainga east of present-day Otago Harbour
- Plimmerton - from John Plimmer, Wellington pioneer, director of the railway company that created the seaside resort to help boost its railway; central Wellington has Plimmer's Steps.
- Tasman - district named from the bay name, in honour of Dutchman Abel Tasman, commander of first European ship to sight the country; also a mountain and glacier name; and a national park takes his full name.
- Waikato- Named after the river Waikato, which itself means "river"
- Wellington - in honour of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
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