249 Malvern St

467 9186

4 Blundell St Pine Hill

mhoward@slingshot.co.nz

131 Evans st

473 9535

bracey-browns@clear.net.nz

146 Norwood St

473-1334

russelld@psotago.org.nz

PO Box 5144 Dunedin 9058

476-9853

julie.buxton@otagodhb.govt.nz

Here are examples of early spelling. In 1849 the Rev Thomas Burns was already writing ‘North East Valley’ in his Visitation Book. Title deeds and other hand written land documents going back at least to March 1851 also spelled the name as three words evidently recognizing its proper name status. In 1852, two occupiers of church land (now the New World Gardens car park) writing to the church trustees about flooding gave their address as ‘North East Valley’.

On the other hand, the Otago Witness in its second issue of 22 Feb 1851, opted for hyphenating the first two words in the form ‘North-East Valley’, which it stuck with, although in some property advertisements it inconsistently allowed ‘North East Valley’. But by 1860 the Witness’ s compositor was setting the name as ‘North-east Valley’. Did the Witness ask valley residents for their opinion? Probably not. Robert Short, an early valley resident and farmer, and onetime headmaster of the first NEV school in Bank Street, in a letter to the Otago Provincial Council in January 1860, carefully spelled his home address as ‘North East Valley’. Was he making a point?

It seems that from an early date local residents avoided the adjectival sense implied by hyphenation and preferred the dignity of the capitalised three-word proper name ‘North East Valley’. Nevertheless for 140 years Dunedin newspapers have continued to use the hyphenated forms. Strangely, within the last decade, the Otago Daily Times has dropped the hyphen in favour of the twoword spelling ‘Northeast Valley’. So now, if you have a letter published in the ODT, you will have your carefully spelled ‘North East Valley’ address changed to ‘Northeast Valley’ to conform I suppose to the spelling in the ODT stylebook. You might ask why should a stylebook dictate the spelling of the place where you live? It is not a final authority. If authority is desired, note that the Dunedin City District Plan uses the three-word spelling. And more authoritatively perhaps, the Land Information NZ Place Names Database lists ‘North East Valley’ as its approved spelling. Even that does not guarantee consistent spelling of road signs. Travel north on Great King Street and a big green sign directs you to ‘North East Valley’. Very comforting. But arrive at the end of the Northern Motorway and unbelievably another green sign directs you to ‘Northeast Valley’. What is going on? Different spellings apparently sanctioned by the same authority? Does it matter? Let me know by email or phone how you spell out NEV.

Gary Blackman