The Minister for Land Information Hon Damien O’Connor announces the official naming of Mount Axford, a peak in the Kepler Mountains in Fiordland.
The Board supported naming it to recognise Sir Ian’s distinguished international career as a researcher and leader of science organisations. Mount Pickering and Mount Tinsley nearby were officially named in 2010 after William Hayward Pickering, a distinguished New Zealand scientist who pioneered space exploration, and Beatrice Muriel Hill Tinsley, a prominent New Zealand astronomer and cosmologist whose research made fundamental contributions to understanding the evolution of galaxies.
New Zealand Geographic Board Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa Chairperson Anselm Haanen says, “Themed place names that commemorate prominent New Zealand space scientists are a unique feature of the Kepler Mountains. Mr Haanen says many submissions to the Board were in favour of the new place name, which marks the highest point in the Kepler Mountains.Related links
From New Zealand Gazetteer
Mount Axford
This is an official name
Current Status: Assigned
Feature Type: Hill
Feature Description:
A 1720m peak approximately 1km northwest of Lake Victoria in the Kepler Mountains, Fiordland. NZTopo50-CD07 650563.
History/Origin/Meaning:
Named for Sir Ian Axford (1933-2010) astrophysicist and cosmologist. Naming the mountain for Sir Ian Axford continues the theme of commemorating prominent New Zealand space scientists in the Kepler Mountains.
Event
2021-10-13: NZGB Gazettal 2021-ln4308
Reference Information:
Linzone file reference: GES-N15-07-21/156
Location
45.411S 167.441E
Land District: Southland
Google Earth was used to capture the images attached to this article.