The lane named after a spy

Street names often have their own odd but obvious history – Mad Dog Lane and Squeeze Guts Alley in the UK are examples – but few people will realise the origins of Genevieve Lane in Auckland’s Hobsonville Point.

Actually, Squeeze Guts Alley might need a bit of explanation: it’s an exceptionally narrow alley in Truro, Cornwall, which people of, er, expanded girth may struggle to navigate.

But Hobsonville Point’s Genevieve Lane is one of the few streets in the world – and certainly in New Zealand – to be named after a spy.

Genevieve was the code name of Phyllis (known as Pippa) Latour, the woman, now 98, honoured for her World War II service and now a feature of one of Auckland’s newest housing developments.

Secret agent Pippa Latour was recruited by Britain's Special Operations Executive, trained in radio skills, surveillance, sabotage, map reading and self-defence before parachuting into Normandy on May 1, 1944, aged 23. Cycling through the French countryside with coded information hidden in her hair, Latour used hidden radio sets to send information to Britain that would help guide bombing missions to enemy targets.

If discovered behind enemy lines, she faced death. Agents were warned they had about a 50 per cent chance of survival and were trained to take a cyanide tablet if captured.

Latour had several close calls, including a nervous moment when questioned by police and strip-searched. She undid her hair-tie and shook out her locks to show the female officer she had nothing to hide - concealing the fact that her codes were concealed in the hair-tie itself.

She survived the war, transmitting 135 secret messages to the UK before France's liberation in August 1944, winning huge praise in France which awarded her its highest decoration - the Legion d'honneur - at a 2014 ceremony.

She married and lived in Kenya and Fiji before moving to New Zealand. She has always been reticent about her military career, keeping it secret even from her own children for a long time.

Kāinga Ora (the new government agency encompassing Housing NZ, its development arm HLC and the Kiwibuild unit) Placemaking Team Leader, Kathleen Waldock, says Genevieve Lane gave her team a few problems as most streets named after people are usually bestowed after they have died.

“We asked Pippa if she wanted it to be Pippa Latour Lane or Genevieve Lane – and she opted for the code name, which we thought appropriate,” Waldock says.

Genevieve Lane also acknowledges the presence of the SAS at the former RNZAF base; Latour was adopted by the SAS regiment as a veteran Special Operations Executive (SOE) member – a special forces unit which pre-dated the SAS. The sign will go up on Genevieve Lane early next year; Latour will be one of those invited to witness it.

The lane is only one of the colourful stories behind the science of naming streets in one ofAuckland’s newest and most in-demand developments.

Kāinga Ora has responsibility for coming up with the names of new streets – and incorporates the history of mana whenua, the RNZAF and natural history.

That’s why Danga Lane and Angels Lane have been titled – wartime RNZAF slang common in the old Hobsonville air base. A Danga (the full name was Dangaroo) meant “a new boy just arrived from home with news, information, speculations and wax matches”, says Waldock. “Angels” was the RAF code for every 1000 feet in altitude, so "Angels 2-0" meant 20,000 feet.

Existing roads like Buckley Ave and Isitt Rd were named after former Hobsonsville base commanders Maurice Buckley and Leonard Isitt, renowned in the area for their trips to Muriwai in a wooden-wheeled car to retrieve toheroa from the black sands.

In a salute to the natural biodiversity of the area, Hobsonville Point also has street names involving Kanuka, Oioi (the native reed), Harakeke (flax), Kotuku (heron) and Grey Warbler Rd.

The history of mana whenua is also acknowledged in street names. Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara has a development called Te Uru, which has seen roads and laneways named around the plant of Pa Harakeke (traditionally used to weave) and raranga (weaving). Te Kawerau a Maki gifted the road name ‘Rangihina’, named after a Māori princess.

Ngāi Tahu gifted the names Uku Lane and Kerewhenua Lane for part of its development at Hobsonville Point, consulting with Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara on names shaped around the concept of life and clay: “We come from clay, we return to clay is the theme,” Waldock says.

And unless anyone thinks naming a street is just a simple matter of thinking up, or finding, a relevant name, Waldock has news for you.

All proposed names cannot duplicate a name already in use in Auckland. They cannot even be close to the spelling or the sound of an existing street name. The proposed names – plus two alternatives – have to be approved by the Upper Harbour Local Board and Land Information NZ. They also engage with mana whenua and consult with the Hobsonville Point Residents’ Society.

“It is,” Waldock says wryly, “an interesting and rewarding process.”

- This content was supplied by Kāinga Ora