Neve Place

Neve Place in Strandon is one of just a few streets in the city named after a woman and is a relatively new street in an old part of New Plymouth.

The street was formally part of Mahoe Street which had been divided by the development of the northern outlet in the early 1980s. The northern part of Mahoe Street kept its name, but the southern section was renamed Neve Place.

The development of an expressway through this section of New Plymouth was first proposed in the 1950s, but the project did not get underway until 1981. It was officially opened in July 1983. To complete this section of the expressway, which was later called Northgate, several properties and school fields were appropriated.

The new street was named after Margaret Neve (1909-1983) who lived at Waiwaka Terrace for most of her life. She was well-known for her community work, particularly with the Returned Services Association. Margaret’s husband, Edgar Neve, was killed in during World War Two, leaving her a widow with a young son. Perhaps it was this experience that spurred her work with the RSA over the following years.

Edgar’s war experience as a ferry pilot with the Royal New Zealand Airforce air delivery unit features in a book, African Experience, by Trevor Howells. In it the author explains how Edgar Neve died during an accident in Nigeria in 1942 when he was given the job of showing the African troops what it looked like to be shot at by a plane. Unfortunately he came in too low and hit the ground. An unlucky accident with a lifetime of repercussions for his wife and child half a world away.

This story was originally published in the Taranaki Daily News.