Students and teachers at Gisborne's Kaiti School will march to meet their mayor on Thursday - as part of their campaign for Poverty Bay to be called Turanganui a Kiwa.
During their social inquiries, the children learned that Captain James Cook called their region Poverty Bay when he made landfall in 1769 - because it offered him "no one thing he wanted".
Principal Billie-Jean Potaka Ayton said the students were shocked to learn that a tribal name would be dropped.
She said the children and teachers will walk to Gisborne District Council to hold a meeting with Mayor Meng Foon.
It's the first stage in their campaign for a name name.
