CHRISTCHURCH — Christchurch City Council has announced plans to rename Manchester Street, following complaints from a local non-binary collective who say the long-running street name carries “unacceptable masculine bias.”

The proposal, part of the council’s new Inclusive Urban Vocabulary Initiative, would see Manchester Street replaced with the more neutral Personchester Boulevard, a name officials say is “modern, sensitive, and syllabically uplifting.”

Council spokesperson Alf Huckham said the move was prompted by months of consultation with residents, advocacy groups, and “people who feel personally attacked by nouns.”

“When a street name contains the word ‘man,’ it sends a message,” Harrear explained. “A message that not everyone feels aligned with. Personchester gives us a kinder, gentler, less assumptive direction.”

Local advocate Terry Riser (they/them) said the change would help create “emotional safety and navigational affirmation” for non-binary pedestrians.

“Walking down Manchester feels like being forced into a box,” Riser said. “A long, concrete, very male box.”

Other streets are also under review, including

Gayhurst Road — described as “confusingly ambiguous”

And Cox Street, which advocacy groups say “perpetuates heteronormative urban narratives.”

Not everyone is convinced the renames are necessary.

Dean from Linwood, leaning against his fence and shaking his head, said:

“Call it Personchester Boulevard if you want, mate — I still got my wallet stolen by a trans bloke on Manchester Street back in the day.”

Others questioned the cost. The council estimates the renaming project — including new signs, community workshops, and a planned Genderless Street Fair — will total $1.3 million, which they describe as “a modest investment in urban harmony.”

Harrear insists the initiative will continue.

“When people walk through Christchurch, they should feel welcomed by the signage,” she said. “Street names should hold space — not hold anyone down.”