A previously unnamed mountain in Fiordland National Park has been officially named Mount Axford, in honor of an eminent New Zealand space scientist.

The 1,720 metre peak, the highest point in the Kepler Mountains, now bears the name of astrophysicist and cosmologist Sir Ian Axford, who died in 2010.

"Themed place names that commemorate prominent New Zealand space scientists are a unique feature of the Kepler Mountains," says Anselm Haanen, chair of the New Zealand Geographic Board Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa.

"After confirming with Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu that the mountain does not have an original Māori name, the Board supported naming it to recognise Sir Ian’s distinguished international career as a researcher and leader of science organisations."

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Sir Ian was a fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand and Vice Chancellor at Victoria University of Wellington between 1982-1985.

He was named New Zealander of the Year in 1995 and was knighted in 1996.

Asteroid ‘5097 Axford’ is also named in his honour.

"It is a fitting tribute to celebrate him with a place name that makes his story part of our future history," adds Haanen.

Sir Ian Axford at the Max Planck Institute for Aeronomy in the late 1990s. Photo: Joy Axford

The Kepler Mountains, which overlook Lake Te Anau and Lake Manapouri, were named by an early surveyor, James McKerrow, to recognise the famous 17th century German astronomer and mathematician Johannes Kepler.

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.

Map showing Mount Axford. Credit: NZGB Proposal Report

Haanen says many submissions to the Board were in favour of the new place name, which marks the highest point in the Kepler Mountains.

However, because objections were also received that were not supported by the Board, Minister for Land Information Hon Damien O’Connor was required to make the final decision.