While locals have referred to the area as The Catlins since the 1840s, the name was not official, board secretary Wendy Shaw said.
The omission was discovered after the board received a proposal to assign the commonly used name, The Catlins, and also to define the boundary.
No Maori alternative name for the area had been advised by Te Runanga o Otakou, she said.
The proposal will be publicly notified from May 14, with the board likely to defer or make a final decision early next year.
The board confirmed it had also received a submission to recognise the area more commonly known as Jacks Point by Wakatipu basin residents, as Coneburn.
Jacks Point development manager Steve McIsaac said although the area was well known by residents, it had caused confusion for emergency and postal services.
In an effort to prevent future problems, a submission was sent to the board asking the area be known as Coneburn - the name given in the district plan for the area, he said.
With the population likely to increase, it was important to clarify the area, he said.
The proposal would be considered by the board at a meeting later this year.
Inquiries by the Otago Daily Times also reveal Fiordland is not classified as official by the board under legislation, which may lead to future name changes.
Last week, the board announced it would begin a process of formalising names for the North Island and South Island.
Geographic board rulings
• Accepted: proposal to proceed to public notification to formalise the name, The Catlins.
• Deferred: proposal to name Jacks Point has been reproposed as Coneburn; Proposal to name an unnamed peak in the Two Thumbs Range, Mt Ed Hillary; Proposal to name an unnamed peak in the Remarkables, Hillary Peak.
• Declined: proposal to assign the name Lake Hutton to a newly-formed lake in the Young River Valley.- Source: NZ Geographic Board
