Decision on the Proposal

This is one section of the the New Zealand Geographic Board Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa proposal to alter 'Wanganui' to 'Whanganui': Summary of Submissions and the Board's Decision. See the full list of sections. A pdf version of this report (pdf 191KB) is also available.

Resolutions

19
The following is the Board's resulting resolution, made at the meeting on 16 September 2009:

Resolution 1:

Noting

  1. the high level of public interest expressed in all of the submissions, and
  2. the history and long term usage of the current spelling, while also

taking account

of its statutory functions and policies,

the Board resolved to

  1. reject all objecting submissions in terms of section 18(1)(b) of the New Zealand Geographic Board (Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa) Act 2008,
  2. confirm its decision to change the spelling of the city name from 'Wanganui' to 'Whanganui', and
  3. report its decision to the Minister for Land Information in terms of section 20(1) of the New Zealand Geographic Board (Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa) Act 2008, in order to seek a final determination from the Minister in terms of sections 20(2) and 20(3) of the New Zealand Geographic Board (Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa) Act 2008,

based

  • principally on the grounds of correct spelling and orthographic representation of Te Reo Māori.

Resolution 2:

The Board further resolves

  1. that there should be a transitional period of not less than 12 months, and
  2. that the Gazette notice shall provide for either name, 'Wanganui' or 'Whanganui', to be used during the transition period.

Alternative options considered

20
The Board considered several options when making its decision to change the spelling of the city name from 'Wanganui' to 'Whanganui' (see Appendix A). The Board did not support any of the following options:

  • status quo
  • status quo with a review period after a set period of time
  • decline 'Whanganui' and make 'Wanganui' the official name
  • accept 'Whanganui' without a transition period
  • accept a dual name, 'Whanganui' / 'Wanganui'
  • accept alternative names – both as official names, 'Whanganui' or 'Wanganui'
  • accept 'Whanganui' as an official name but with 'Wanganui' as a permitted alternative spelling
  • accept a completely different name, for example some objectors suggested Petre, The River City, Lawsland.

21
While assigning two official names with slightly different spellings was considered as a compromise, the Board rejected this as an option. The Board's view was that adopting the correct spelling of the official geographic name with a transition period to minimise compliance costs would best meet its statutory functions.
 

top