Summary of Submissions & Other Correspondence

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.

Submissions received on the proposal

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850 submissions were received for this proposal during the three month public notification period, under section 17 of the Act.

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The following statistics indicate the breakdown of submissions:

During the 3 month public notification period of 14 May to 17 August 2009:

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Copies of all submissions are provided Attachment 7. Summaries of the submissions are provided in Attachment 9.

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In addition, a number of items of correspondence were received by the Board before and after the 3 month submission period. These were made available to Board members but are not formally considered to be submissions and are not included in the totals in paragraph 23 above or the summary of submissions. Copies of the additional correspondence received before and after the submission period are under Attachment 8.

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The following is a summary of the reasons given in the objecting submissions:

• Long time residency
• Cost factor - public documents/personal/business/taxpayers
• Excessive political correctness
• No written language for te reo Māori pre-colonisation
• Anti-Māori sentiment
• Common/Historical long term use (locally/nationally/internationally)
• Confusion with Whangarei
• Support of referendum (democracy)/referenda ignored
• Not a te reo Māori word
• Pronunciation/Dialectical - would be pronounced incorrectly
• Wanganui is correct transcription of dialect
• Bureaucracy - Board has no mandate
• Wanganui/born there/local issue
• Sets a precedent for other renaming
• Against change
• Causes division in the community
• Concentrate on more important social issues
• Original Māori name preserved in river - no need to change city name
• Intimidation of European New Zealanders
• Not wanting to assimilate into standard te reo Māori
• City is not a significant geographical feature
• No proof in records
• Well-established in branding & marketing
• Need to change computer software
• Sounds were transcribed as they were heard
• Against majority wishes
• The Treaty makes all people British
• Change is racist
• Documentation - birth/marriage/death certificates
• No historical basis/valid reason
• Wanganui built by Pākeha for Pākeha - so Pākeha should decide
• Anti-Board sentiment
• Duplication - Taupo/Waikato regions
• Pandering to cultural/vocal minority
• Language change
• Correct spelling/spelling reflects dialect/historically correct
• Too many Māori names
• Anglicised version
• Endonym⁴ transliteration/exonym⁵
• Loss of heritage/identity threatened/honoured/proud to be European
• Causes confusion
• Supports view of mayor
• Not convenient
• Does not need to mean anything
• Chosen by colonial forefathers
• Politically motivated
• River should be changed back
• Unique name
• No proof of land ownership by Māori settlers
• Name already widely known
• Alternative name
• Historical oddity
• Oppose change by radicals/activists
• Wanganui has meaning

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The following is a summary of the reasons given in the supporting submissions:

• Honouring Treaty obligations
• Respect for tangata whenua mana/support for local iwi
• It is the correct spelling - corrects spelling mistake/historically correct
• Oral history from tūpuna/honours legacy and culture
• Supporting documentation/early evidence [h]
• Long term use of [h]
• Anti-Pākeha sentiment
• River/National Park and city name should be consistent
• Right of Māori to determine correct spelling
• Dialectical - W(h)anganui Māori don't pronounce [h] distinct mita
• Whanganui has meaning
• Supports/preserves historical and cultural heritage
• Original Māori name
• Double standard - English place names are corrected but not Māori place names
• Cost should not be imperative
• Preserve uniqueness of te reo Māori
• Encourages racial harmony
• Te reo Māori is an official language (Māori Language Act 1989)/taonga
• Referendum is an abuse of democracy/biased/divisive
• Colonisers changed place names without consultation with Māori
• NZGB Act 2008 s 11(e) & s 11(f) - encourage use of Māori place names
• NZGB Act 2008 s 3(e) - recognition of values associated with geographic features
• English is not ultimate authority of language
• Area named before European settlement
• Name intended to be known by native name not English appellation
• Documented through whakapapa, moteatea and academic research
• Misspelled the way it was heard
• Current name has no meaning/is incorrect
• Mayor is insensitive and/or lacks insight
• It's a matter of spelling not pronunciation
• Rights historical wrongs
• Te Rūnanga o Tupoho possess rangatiratanga over their reo
• Majority threatened by/stifles minority
• Spelling/pronunciation correlation
• Incorrect long term usage of Wanganui
• Sufficient evidence produced for proof of original name
• Opposing correction lacks respect for or insults Māori/culturally insensitive
• Correct way to say/spell word
• Websites need multiple domain names
• Two spellings cause confusion
• Gives Māori identity
• Historical research is biased

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The following is a summary of the reasons given in the neutral submissions:

• Both spellings be optional as in Taranaki/Egmont
• Leave open and optional
• Favours compromise
• Make both versions right

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A small number of objecting submissions sought alternatives, eg Petrie (sic), Petre, Whanganui, The River City, Wanganui/W’anganui, Wanganui/Whanganui, Lawsland, Fonganui, Waenganui, and W’anganui. Some of the objecting submissions recorded their formal support for the existing name of Wanganui.