Whanganui or Wanganui
Minister to assign alternative names to Wanganui City
Read a statement from the New Zealand Geographic Board here.
Status
- Originally proposed as a spelling alteration from Wanganui (recorded name), but the Minister's final determination is to assign alternative names, with both Whanganui and Wanganui being official.
- The original proposal was published in the New Zealand Gazette on 14 May 2009 and in newspapers following that date.
- The Minister's final determination was published in the New Zealand Gazette on 13 December 2012 and in newspapers following that date.
Description & location
Situated at the mouth of the Whanganui River, NZTopo50 BL32, centred at GR 733 777.
Reports
Read the 12 October 2009 Report to the Minister for Land Information on the ‘Wanganui’ to ‘Whanganui’ name change proposal (pdf 191KB). An HTML version of the report is also available.
Read the Whanganui Summary Report (pdf 226KB) considered by the New Zealand Geographic Board Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa (NZGB) at its meeting on 16 September 2009.
For more information see:
- 6 December 2012 LINZ media release: 'Whanganui' To Be Reflected In LINZ Publications and Data
- 6 December 2012 Ministers media release: Amendments provide clarity on place names
- frequently asked questions about Whanganui
- 18 December 2009 media statement: Alternative naming decision provides certainty
- 17 September 2009 media release: Board accepts ‘Whanganui’ place name proposal
- 18 August 2009 media release: Public consultation on proposal to alter spelling of Wanganui ends
- 25 May 2009 media release: Statement from the New Zealand Geographic Board regarding the outcome of the Wanganui Referendum 09
- 14 May 2009 media release: New Zealand Geographic Board public consultation open for name proposals
- 30 March 2009 media release: New Zealand Geographic Board to publicly consult on ‘h’ in Wanganui.
- Read the Whanganui Proposal Report (pdf 2.21MB) considered by the New Zealand Geographic Board Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa (NZGB) at its meeting on 27 March 2009. An HTML version of the Whanganui Proposal Report is also available.
Consultation
The consultation period closed 5pm 17 August 2009. The submissions received have been summarised into three documents:
- Submissions supporting the proposed change from Wanganui to Whanganui (pdf 146KB)
- Submissions objecting to the proposed change from Wanganui to Whanganui (pdf 149KB)
- Neutral submissions (pdf 22KB).
