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Wanganui or Whanganui
You will be asked to vote on whether Wanganui should be spelt with an 'h' (and
Changing the spelling to Whanganui
therefore read Whanganui), or retain the current spelling.In Maori, ‘Whanganui’ means big harbour or large expanse of water. 'Whanga' means harbour or expanse of water and 'nui' means big. The name was given by Hau of the Aotea waka over 600 years ago. Wanganui without the 'h' has no meaning to Maori.
Whanganui iwi and others see value in our community adopting Whanganui as the spelling as it acknowledges their existence and identity, and especially iwi's status as tangata whenua. It was tangata whenua who originally named the geographic features of the district.
The local iwi dialect does not pronounce the 'h' in speech, which uniquely identifies Whanganui iwi wherever they speak in New Zealand.
Keeping Wanganui as it is spelt currentlyThe opposing view is that Wanganui has always been spelt this way and that to change the spelling will create confusion and lead to the mispronunciation of the city and district's name.
Wanganui is the official spelling of the city and district.
Wanganui is spelt as it sounds because the 'h' is silent in the local iwi dialect. The name 'Wanganui' has existed in its own right as the name of the city and district through more than 150 years of common usage.
You choose – Wanganui or Whanganui?
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