Whanganui, also spelt Wanganui, is a

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. The city is located on the west coast of the

North Island The North Island ( , 'the fish of Māui', historically New Ulster) is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but less populous South Island by Cook Strait. With an area of , it is the List ...

at the mouth of the

Whanganui River The Whanganui River is a major river in the North Island of New Zealand. It is the country's third-longest river, and has special status owing to its importance to the region's Māori people. In March 2017 it became the world's second natur ...

, New Zealand's longest navigable waterway. Whanganui is the 19th most-populous urban area in New Zealand and the second-most-populous in Manawatū-Whanganui, with a population of as of . Whanganui is the ancestral home of Te Āti Haunui-a-Pāpārangi and other

Whanganui Māori Whanganui Māori are the Māori ''iwi'' (tribes) and ''hapū'' (sub-tribes) of the Whanganui River area of New Zealand. They are also known as Ngāti Hau. One group of Whanganui Māori, Whanganui Iwi, includes Te Āti Haunui-a-Pāpārangi and ...

tribes. The

New Zealand Company The New Zealand Company, chartered in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom, was a company that existed in the first half of the 19th century on a business model that was focused on the systematic colonisation of New Ze ...

began to settle the area in 1840, establishing its second settlement after

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

. In the early years, most European settlers came via Wellington. Whanganui greatly expanded in the 1870s, and

freezing works In livestock agriculture and the meat industry, a slaughterhouse, also called an abattoir (), is a facility where livestock animals are slaughtered to provide food. Slaughterhouses supply meat, which then becomes the responsibility of a meat ...

, woollen mills, phosphate works and wool stores were established in the town. Today, much of Whanganui's economy relates directly to the fertile and prosperous farming

hinterland Hinterland is a German word meaning the 'land behind' a city, a port, or similar. Its use in English was first documented by the geographer George Chisholm in his ''Handbook of Commercial Geography'' (1888). Originally the term was associated wi ...

. Like several New Zealand urban areas, it was officially designated a

until an administrative reorganisation in 1989, and is now run by

Whanganui District Council The Whanganui District Council, formerly spelled Wanganui District Council, is the territorial authority for Whanganui District, New Zealand, comprising the city of Whanganui and its surrounding areas. The council is made up of a mayor and 1 ...

Toponymy

''Whanga nui'' is a

Māori language Māori (; endonym: 'the Māori language', commonly shortened to ) is an Eastern Polynesian languages, Eastern Polynesian language and the language of the Māori people, the indigenous population of mainland New Zealand. The southernmost membe ...

phrase meaning "big bay" or "big harbour". The first name of the European settlement was ''Petre'' (pronounced Peter), after Lord Petre, an officer of the

, but it was never popular and was officially changed to "Wanganui" in 1854.

Controversy over Wanganui/Whanganui spelling

In the local dialect,

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

pronounce the ''wh'' in ''Whanganui'' as , a

voiced labial–velar approximant The voiced labial–velar approximant is a type of consonantal sound, used in certain spoken languages, including English. It is the sound denoted by the letter in the English alphabet;; ''see'' the examples on the fifth page. likewise, the s ...

combined with a

glottal stop The glottal stop or glottal plosive is a type of consonantal sound used in many Speech communication, spoken languages, produced by obstructing airflow in the vocal tract or, more precisely, the glottis. The symbol in the International Phonetic ...

, but to non-locals the name sounds like "Wanganui" and is hard to reproduce. In 1991, the

New Zealand Geographic Board The New Zealand Geographic Board Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa (NZGB) is the authority over geographical and hydrographic names within New Zealand and its territorial waters. This includes the naming of small urban settlements, localities, mounta ...

considered demands from some local Māori to change the name of the river to ''Whanganui''. During a three-month consultation period, the Wanganui District Council was asked for its views and advised the Board that it opposed the change. Letters of both support and opposition were received during this time. After some deliberation, the Board decided to change the spelling of the river's name from "Wanganui" to "Whanganui". A non-binding

referendum A referendum, plebiscite, or ballot measure is a Direct democracy, direct vote by the Constituency, electorate (rather than their Representative democracy, representatives) on a proposal, law, or political issue. A referendum may be either bin ...

was held in Wanganui in 2006, where 82% voted to retain the city's name "Wanganui" without an 'h'. Turnout was 55.4%. Despite the clear results, the spelling of the name continued to be surrounded by significant controversy.

Iwi Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori, roughly means or , and is often translated as "tribe". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, and is typically pluralised as such in English. ...

group Te Rūnanga o Tupoho applied to the New Zealand Geographic Board to change the city's name to "Whanganui" in February 2009, and in late March the Board found there were grounds for the change. The public was given three months to comment on the proposed change, beginning in mid-May. The public submissions were relatively equal, with a slim majority in favour of keeping the status quo. Wanganui Mayor Michael Laws spoke strongly against the proposed change. A second referendum was held in Wanganui in May 2009, and residents again overwhelmingly rejected changing the city's name, with 22% voting to change it to "Whanganui" and 77% voting to retain the name as "Wanganui". Voter turnout was 61%, the highest in a Wanganui referendum, reflecting the widespread controversy. Recognising that the decision was ultimately political in nature, not linguistic, in September 2009 the Geographic Board handed the decision to the Minister for Land Information. Despite the referendum results, the Geographic Board recommended to the Minister that the name should be spelt "Whanganui". In December 2009, the government decided that while either spelling was acceptable, Crown agencies would use the spelling "Whanganui", amending the act to allow other official documents to use "Wanganui", as an alternative official name, if desired. On 17 November 2015

Land Information New Zealand Land Information New Zealand (LINZ; ) is the public service department of New Zealand charged with geographical information and surveying functions as well as handling land titles, and managing Crown land and property. The minister responsible ...

''Toitū te whenua'' (LINZ) announced that Wanganui District would be renamed to Whanganui District. This changed the official name of the District Council, and, because Whanganui is not a city council but a district, the official name of the urban area as well. On 19 November 2015, the name change was officially gazetted. In September 2019, the

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

that Whanganui District Council is part of was renamed from Manawatu-Wanganui to Manawatū-Whanganui.

History

Māori settlement

The area around the mouth of the Whanganui river was a major site of pre-European

settlement. The

pā The word pā (; often spelled pa in English) can refer to any Māori people, Māori village or defensive settlement, but often refers to hillforts – fortified settlements with palisades and defensive :wikt:terrace, terraces – and also to fo ...

named Pūtiki (a contraction of ''Pūtikiwharanui'') was and is home to the

Ngāti Tupoho Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori, roughly means or , and is often translated as "tribe". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, and is typically pluralised as such in English. ...

hapū In Māori language, Māori and New Zealand English, a ' ("subtribe", or "clan") functions as "the basic political unit within Māori society". A Māori person can belong to or have links to many hapū. Historically, each hapū had its own chief ...

of the

iwi Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori, roughly means or , and is often translated as "tribe". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, and is typically pluralised as such in English. ...

Te Āti Haunui-a-Pāpārangi. It took its name from the legendary explorer Tamatea Pōkai Whenua, who sent a servant ashore to find flax for tying up his topknot (''pūtiki''). In the 1820s, coastal tribes in the area assaulted the

Kapiti Island Kapiti Island (), sometimes written as Kāpiti Island, is an island nature reserve located off the west coast of the lower North Island of New Zealand and within the Kāpiti Coast District. Parts of the island were previously farmed, but it is ...

stronghold of

Ngāti Toa Ngāti Toa, also called Ngāti Toarangatira or Ngāti Toa Rangatira, is a Māori people, Māori ''iwi'' (tribe) based in the southern North Island and the northern South Island of New Zealand. Ngāti Toa remains a small iwi with a population of ...

chief

Te Rauparaha Te Rauparaha ( – 27 November 1849) was a Māori rangatira, warlord, and chief of the Ngāti Toa iwi. One of the most powerful military leaders of the Musket Wars, Te Rauparaha fought a war of conquest that greatly expanded Ngāti Toa south ...

. Te Rauparaha retaliated in 1830, sacking Pūtiki and slaughtering the inhabitants.Wises New Zealand Guide, 7th Edition, 1979. p. 494.

European settlement

The first European traders arrived in 1831, followed in 1840 by missionaries

Octavius Hadfield Octavius Hadfield (6 October 1814 – 11 December 1904) was Archdeacon of Kāpiti, Bishop of Wellington from 1870 to 1893 and Primate of New Zealand from 1890 to 1893. He was a member of the Church Missionary Society (CMS) for thirty years. H ...

and

Henry Williams Henry Williams may refer to: Politicians * Henry Williams (activist) (born 2000), chief of staff of the Mike Gravel 2020 presidential campaign * Henry Williams (MP for Northamptonshire) (died 1558), member of parliament (MP) for Northamptonshire ...

who collected signatures for the

Treaty of Waitangi The Treaty of Waitangi (), sometimes referred to as ''Te Tiriti'', is a document of central importance to the history of New Zealand, Constitution of New Zealand, its constitution, and its national mythos. It has played a major role in the tr ...

. On 20 June 1840, the Revd John Mason, Mrs Mason, Mr Richard Matthews (a lay catechist) and his wife Johanna arrived to establish a mission station of the

Church Missionary Society The Church Mission Society (CMS), formerly known as the Church Missionary Society, is a British Anglican mission society working with Christians around the world. Founded in 1799, CMS has attracted over nine thousand men and women to serve as ...

(CMS). The Revd Richard Taylor joined the CMS mission station in 1843. The Revd Mason drowned on 5 January 1843 while crossing the Turakina River. By 1844 the brick church built by Mason was inadequate to meet the needs of the congregation, and it had been damaged in an earthquake. A new church was built under the supervision of Taylor, with the timber supplied by each pā on the river in proportion to its size and number of Christians. Te Mamaku

After the

had settled

it looked for other suitable places for settlers. William Wakefield, younger brother of

Edward Gibbon Wakefield Edward Gibbon Wakefield (20 March 179616 May 1862) was an English politician in colonial Canada and New Zealand. He is considered a key figure in the establishment of the colonies of South Australia and New Zealand (where he later served as a ...

, negotiated the sale of 40,000 acres in 1840, and a town named Petre – after Lord Petre, one of the directors of the New Zealand Company – was established four kilometres from the river mouth. The settlement was threatened in 1846 by

Te Mamaku Hēmi Tōpine Te Mamaku (died June 1887) was a Māori chief in the Ngāti Hāua-te-rangi iwi from the Whanganui region of New Zealand's North Island. Te Mamaku was born probably in the late 18th century and raised in the Whanganui area. As trib ...

, a chief from up the Whanganui River. The British military arrived on 13 December 1846 to defend the township. Two stockades, the Rutland and York, were built to defend the settlers. Two minor battles were fought on 19 May and 19 July 1847 and after a stalemate the up river iwi returned home. By 1850, Te Mamaku was receiving Christian instruction from Revd Taylor. There were further incidents in 1847 when four members of the Gilfillan family were murdered and their house plundered. The name of the city was officially changed to Wanganui on 20 January 1854. The early years of the new city were problematic. Purchase of land from the local tribes had been haphazard and irregular, and as such, many Māori were angered by the influx of

Pākehā ''Pākehā'' (or ''Pakeha''; ; ) is a Māori language, Māori-language word used in English, particularly in New Zealand. It generally means a non-Polynesians, Polynesian New Zealanders, New Zealander or more specifically a European New Zeala ...

onto land that they still claimed. It was not until the town had been established for eight years that agreements were finally reached between the colonials and local tribes, and some resentment continued (and still filters through to the present day). Wanganui grew rapidly after this time, with land being cleared for pasture. The town was a major military centre during the

New Zealand Wars The New Zealand Wars () took place from 1845 to 1872 between the Colony of New Zealand, New Zealand colonial government and allied Māori people, Māori on one side, and Māori and Māori-allied settlers on the other. Though the wars were initi ...

of the 1860s, although local Māori at Pūtiki led by

Te Keepa Te Rangihiwinui Te Keepa Te Rangihiwinui (died 15 April 1898) was a Māori military commander and noted ally of the government forces during the New Zealand Wars. First known as Te Rangihiwinui, he was later known as Te Keepa, Meiha Keepa, Major Keepa or Maj ...

remained friendly to settlers. In 1871, a town bridge was built, followed six years later by a railway bridge at

Aramoho Aramoho is a settlement on the Whanganui River, in the Whanganui District and Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand's North Island. It is an outlying suburb of Whanganui. History The settlement was established on the river in the 1860 ...

. Wanganui was linked by rail to both

New Plymouth New Plymouth () is the major city of the Taranaki region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after the English city of Plymouth, in Devon, from where the first English settlers to New Plymouth migrated. The New Pl ...

and

by 1886. The town was incorporated as a

Borough A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History ...

on 1 February 1872, with

William Hogg Watt William Hogg Watt (1818–1893) was a 19th-century Member of Parliament in the Manawatū region of New Zealand. Wellington Provincial Council Watt was elected to the Wellington Provincial Council at the 1853 New Zealand provincial election ...

the first Mayor. It was then declared a city on 1 July 1924.

Wanganui Women's Political League

As an alternative to the Wanganui chapter of the

Women's Christian Temperance Union of New Zealand Women's Christian Temperance Union of New Zealand (WCTU NZ) is a non-partisan, non-denominational, and non-profit organisation that is the oldest continuously active national organisation of women in New Zealand. The national organisation began ...

, Margaret Bullock formed a club for women activists in 1893, originally as the Wanganui Women's Franchise League.

Ellen Ballance Ellen Ballance (; 1846 – 14 June 1935) was a New Zealand suffragist and community leader. She was a vice-president of the Women's Progressive Society, an international suffrage organisation based in London, and the inaugural president of t ...

, the second wife of the former Premier

John Ballance John Ballance (27 March 1839 – 27 April 1893) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 14th premier of New Zealand from January 1891 until his death in April 1893. He governed as the leader of New Zealand's first organised List of pol ...

was the inaugural president until she left for England. Bullock then served as president when the franchise for women was won and the organisation's name changed to the Women's Political League. The membership rolls reached to nearly 3000 at its height. Monthly meetings focused on feminist scholarly inquiry, and Ellen Ballance donated her husband's library to the club. Bullock and Jessie Williamson led the club's connections with the

National Council of Women of New Zealand The National Council of Women of New Zealand () was established in 1896, three years after women in New Zealand won the right to the vote, as an umbrella organisation uniting a number of different women's societies that existed in New Zealan ...

. By 1903, a year in which Bullock died and Williamson moved to

Christchurch Christchurch (; ) is the largest city in the South Island and the List of cities in New Zealand, second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand. Christchurch has an urban population of , and a metropolitan population of over hal ...

, the club's activities had declined and its library collection was donated to the local public library.

20th century

Perhaps Wanganui's biggest scandal happened in 1920, when Mayor

Charles Mackay Charles MacKay (born May 1950, Albuquerque, New Mexico) is an American arts administrator, known for leadership roles at the Santa Fe Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, and Spoleto Festival USA/ Festival of Two Worlds. Early experience MacKay i ...

shot and wounded a young poet,

Walter D'Arcy Cresswell Walter D'Arcy Cresswell (22 January 1896 – 21 February 1960) was a New Zealand poet, journalist and writer. Life and career Cresswell was born in Christchurch, New Zealand, to Hannah (Given name#Name at birth, née Reese) and Walter Joseph Cre ...

, who had been blackmailing him over his homosexuality. Mackay served seven years in prison and his name was erased from the town's civic monuments, while Cresswell (himself homosexual) was praised as a "wholesome-minded young man". Mackay's name was restored to the foundation stone of the

Sarjeant Gallery The Sarjeant Gallery at Pukenamu, Queen's Park Whanganui is a regional art museum with a collection of international and New Zealand art. It was closed for 10 years for redevelopment and re-opened on Saturday 9 November 2024. In 2024 it was anno ...

in 1985. The

catchment is seen as a sacred area to Māori, and the Whanganui region is still seen as a focal point for any resentment over land ownership. In 1995,

Moutoa Gardens Moutoa Gardens, also known as Pākaitore, is a historically significant site and park in the city of Whanganui, New Zealand. In 1995 it was the site of a protest by local Māori people, Māori and a 79 day occupation which divided New Zealand ...

in Wanganui, known to local Māori as ''Pakaitore'', were occupied for 79 days in a mainly peaceful protest by the Whanganui iwi over land claims. Wanganui was the site of the New Zealand Police Law Enforcement System (LES) from 1976 to 1995. An early

Sperry Sperry may refer to: Places In the United States: * Sperry, Iowa, community in Des Moines County * Sperry, Missouri *Sperry, Oklahoma, town in Tulsa County * Sperry Chalet, historic backcountry chalet, Glacier National Park, Montana * Sperry Glaci ...

mainframe computer A mainframe computer, informally called a mainframe or big iron, is a computer used primarily by large organizations for critical applications like bulk data processing for tasks such as censuses, industry and consumer statistics, enterprise ...

-based intelligence and data management system, it was known colloquially as the "Wanganui Computer". The data centre housing it was subject to New Zealand's highest-profile

suicide bombing A suicide attack (also known by a wide variety of other names, see below) is a deliberate attack in which the perpetrators knowingly sacrifice their own lives as part of the attack. These attacks are a form of murder–suicide that is ofte ...

on 18 November 1982 when anarchist

Neil Roberts Neil Roberts may refer to: *Neil Roberts (actor) (born 1964), English actor * Neil Roberts (anarchist) (1960–1982), activist who killed himself when he bombed the New Zealand police database * Neil Roberts (Australian footballer) (born 1933), Aus ...

detonated a

gelignite Gelignite (), also known as blasting gelatin or simply "jelly", is an explosive material consisting of collodion-cotton (a type of nitrocellulose or guncotton) dissolved in either nitroglycerine or nitroglycol and mixed with wood pulp and Potassi ...

bomb in the entry foyer. Roberts was the only casualty of the bombing.

Geography

Whanganui is on the

South Taranaki Bight The South Taranaki Bight is a large bay on the west coast of New Zealand, south of Taranaki, west of the Manawatu, north and west of the western entrance of Cook Strait and north of the South Island. The name is sometimes used for a much smaller ...

, close to the mouth of the

. It is north of

and northwest of

Palmerston North Palmerston North (; , colloquially known as Palmerston or Palmy) is a city in the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Manawatū-Whanganui region. Located in the eastern Manawatū Plains, the city is near the north bank of the Manaw ...

, at the junction of

State Highways A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either Route number, numbered or maintained by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered ...

3 and 4. Most of the city lies on the river's northwestern bank, because of the greater extent of flat land. The river is crossed by five bridges: Cobham Bridge, City Bridge, Dublin Street Bridge, Aramoho Railway Bridge (rail and pedestrians only), and a cycle bridge at

Upokongaro Upokongaro or Ūpokongaro is a settlement adjacent to the Whanganui River, located upriver from Whanganui, New Zealand, in the Makirikiri Valley. Settled by Europeans in the 1860s, it was an important ferry crossing and riverboat stop. A spec ...

which was opened in 2020. Both

Mount Ruapehu Mount Ruapehu (; English ) is an active stratovolcano at the southern end of the Taupō Volcanic Zone and North Island North Island Volcanic Plateau, volcanic plateau in New Zealand. It is northeast of Ohakune and southwest of the southern s ...

and

Mount Taranaki Mount Taranaki (), officially Taranaki Maunga and also known as Mount Egmont, is a dormant stratovolcano in the Taranaki region on the west coast of New Zealand's North Island. At , it is the second highest mountain in the North Island, afte ...

can be seen from Durie Hill and other vantage points around the city.

Suburbs and localities

The suburbs within Whanganui include (clockwise from central Watt Fountain): *Northeast:

Whanganui East Whanganui East is a suburb of Whanganui, in the Whanganui District and Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand's North Island. Demographics Whanganui East covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of pe ...

, Bastia Hill,

*East: Durie Hill *South:

Pūtiki Putiki is a settlement in the Whanganui District and Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand's North Island, located across the Whanganui River from Whanganui city. It includes the intersection of New Zealand State Highway 3, State Highway 3 ...

*West: Gonville,

Castlecliff Castlecliff is a suburb of Whanganui, in the Whanganui District and Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand's North Island. The name was given by the Harbour Board, on the suggestion of the future Prime Minister, John Ballance, when it est ...

Tawhero Tawhero is a suburb of Whanganui, in the Whanganui District and Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand's North Island. Demographics Titoki statistical area, which corresponds to Tawhero, covers and had an estimated population of as of ...

*Northwest: Springvale

St Johns Hill St Johns Hill is a suburb of Whanganui, in the Whanganui District and Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand's North Island. Demographics St Johns Hill covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of peop ...

Otamatea Otamatea is a residential suburb of Whanganui, New Zealand. Otamatea is under the local governance of the Whanganui District Council. Otamatea is located on the northwestern edge of the Whanganui urban area, straddling State Highway 3 for ...

Climate

Whanganui enjoys a temperate climate, with slightly above the national average sunshine (2100 hours per annum), and about of annual rainfall. Several light frosts are normally experienced in winter. The river is prone to flooding after heavy rain in the catchment, and in June 2015 record flooding occurred with 100 households evacuated. Whanganui's climate is particularly moderate. In 2012, the Federated Farmers Whanganui president, Brian Doughty, said the district's temperate climate meant any type of farming was viable.

Demographics

The Whanganui urban area had a population of 39,720 at the

2018 New Zealand census The 2018 New Zealand census, which took place on Tuesday 6 March 2018, was the thirty-fourth national census in New Zealand. The population of New Zealand was counted as 4,699,755 – an increase of 457,707 (10.79%) over the 2013 census. Resu ...

, an increase of 3,078 people (8.4%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 1,992 people (5.3%) since the 2006 census (the population decreased between the 2006 and 2013 censuses). There were 18,930 males and 20,793 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.91 males per female. Of the total population, 7,854 people (19.8%) were aged up to 15 years, 6,867 (17.3%) were 15 to 29, 16,551 (41.7%) were 30 to 64, and 8,445 (21.3%) were 65 or older. Ethnicities were 78.0% European/Pākehā, 27.2% Māori, 3.8% Pacific peoples, 4.5% Asian, and 1.7% other ethnicities (totals add to more than 100% since people could identify with multiple ethnicities).

Economy

In 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016, Whanganui was included in the world's Smart21 Intelligent Communities by the Intelligent Community Forum. Whanganui has a strong industry base, with a history of niche manufacturing. Current businesses include Q-West Boat Builders, based at the Port who have built boats for customers from around New Zealand and the world and were awarded a contract in 2015 to build two 34-meter passenger ferries for Auckland ferry company Fullers. Pacific Helmets is another example of award-winning niche manufacturing in the district, winning a Silver Pin at the Best Design Awards in October 2015. Heads Road is Whanganui's main industrial area and is home to a number of manufacturing and engineering operations. The Wanganui Port, once the centre of industrial transport, still has some traffic but is more noted for the Q-West boat building operation there. F. Whitlock & Sons Ltd was a notable company, first established in 1902. Much of Whanganui's economy relates directly to the fertile and prosperous farming hinterland near the town. Whanganui is well known for embracing the production of several new pear varieties, including the Crimson Gem. In May 2016, it was reported that the majority of the Whanganui pear crop had been wiped out before the upcoming pear season.

Whanganui District

The Whanganui District covers , the majority of which is hill country, with a narrow coastal strip of flat land and a major urban settlement on the lower banks of the Whanganui River. A large proportion of this is within the

Whanganui National Park The Whanganui National Park is a national park located in the North Island of New Zealand. Established in 1986, it covers an area of 742 km2 bordering the Whanganui River. It incorporates areas of Crown land, former state forest and a numb ...

, established in 1986. The region is known for its outstanding natural environment, with the Whanganui Awa (River) at its heart. It is the second-largest river in the North Island, the longest navigable waterway in the country, and runs for from the heights of Mount Tongariro to Wanganui's coast and the Tasman Sea. Every bend and rapid of the river (there are 239 listed rapids) has a guardian, or kaitiaki, who maintains the mauri (life force) of that stretch of the river. Whanganui hapū (sub-tribes) were renowned for their canoeing skills and maintained extensive networks of weirs and fishing traps along the River. Generations of river iwi have learned to use and protect this great

taonga ''Taonga'' or ''taoka'' (in South Island Māori) is a Māori-language word that refers to a treasured possession in Māori culture. It lacks a direct translation into English, making its use in the Treaty of Waitangi significant. The current ...

(treasure), and on 13 September 2012 the Whanganui River became the first river in the world to gain recognition as a legal identity. Today the river and its surrounds are used for a number of recreational activities, including kayaking, jet boating, tramping, cycling and camping. A national cycleway has recently opened, which takes cyclists from the 'mountains to the sea'. In the local government reorganisation of the 1980s, Wanganui District Council resulted from the amalgamation in 1989 of Wanganui County Council, most of Waitotara County Council, a small part of Stratford County Council, and Wanganui City Council. Hamish McDouall was elected mayor in the 2016 local government elections. All but some people in the Whanganui District live in the township itself, meaning there are few prominent outlying settlements. A small but notable village is

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

, which was home to Mother

Mary Joseph Aubert Suzanne Aubert (19 June 1835 – 1 October 1926), better known to many by her religious name ''Mary Joseph'' or "Mother Aubert", was a French religious sister who started a home for orphans and the under-privileged in Jerusalem, New Zealand o ...

and the poet

James K. Baxter James Keir Baxter (29 June 1926 – 22 October 1972) was a New Zealand poet and playwright. He was also known as an activist for the preservation of Māori culture. He is one of New Zealand's most well-known and controversial literary figures. ...

. The Whanganui District is also home to other settlements with small populations, including

Kaitoke Kaitoke (sometimes called Pakuratahi), part of Upper Hutt City, is a locality in the southern North Island of New Zealand. It is located at the northern end of the Hutt Valley, 45 kilometres northeast of Wellington City and six kilometres from th ...

Kai Iwi Kai Iwi is a rural community west of Whanganui in New Zealand's North Island. It lies close to SH 3, approximately halfway between Whanganui and Waitotara. The population centre is at Kai Iwi Beach, also called Mowhanau. The area was settled ...

/Mowhanau, Aberfeldy, Westmere,

Pākaraka Pākaraka, previously known as Okehu, Maxwelltown, and most recently Maxwell, is a farming and lifestyle community west of Whanganui, on the North Island of New Zealand. Toponymy Local Māori knew the area as Pākaraka ("an abundance of k ...

, Marybank,

Okoia Okoia is a small rural community approximately 5 km east of Whanganui, New Zealand. It is centred on the Okoia Primary School and village. The area is predominantly subject to sheep and beef pastoral farming, but in recent years some farms h ...

and Fordell.

Culture

Cultural institutions

Whanganui has a strong cultural and recreational focus. Queen's Park (Pukenamu) in the central township has several cultural institutions, including the

, the

Whanganui Regional Museum The Whanganui Regional Museum in Whanganui, New Zealand, has an extensive collection of natural and human-history objects. The emphasis is on items from the Manawatū-Whanganui region, but the collection also includes objects of national and in ...

, the Davis Library, the Alexander Heritage and Research Library, and the Whanganui War Memorial Centre. Whanganui is home to New Zealand's only glass school and is renowned for its glass art.

Sarjeant Gallery collection

There are more than 8,000 artworks in the gallery, initially focused on 19th- and early 20th-century British and European art but, given the expansive terms of the will of benefactor

Henry Sarjeant Henry Sarjeant (1829–1912) was a New Zealand farmer and benefactor. He was born in Rangeworthy, Gloucestershire, England in 1829. He married Ellen Stewart on 11 February 1893. She was the daughter of John Tiffin Stewart and Frances Ann Ste ...

, the collection now spans the 16th century through to the 21st century. Among the collections are historic and modern works in all media – on paper, sculptures, pottery, ceramics and glass; bronze works; video art; and paintings by contemporary artists and old masters. The Gallery holds notable works by

Edward Coley Burne-Jones Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, 1st Baronet, (; 28 August 183317 June 1898) was an English painter and designer associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood's style and subject matter. Burne-Jones worked with William Morris as a founding part ...

Domenico Piola Domenico Piola (1627 – 8 April 1703) was a Genoese painter of the Baroque period. He was the leading artist in Genoa in the second half of the 17th century, working on ceiling frescoes for many Genoese churches and palaces and canvas paintin ...

Frank Brangwyn Sir Frank William Brangwyn (12 May 1867 – 11 June 1956) was a Welsh artist, painter, watercolourist, printmaker, illustrator and designer. Brangwyn worked in a wide range of artistic fields. As well as paintings and drawings, he produc ...

Bernardino Poccetti Bernardino Poccetti (26 August 1548 – 10 October 1612), also known as Barbatelli, was an Italian Mannerist painter and printmaker of etchings. Biography Born in Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region ...

Gaspard Dughet Gaspard Dughet (15 June 1615 – 25 May 1675), also known as Gaspard Poussin, was a French painter born in Rome. Life Dughet was born in Rome, the son of a French pastry-cook and his Italian wife. He has always generally been considered as a Fr ...

William Richmond William Richmond or variants may refer to: * William Richmond (politician) (1821–1895), New Zealand politician * William Blake Richmond (1842–1921), English painter and decorator * William Henry Richmond (1821–1922), American coal mine operato ...

William Etty William Etty (10 March 1787 – 13 November 1849) was an English artist best known for his history paintings containing nude figures. He was the first significant British painter of nudes and still lifes. Born in York, he left sch ...

Lelio Orsi Lelio Orsi (1508/1511 – 1587), also known as Lelio da Novellara, was a Mannerist painter and architect of the Reggio Emilia school in northern Italy. He was born and died in Novellara, and much of his work was completed in Reggio. He appears ...

Frederick Goodall Frederick Goodall (17 September 1822 – 29 July 1904) was a British artist. Life Frederick Goodall was born in London in 1822, the second son of steel line engraver Edward Goodall (1795–1870). He received his education at the Well ...

Augustus John Augustus Edwin John (4 January 1878 – 31 October 1961) was a Welsh painter, draughtsman, and etcher. For a time he was considered the most important artist at work in Britain: Virginia Woolf remarked that by 1908 the era of John Singer Sarg ...

and others. Its New Zealand holdings include six works by Wanganui artist

Herbert Ivan Babbage Benjamin Herschel Babbage (6 August 1815 – 22 October 1878) was an English engineer, scientist, explorer and politician, best known for his work in the colony of South Australia. He invariably signed his name "B. Herschel Babbage" and was freq ...

and a major collection of works by the Whanganui-born

Edith Collier Edith Marion Collier (28 March 1885 – 12 December 1964) was an early modern painter from New Zealand. Biography Brought up and educated in Whanganui, Collier received a thorough although conservative art education studying at the Technical S ...

Whanganui Regional Museum collection

The

collection has been growing since the first items were displayed in

Samuel Henry Drew Samuel Henry Drew (17 November 1844 – 18 December 1901) was a New Zealand jeweller, watchmaker, and amateur naturalist. Samuel Henry Drew was born in Maidenhead, Berkshire, England on 17 November 1844. His parents emigrated to Tasmania, A ...

's shop window in Victoria Avenue. It includes artwork by

John Tiffin Stewart John Tiffin Stewart (18 November 1827 – 19 April 1913) was a notable New Zealand civil engineer and surveyor and mapper. He was born in Rothesay, Bute, Scotland, in 1827 and was married to the social activist Frances Stewart. He is the fa ...

Potters

Potters have a long history of working in the area, such as

Rick Rudd Richard Steward Rudd (born 1949) is an English-born New Zealand potter. Education and early life Rudd was born in Great Yarmouth and completed a Diploma of Art and Design at University of Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton College of Art. He emigrat ...

, Paul Rayner and Ivan Vostinar.

Glass artists

Local glass artists include Kathryn Wightman, Lisa Walsh, and Claudia Borella.

Theatre

repertory A repertory theatre, also called repertory, rep, true rep or stock, which are also called producing theatres, is a theatre in which a resident company presents works from a specified repertoire, usually in alternation or rotation. United Kingdom ...

group has been active in the town since 1933.

Opera

Since 1994, The New Zealand Opera School has been hosted at

Whanganui Collegiate School Whanganui Collegiate School is a state-integrated, coeducational, day and boarding secondary school located in Whanganui, in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. Affiliated with the Anglican Church, it is the third oldest school in N ...

Landmarks and buildings

Pukenamu–Queens Park in central Whanganui, formerly the hilltop location of the Rutland Stockade, is home to several iconic buildings. The

, a Category I Historic Place, was a bequest to the town by local farmer

, and opened in 1919. Since 2014, it has been in temporary premises on Taupō Quay while the heritage building is strengthened and redeveloped. The

(1928) and the

Alexander Heritage and Research Library Alexander () is a male name of Greek origin. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are A ...

(1933) were both bequests of the Alexander family. The award-winning

Whanganui War Memorial Hall Whanganui, also spelt Wanganui, is a city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest navigable waterway. Whanganui is ...

(1960) is one of New Zealand's finest examples of modernist architecture. Since 2021, UNESCO has designated Whanganui as a " Design City." The

Royal Whanganui Opera House The Royal Whanganui Opera House is a theatre located in Whanganui, New Zealand. Built in 1899, it is New Zealand's last Victorian theatre. Located on St Hill Street in central Whanganui, the theatre seats 830 and is a venue for many local, nat ...

is located in St Hill Street in central Whanganui. Stewart House on the corner of Campbell and Plymouth Streets is now a private home, but it was formerly the

Karitane The small town of Karitane is located within the limits of the city of Dunedin in New Zealand, 35 kilometres to the north of the city centre. Set in rolling country near the mouth of the Waikouaiti River, the town is a popular holiday retreat f ...

Home and later a boarding residence for secondary school students. It was built for philanthropist

and social activist Frances Ann Stewart. There are two large towers overlooking Whanganui: the

Durie Hill War Memorial Tower Durie may refer to: * Andre Durie (1981– ), Canadian football player * Andrew Durie, (?? -1588), bishop * Arohia Durie, professor of Māori education * Clan Durie, a Scots clan * Dave Durie (1931–2016), English football player * David Durie ...

and the Bastia Hill Water Tower. The Durie Hill Tower is a World War I memorial, unveiled in 1926. Nearby is the Durie Hill Elevator (1919), which links the hilltop with Anzac Parade via a elevator and a tunnel. South of Whanganui is the Cameron Blockhouse.

Rotokawau Virginia Lake Rotokawau Virginia Lake is a lake in the city of Whanganui in the North Island of New Zealand. It is situated in the suburb of St Johns Hill in the north of the city. The lake was called Virginia Lake for many years but in 2016 the Whanganui Di ...

, located on St John's Hill, is a historic lake with a fountain, Art Deco conservatory and winter garden.

Local attractions

Bason Botanic Gardens

These gardens are located northwest from Whanganui and are set on in a relatively frost-free environment. They were founded in 1966 by Stanley and Blanche Bason who gave their farm to the city council for the purpose of creating a botanical reserve. The gardens have six themed areas, including one of the most extensive public-garden orchid collections in the country, and have been rated as a Garden of Significance by the New Zealand Gardens Trust.

Bushy Park Tarapuruhi

Bushy Park is a lowland

rainforest Rainforests are forests characterized by a closed and continuous tree Canopy (biology), canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforests can be generally classified as tropi ...

remnant of approximately located from

, north of Whanganui. It is a predator-free native

bird sanctuary An animal sanctuary is a facility where animals are brought to live and to be protected for the rest of their lives. In addition, sanctuaries are an experimental staging ground for transformative human–animal relations. There are five types of ...

. The sanctuary is free to visit during daylight hours. The park also features an Edwardian-era

homestead Homestead may refer to: *Homestead (building), a farmhouse and its adjacent outbuildings; by extension, it can mean any small cluster of houses * Nguni homestead, a cluster of houses inhabited by a single extended family, typically with a kraal ...

, which is a Category 1 heritage building registered with

Heritage New Zealand Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga (initially the National Historic Places Trust and then, from 1963 to 2014, the New Zealand Historic Places Trust; in ) is a Crown entity that advocates for the protection of Archaeology of New Zealand, ancest ...

Social and religious history

Early institutions

Karitane Hospital The Karitane Hospitals were six hospitals in New Zealand run by the Plunket Society, located in Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Invercargill, Whanganui, Wanganui and Wellington. They were established as training hospitals for Karitane nurses an ...

*Wanganui Orphanage * Alma Gardens

People, early recorders of social history

* Richard Taylor was one of the early missionaries and travelled widely through the region. *

William Tyrone Power Sir William James Tyrone Power (1819 – 1911) was an artist, soldier and author who served as Royal Army Service Corps#History, Commissary General in Chief of the British Army and briefly Agent-general#List of Agents-General for New Zealand, Ag ...

* Edward Jerningham Wakefield

Contemporary institutions

*The

Society of St Pius X The Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX; ("Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X"), FSSPX) is a canonically irregular traditionalist Catholic priestly fraternity founded in 1970 by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Lefebvre was a leading traditionalist ...

's main base of operations in New Zealand is in Whanganui.

Sports

Rugby

The

Wanganui Rugby Football Union The Whanganui Rugby Football Union (WRFU) is the governing body for rugby union in the Whanganui region of New Zealand. The Whanganui Rugby Football Union was formed in 1888. The Whanganui team play from Cooks Gardens, Whanganui, and have enjoy ...

is one of the oldest

rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby union: 15 players per side *** American flag rugby *** Beach rugby *** Mini rugby *** Rugby sevens, 7 players per side *** Rugby tens, 10 players per side *** Snow rugby *** Tou ...

unions in New Zealand. Wanganui has never held the country's top trophy, the

Ranfurly Shield The Ranfurly Shield, colloquially known as the Log o' Wood, is a trophy in New Zealand's domestic rugby union competition. First played for in 1904, the Shield is based on a challenge system. The holding union must defend the shield in challenge ...

. On 10 August 1966, a combined Wanganui and

King Country The King Country ( Māori: ''Te Rohe Pōtae'' or ''Rohe Pōtae o Maniapoto'') is a region of the western North Island of New Zealand. It extends approximately from Kawhia Harbour and the town of Ōtorohanga in the north to the upper reaches of th ...

team beat the

British and Irish Lions The British & Irish Lions is a rugby union team selected from players eligible for the national teams of England national rugby union team, England, Ireland national rugby union team, Ireland, Scotland national rugby union team, Scotland, and ...

12 points to 6 at Spriggens Park. In 2008, the Wanganui representative rugby team, under the captaincy of David Gower, won the NZRFU's

Heartland Championship The Heartland Championship is an annual Round-robin tournament, round-robin rugby union competition in men's domestic Rugby union in New Zealand, New Zealand rugby. First played in 2006, it is the third highest level of List of rugby union comp ...

Meads Cup The Meads Cup is a rugby union trophy named after King Country Rugby Football Union, King Country and All Blacks player Colin Meads. It is contested during the Heartland Championship. It was first awarded in 2006 Heartland Championship, 2006, when ...

by defeating

Mid Canterbury Mid Canterbury (also spelt Mid-Canterbury and mid-Canterbury) is a traditional, semi-official subregion of New Zealand's Canterbury Region extending inland from the Pacific coast to the Southern Alps. It is one of four traditional sub-regions o ...

27–12 in the final. They had previously been the defeated finalist in 2006 and 2007. The 2008 side had an undefeated season – the first since 1947. The rugby squad, including coach and management, was accorded the honour of 'Freedom of the City' by the Whanganui District Council – the first time the award had been given to any sporting team. The 2009 representative team repeated this feat by regaining the

– again defeating

in the final by 34 points to 13 (after trailing nil-13 at halftime). Unlike 2008, the 2009 team did some lose games (to

, Wairarapa Bush and

) but came good at the business end of the season. Ten Whanganui players were selected for the

New Zealand Heartland XV The Heartland XV is one of several New Zealand representative rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often ju ...

. The Wanganui rugby jersey, due to its resemblance, is known as the butcher's apron. The Whanganui environs have produced many

All Blacks The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks, is the representative men's national team in the sport of rugby union for the nation of New Zealand, which is considered the country's national sport. Famed for th ...

including: *

Moke Belliss Ernest Arthur "Moke" Belliss (1 April 1894 – 22 April 1974) was a New Zealand rugby union player. A wing forward and loose forward, Belliss represented at a provincial level, and was a member of the New Zealand national side, the All Blacks ...

(1920–23). * John Blair (1897). * George Bullock-Douglas (1932–34). * Andrew Donald (1981–84). *

Keith Gudsell Keith Eric Gudsell (19 October 1924 – 7 July 2007) was a New Zealand rugby union footballer who played for both the country of his birth and Australia. A midfield back, Gudsell represented , and at a provincial level in New Zealand, and Ne ...

(1949). He also played three tests for the

Wallabies A wallaby () is a small or middle-sized macropod native to Australia and New Guinea, with introduced populations in New Zealand, Hawaii, the United Kingdom and other countries. They belong to the same taxonomic family as kangaroos and som ...

. *

Andy Haden Andrew Maxwell Haden (26 September 195029 July 2020) was a New Zealand rugby union player and All Blacks, All Black captain. He played at Rugby union positions#Locks, lock for Auckland representative rugby union team, Auckland and for New Zeala ...

(1972–85). * Peter Henderson (1949–50). * John Hogan (1907). He also played for New Zealand at rugby league (1913) and was a national waterpolo champion. *Peter Arthur Johns (1968). * Peter McDonnell (1896). * Alasdair "Sandy" McNicol (1973). * Henare "Buff" Milner (1970). * Peter Murray (1908). *

Bill Osborne William Michael Osborne (born 24 April 1955) is a former New Zealand rugby union player. A second five-eighth and centre, Osborne represented Wanganui and Waikato at a provincial level. Started his club career with the local Kaierau Rugby Unio ...

(1975–82). *

Glen Osborne Glen Matthew Osborne (born 27 August 1971) is a New Zealand television presenter, former rugby union player and current Police Constable for the New Zealand Police. Osborne was born in Wanganui and played representative rugby for Wanganui in ...

(1995–99). * Waate "Pat" Potaka (1923). *

Harrison Rowley Harrison Cotton Banks Rowley (15 June 1924 — 16 December 1956) was a New Zealand rugby union international. Born in Cromwell, Rowley was educated at Southland Boys' High School. Rowley, a loose forward, made his solitary Test appearance for t ...

(1949). *Peina Taituha also known as Taituha Peina Kingi (1923). * Hector "Mona" Thomson (1905–08). Although from the Manawatū, 1987 Rugby World Cup winning All Black Captain

David Kirk David Edward Kirk (born 5 October 1960) is a former New Zealand rugby union player. He is best known for having been the captain of the All Blacks when they won the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987. Early years Kirk was born in Wellington an ...

was a student at

Wanganui Collegiate School Whanganui Collegiate School is a state-integrated, coeducational, day and boarding secondary school located in Whanganui, in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. Affiliated with the Anglican Church, it is the third oldest school in ...

Athletics

Whanganui has several high-quality sporting venues including

Cooks Gardens Cooks Gardens is a multi-purpose stadium in Wanganui, New Zealand. It is currently used mostly for rugby union matches, athletics and cycling. The main stadium, known as Westpac Stadium, is able to hold 20,700 people with 3,500 covered seats. ...

, a major sporting venue used for cricket, athletics and rugby. On 27 January 1962, a world record time of 3 minutes 54.4 seconds for running the

mile The mile, sometimes the international mile or statute mile to distinguish it from other miles, is a imperial unit, British imperial unit and United States customary unit of length; both are based on the older English unit of Unit of length, le ...

was set by

Peter Snell Sir Peter George Snell (17 December 1938 – 12 December 2019) was a New Zealand middle-distance runner. He won three Olympic gold medals, and is the only man since 1920 to have won the 800 and 1500 metres at the same Olympics, in 1964. Snel ...

on the grass track at the gardens. The venue also has a world-class velodrome.

Motor-racing

The

Cemetery Circuit Cemetery Circuit is a temporary motorcycle street circuit in downtown Wanganui, New Zealand, so named because the route bisects the old town cemetery. The daylong road race has traditionally been held on Boxing Day (26 December) since 1951. Th ...

is a temporary motorcycle street racetrack in downtown Whanganui which passes through the old cemetery and industrial area near to the centre of town. The event is usually held on Boxing Day each year. Rod Coleman was a Grand Prix motorcycle road racer.

Earl Bamber Earl Anderson Bamber (born 9 July 1990) is a New Zealand professional racing driver and racing team owner who currently competes in the IMSA SportsCar Championship and the FIA World Endurance Championship for Cadillac Hertz Team Jota and Ca ...

was a racing driver and winner of the

2015 24 Hours of Le Mans Fifteen or 15 may refer to: *15 (number) *one of the years 15 BC, AD 15, 1915, 2015 Music *Fifteen (band), a punk rock band Albums * ''15'' (Buckcherry album), 2005 * ''15'' (Ani Lorak album), 2007 * ''15'' (Phatfish album), 2008 * ...

and

2014 Porsche Supercup The 2014 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup season was the 22nd Porsche Supercup season. It began on 11 May at Circuit de Catalunya and finished on 2 November at Circuit of the Americas, after ten scheduled races, all of which were support events for the 20 ...

Horse racing

The Wanganui Jockey Club operates at the Wanganui Racecourse, Purnell Street, where it has been since 1848, said to be the oldest racing club In New Zealand still operating on its original land. Important races held include the: *Ag Challenge Stakes. *H S Dyke Wanganui Guineas. *Fillies Series. *Wanganui Cup.

New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame The New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame recognises and honours those whose achievements have enriched the New Zealand thoroughbred horse racing industry. History The Hall of Fame's first group of honorees were inducted in 2006, and inductions are h ...

and

Australian Racing Hall of Fame The Australian Racing Hall of Fame is part of the Australian Racing Museum which documents and honours the horse racing, horseracing legends of Australia. The museum officially opened in 1981 and created the Hall of Fame in 2000. The numbers i ...

jockey

Brent Thomson Brent Thomson (born 1958 in Wanganui) is a New Zealand jockey, who is best known for winning the Cox Plate on four occasions and his association with the champion horse Dulcify. The son of a leading trainer Kevin Thomson, Brent became the c ...

was born and started his career in Wanganui. The Wanganui Trotting Club now holds meetings at the Palmerston North track.

Infrastructure

Transport

Whanganui Airport Whanganui Airport , named Wanganui Airport until 2016, is the airport that serves Whanganui, New Zealand. It is located to the south of Whanganui River, approximately 4 km from the centre of Whanganui. The airport has a single asphalt runwa ...

is served by

Air Chathams Air Chathams Limited is an airline based in the Chatham Islands, New Zealand. It was established in 1984 and operates scheduled passenger services between the Chatham Islands and mainland New Zealand along with routes between Auckland and Whak ...

with flights to

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

. Horizons Regional Council, under their Go! brand, contracts ten weekday urban bus routes within the city and a Saturday route which combines parts of four of the routes to serve the northern part of the city. From 18 February 2023 a 'frequent' (20-minute interval, except Sunday) bus links Castlecliff and Aramoho, though most routes are 2-hourly. The regional council also runs commuter buses to Palmerston North, and monthly buses from

Taihape Taihape is in the Rangitikei District of the North Island of New Zealand. It serves a large rural community. New Zealand State Highway 1, State Highway 1, which runs North to South through the centre of the North Island, passes through the town ...

. The services are all operated by

Tranzit Group The Tranzit Group is a New Zealand, family owned transport and tourism company that operates buses nationally. It was founded by Albert Snelgrove in Wairarapa as Grey Bus Service. It became Blue Bus Service (with a livery change) in the early 1 ...

. Go cards were replaced by Bee Cards in December 2019. Whanganui had

trams A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...

between Aramoho and Castlecliff from 1908 to 1950, when they were replaced by Greyhound buses. Greyhound was taken over by Tranzit in 1995. The township was also served by three stations and a passenger rail train running to

until this was cancelled in July 1977. Today the line is used for freight.

Energy

The Wanganui-Rangitikei Electric Power Board was established in 1921 to supply the city and surrounding areas with electricity. The city was connected to Mangahao hydroelectric scheme on 23 April 1926, following the completion of the transmission line from

Bunnythorpe Bunnythorpe is a village in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand's North Island, north of the region's major city, Palmerston North. Dairy farms predominate the surrounding area but the community facilities include Bunnythorpe Schoo ...

to Whanganui and the Whanganui substation. The Energy Companies Act 1992 saw the power board corporatise and merge with the New Plymouth Municipal Electricity Department and the Taranaki Electric Power Board to become

Powerco Powerco is the largest dual-energy distribution company in New Zealand by length, and is one of only two dual-energy (electricity and gas) distributors in the country. Its networks are located in the North Island of New Zealand. Powerco is ow ...

. Powerco sold its retail base to Genesis Energy as part of the 1998 electricity sector reforms and continued as an electricity distribution business. Whanganui was one of the original nine towns and cities in New Zealand to be supplied with

natural gas Natural gas (also fossil gas, methane gas, and gas) is a naturally occurring compound of gaseous hydrocarbons, primarily methane (95%), small amounts of higher alkanes, and traces of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide and helium ...

when the Kapuni gas field entered production in 1970 and a 260 km high-pressure pipeline from Kapuni to Wellington via the city was completed. The high-pressure transmission pipelines supplying the city are now owned and operated by

First Gas First Gas Limited is a natural gas transmission and distribution company in New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Isl ...

, with GasNet owning and operating the medium and low-pressure distribution pipelines within the city. Whanganui was first supplied with piped

gas Gas is a state of matter that has neither a fixed volume nor a fixed shape and is a compressible fluid. A ''pure gas'' is made up of individual atoms (e.g. a noble gas like neon) or molecules of either a single type of atom ( elements such as ...

in March 1879. Coal was shipped from Greymouth, or Westport.

Water

Whanganui had a mains water supply from Rotokawau Virginia Lake from 1876. From 1904 water was piped from the upper Okehu valley. In 1933 springs at Kai Iwi were used to supplement the supply. Water now comes from artesian bores at Kai Iwi and Aramoho.

Education

is in Liverpool Street, central Whanganui. It was founded by a land grant in 1852 by the

Governor of New Zealand A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' ma ...

Sir George Grey Sir George Grey, KCB (14 April 1812 – 19 September 1898) was a British soldier, explorer, colonial administrator and writer. He served in a succession of governing positions: Governor of South Australia, twice Governor of New Zealand, Gov ...

, to the

Bishop of New Zealand The Diocese of Auckland is one of the thirteen dioceses and ''hui amorangi'' ( Māori bishoprics) of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia. The Diocese covers the area stretching from North Cape down to the Waikato River, ...

George Augustus Selwyn George Augustus Selwyn (5 April 1809 – 11 April 1878) was the first Anglican Bishop of New Zealand. He was Bishop of New Zealand (which included Melanesia) from 1841 to 1869. His diocese was then subdivided and Selwyn was metropolitan bishop ...

, for the purpose of establishing a school. It was originally a boys-only school, but in 1991 began admitting girls at senior levels and went fully co-educational in 1999. The school celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2004. The school amalgamated with St George's School in 2010. The combined schools provide primary education for day students on the St George campus, and secondary education for day and boarding students on the Collegiate campus.

Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh (Edward Antony Richard Louis; born 10 March 1964) is a member of the British royal family. He is the youngest child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the youngest sibling of K ...

, spent two terms spanning 1982 and 1983 at the school as a junior master during his

gap year A gap year, also known as a sabbatical year, is a period of time when students take a break from their studies, usually after completing high school or before beginning graduate school. During this time, students engage in a variety of educatio ...

. *

Whanganui City College Whanganui City College is located in Ingestre Street, Whanganui. It became Wanganui City College in 1994. It was formerly the Wanganui Technical College established in 1911 and it became Wanganui Boys' College in 1964. Enrolment As of , Whangan ...

is located in Ingestre Street, central Whanganui, and has had three names. Wanganui Technical College, established in 1911, became Wanganui Boys' College in 1964 and in 1994 it became Wanganui City College. *

Whanganui High School Whanganui High School is a large state co-educational New Zealand secondary school located in Whanganui, New Zealand. Founded in 1958, the school has a roll of 1479 students, including international students as of July 2018, making it the largest ...

is in Purnell Street. *

Whanganui Girls' College Whanganui Girls' College is located in Jones Street Whanganui near the Dublin Street Bridge. The school is one of the oldest single sex educational facilities in New Zealand, founded in 1891. Enrolment As of , Whanganui Girls' College has a ro ...

is in Jones Street, Whanganui East, near the Dublin Street Bridge. *

Cullinane College Cullinane College is an integrated, Co-Educational Secondary school in Whanganui, New Zealand for students in Year 9 to Year 13. Cullinane College was founded in 2003, through the combining of Sacred Heart College (founded in 1880 and operated ...

is an integrated, co-educational college in Peat Street, Aramoho. * St. Dominic's College is in York Street, Gonville. *Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Atihaunui-A-Paparangi is in Anaua Street, Putiki. *Te Kura o Kokohuia is in Matipo Street, Castlecliff. *Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Tupoho is in Cross Street, Castlecliff. *UCOL, Universal College of Learning, was founded in 1907 and was known as the

Technical School. In 1971 it became the Palmerston North Technical Institute and in 1983 the Manawatu Polytechnic. At the time it specialised in trade apprenticeship courses, and in hobby, art, and craft classes, along with a range of night school programmes in

business studies Business studies, often simply called business, is a field of study that deals with the principles of business, management, and economics. It combines elements of accountancy, finance, marketing, organizational studies, human resource manageme ...

for working adults. UCOL expanded in January 2001 with the incorporation of the

Wairarapa The Wairarapa (; ), a geographical region of New Zealand, lies in the south-eastern corner of the North Island, east of metropolitan Wellington and south-west of the Hawke's Bay Region. It is lightly populated, having several rural service t ...

Regional Polytechnic and the integration of the Whanganui Regional Community Polytechnic on 1 April 2002. *The Wanganui Regional Community Polytechnic is now called Whanganui UCOL and incorporates the Wanganui School of Design.

Media

Whanganui has three local newspapers. Whanganui was the first town in the wider Wellington region to have its own newspaper, the ''Wanganui Record'', which was first published in 1853. The ''

Whanganui Chronicle ''The Whanganui Chronicle'' is New Zealand's oldest newspaper. Based in Whanganui, it celebrated 160 years of publishing in September 2016. It is the main daily paper for the Whanganui, Ruapehu and Rangitīkei regions, including the towns of Pat ...

'', founded in 1856, is New Zealand's oldest newspaper, and has been a daily paper since 1871. Its rival from the 1860s onward was the ''Evening Herald'' (later the ''Wanganui Herald''), founded by

. Initially, the production of the ''Wanganui Chronicle'' was held back by a lack of equipment, meaning the first issue, dated 18 September 1856, was produced on a makeshift press, made by staff and pupils at the local industrial school. Shortly afterwards, the founder, Henry Stokes, imported a press from Sydney. The two daily papers joined in the 1970s, and in 1986 the ''Herald'' became a free weekly, later renamed the ''Wanganui Midweek''. The ''River City Press'' is the other free weekly paper. Whanganui is served by 25 radio stations: 22 on FM and three on AM. In 1996, Whanganui briefly rose to international infamy when a man who claimed to be carrying a bomb held local radio station Star FM (now

More FM More FM is a New Zealand radio network that plays hot adult contemporary music. It is operated by MediaWorks New Zealand. More FM broadcasts in 25 centres throughout New Zealand on 81 transmitters with a mix of local and network programming. ...

Whanganui) hostage and demanded that the station broadcast

The Muppets The Muppets are an American ensemble cast of puppet characters known for an surreal humor, absurdist, slapstick, burlesque, and self-referential humor, self-referential style of Musical theatre, musical Variety show, variety-sketch comedy. Cre ...

song "

The Rainbow Connection "Rainbow Connection" is a song from the 1979 film ''The Muppet Movie'', with music and lyrics written by Paul Williams and Kenneth Ascher. The song was performed by Jim Henson as Kermit the Frog during the film's opening number, where it open ...

" for 12 hours. Television coverage reached Whanganui in 1963, after the

Wharite Peak Wharite Peak is a mountain at the southern end of the Ruahine Range, north of Woodville, New Zealand, Woodville in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The mountain is home to the main television and FM radio transmitter for the city ...

transmitter near Palmerston North was commissioned to relay Wellington's WNTV1 channel. Due to terrain blocking the Wharite signal to parts of the city, coverage was supplemented by a translator at Mount Jowett in

. Today, digital terrestrial television (Freeview) is available in the city from both Wharite and Mount Jowett.

Notable people

Israel Adesanya Israel Mobolaji Temitayo Odunayo Oluwafemi Owolabi Adesanya (born 22 July 1989) is a Nigerian-New Zealand professional mixed martial artist, former kickboxer and boxer. As a mixed martial artist, he currently competes in the Middleweight di ...

(born 1989), mixed martial artist * Sister Mary Joseph Aubert (1835–1926), founder of Our Lady of Compassion at

* Harriet Austin (born 1988), rower who rowed 200 miles across the Mediterranean *

(1846–1935), suffragist and community worker *

(1839–1893), politician and businessman *

, racing driver *

Airini Beautrais Airini Jane Beautrais (born 1982) is a poet and short-story writer from New Zealand. Background Beautrais was born in 1982 and grew up in Auckland and Whanganui. She studied creative writing and ecological science at the Victoria University o ...

, poet * Annie Maude Blackett, librarian * Ruka Broughton (1940–1986),

tohunga In the culture of the Māori people, Māori of New Zealand, a tohunga (tōhuka in Southern Māori dialect) is an expert practitioner of any skill or art, either religious or otherwise. Tohunga include expert priests, healers, navigators, carvers, ...

, Anglican priest and university lecturer *

John Bryce John Bryce (14 September 1833 – 17 January 1913) was a New Zealand politician from 1871 to 1891 and Minister of Māori Affairs, Minister of Native Affairs from 1879 to 1884. In his attitudes to Māori land questions, he favoured strict legal ...

, politician * Brit Bunkley, artist *

Paul Callaghan Sir Paul Terence Callaghan ( ; 19 August 1947 – 24 March 2012) was a New Zealand physicist who, as the founding director of the MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology at Victoria University of Wellington, held ...

, physicist *

, artist *

Nathan Dahlberg Roger Nathan Dahlberg (22 February 1965 – 22 August 2024) was a New Zealand racing cyclist. He rode in the Tour de France in 1988 and 1989 and was 39th in the 1990 Giro d'Italia. Dahlberg spent his career being a domestique for other riders a ...

, racing cyclist and team manager *

Johnny Devlin John Lockett Devlin (born 11 May 1938) is a New Zealand singer, songwriter, and musician known for his influential role in the country's early rock and roll scene. He has often been compared to Elvis Presley. His cover of Lloyd Price's "Lawd ...

, musician *

, jeweller and founder of the Whanganui Regional Museum *

Dave Feickert Dave Feickert (13 December 1946 – 2 July 2014) was an international mines safety advisor. In his hometown Whanganui he was a director and chairperson of the Whanganui River Institute. In 2009 he was awarded a China Friendship Prize for Foreign E ...

, international mines safety advisor *

Henry Augustus Field Henry Augustus Field (1852 – 8 December 1899) was a Liberal Party Member of Parliament in New Zealand. By profession a surveyor, he retired in his late 20s due to rheumatism and became a farmer. He died in office just two days after having won ...

, surveyor *

Janet Gillies Janet Gillies (31 January 1864 – 24 July 1947) was a New Zealand civilian and military nurse, army nursing administrator. She was born in Whanganui, New Zealand, on 31 January 1864. Between 1899 and 1902 she served as a nurse in the Second Boer ...

, nurse * Peter Gordon, International chef and restaurant owner *

Michael Laws Michael Laws (born 1957) is a New Zealand politician, broadcaster and writer. Laws was a Member of Parliament for six years, starting in 1990, initially for the National Party. In Parliament he voted against his party on multiple occasions a ...

, former mayor *

Douglas Lilburn Douglas Gordon Lilburn (2 November 19156 June 2001) was a New Zealand composer. Early life Lilburn was born in Whanganui and spent his early years on the family sheep farm in the upper Turakina River valley at Drysdale. He attended Waitaki ...

, composer *

, Māori chief *

Pura McGregor Pura McGregor (née Te Pura Manihera, c. 1855 – 4 March 1920), also known as Pura Makarika, was a community leader in Whanganui, New Zealand, and the first Māori woman to receive an MBE. Biography McGregor was born in about 1855 at Karat ...

, community leader * Robert Martin, disability rights activist *

Jerry Mateparae Lieutenant General Sir Jeremiah Mateparae (born 14 November 1954) is a former New Zealand soldier who served as the 20th governor-general of New Zealand between 2011 and 2016, the second Māori person to hold the office, after Sir Paul Reeves ...

, former Chief of the New Zealand Defence Force and Governor General of New Zealand *

Christodoulos Moisa Christodoulos Evangeli Georgiou Moisa (born 1948) is a New Zealand poet, artist, photographer, writer, essayist and art teacher. Early life Moisa was born in 1948 in Lower Hutt, New Zealand. His parents were immigrants from Cyprus. His father ...

, poet, writer, and art teacher * Peter Nicholls, sculptor *

Anne Noble Anne Lysbeth Noble (born 1954) is a New Zealand photographer and Distinguished Professor of Fine Art (Photography) at Massey University's College of Creative Arts. Her work includes series of photographs examining Antarctica, her own daughter's ...

, photographer *

Ray O'Leary Matthew "Ray" O'Leary is a New Zealand comedian, TV personality and actor, known for his deadpan humour and large grey suit. Early life and education O'Leary grew up in Whanganui, New Zealand, where he attended Cullinane College. He has a bach ...

, comedian *

Simon Owen Simon Owen (born 10 December 1950) is a professional golfer from New Zealand. Early life Owen was born in Wanganui. Professional career He turned professional in 1971 and has won several tournaments in Australasia. He played on the European To ...

, professional golfer, the 1976 International Double Diamond individual golf champion and winner of 17 tournaments around the world *

Brian Perkins Brian Perkins (born 11 September 1943 in Wanganui, New Zealand) is a former senior newsreader on BBC Radio 4. Career He first started working in 1962 in Christchurch on radio stations of the New Zealand Broadcasting Service (NZBS), and its su ...

, broadcaster and musician *

Victoria Ransom Victoria Ransom is a serial entrepreneur from New Zealand. She has developed three companies including Wildfire Interactive, a social marketing SaaS company, where Ransom was chief executive officer until it was sold to Google in 2012. Ransom c ...

, software entrepreneur * Paul Rayner, artist *

Iriaka Rātana Iriaka Matiu Rātana (née Te Rio; 25 February 1905 – 21 December 1981) was a New Zealand politician and Rātana morehu who won the Western Maori electorate for Labour in 1949. She succeeded her husband Matiu Rātana to become the first w ...

, first woman to represent Māori in New Zealand parliament *

Herbert Reeve Herbert Reeve (28 May 1868 – 24 February 1956) was a Church of England clergyman and missionary with benefices in New Zealand. He was Archdeacon of Waitara, New Zealand, Waitara before returning to England. Early life A son of Dr Edmund Reeve, ...

, Vicar of Wanganui 1911 to 1924 *

Helen Rockel Helen Margaret Rockel (born 1949) is a New Zealand artist. Background Rockel was born in 1949 in Wanganui, New Zealand. She attended the Ilam School of Fine Arts between 1968 and 1971, receiving an Honours in painting. Career Known as a pa ...

, painter *

, farmer and benefactor of the Sarjeant Art Gallery *

Tim Seifert Tim Seifert (born 14 December 1994) is a New Zealand international cricketer. He was part of New Zealand's squad for the 2014 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup, and made his international debut for the New Zealand cricket team in February 2018. ...

, cricketer * Maxwell James Grant Smart, farmer, museum director, historian, archaeologist and writer * Frances Ann Stewart, social activist *

, engineer, artist and philanthropist *

Brian Talboys Sir Brian Edward Talboys (7 June 1921 – 3 June 2012) was a New Zealand politician who served as the seventh deputy prime minister of New Zealand for the first two terms of Robert Muldoon's premiership. If the abortive "#Colonels' Coup, C ...

, politician * Richard Taylor, early missionary at Putiki *

James Allen Ward James Allen Ward, Victoria Cross, VC (14 June 1919 – 15 September 1941) was a New Zealand aviator and a recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest award for gallantry "in the face of the enemy" that could be awarded at the time to perso ...

, Victoria Cross recipient * Emily White, gardener and writer * Jane Winstone, aviator

Sister cities

Toowoomba Toowoomba ( ), nicknamed 'The Garden City' and 'T-Bar', is a city on the border of South East Queensland and Darling Downs regions of Queensland, Australia. It is located west of Queensland's capital, Brisbane. The urban population of Toowoom ...

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

, Australia since 1983 *

Nagaizumi 270px, Nagaizumi Town Hall is a town located in Suntō District, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 43,568 in 18154 households and a population density of 1,600 persons per km2. The total area of the town was ...

Shizuoka Shizuoka can refer to: * Shizuoka Prefecture, a Japanese prefecture * Shizuoka (city), the capital city of Shizuoka Prefecture * Shizuoka Airport * Shizuoka Domain, the name from 1868 to 1871 for Sunpu Domain was a feudal domain under the Tok ...

, Japan since 1988 The Wanganui District Council decided in 2008 to formally end its sister city relationship with

Reno Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada–California border. It is the county seat and most populous city of Washoe County, Nevada, Washoe County. Sitting in the High Eastern Sierra foothills, ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

, United States, after years of inactivity. The relationship was parodied on "The Prefect of Wanganui" episode of ''

Reno 911! ''Reno 911!'' is an American television sitcom created by Robert Ben Garant, Thomas Lennon and Kerri Kenney-Silver for Comedy Central. It is a mockumentary-style parody of law enforcement documentary shows, specifically '' Cops'', with comic ...

''.

Image gallery

Glasgow St Dairy, Whanganui.jpg, Glasgow Street Dairy Whanganui River boat and swimmers.jpg, Whanganui River mouth, boat and swimmers Surfer at Castlecliff Beach.jpg, Surfer at Castlecliff Beach Whanganui, New Zealand (1).JPG, Beach, Whanganui Waimarie and rowers.jpg, Waimarie paddle steamer and rowers on the Whanganui River South Mole Whanganui.jpg, Fishers at South Mole Whanganui Musicians Club.jpg, Whanganui Musicians Club at the Old Savage Club Along the River Road by Jacqui McGowan.jpg, Along the river road Peter Jonston Hiruhama.jpg, Upriver near

(Hiruhārama) River Life by Stuart Macintosh.jpg, River scene Hydroplanes by Jono Gribble.jpg, Hydroplanes on the river Fragile River by Stuart Mackintosh.jpg, Fragile river Rowers by Jono Gribble.jpg, Rowers on the river Royal Wanganui Opera House.jpg, The

Royal Wanganui Opera House The Royal Whanganui Opera House is a theatre located in Whanganui, New Zealand. Built in 1899, it is New Zealand's last Victorian theatre. Located on St Hill Street in central Whanganui, the theatre seats 830 and is a venue for many local, nat ...

in 2013 Whanganui at night.jpg, From Durie Hill at night

Notes

References

External links

*
Gigapan image: Whanganui City and River, 1 Nov 2010Whanganui
in Te Ara: the Encyclopedia of New Zealand *Video on th
correct pronunciation of Whanganui
{{Authority control Populated places in Manawatū-Whanganui Port cities in New Zealand Whanganui River Geographical naming disputes Settlements on the Whanganui River