Wanganui

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Wanganui
Geographical location
Wanganui (New Zealand)
Wanganui
Coordinates 39 ° 56 ′  S , 175 ° 3 ′  E Coordinates: 39 ° 56 ′  S , 175 ° 3 ′  E
Region ISO NZ-MWT
Country New ZealandNew Zealand New Zealand
region Manawatu-Wanganui
District Whanganui District
Administrative headquarters Headquarters of the Whanganui District Administration
Local foundation 1840
Residents 38 091 (2013)
height 5 m
Post Code 4500, 4501
Telephone code +64 (0) 6
UN / LOCODE NZ WAG
Photography of the place
Victoria Avenue (Wanganui) .jpg
Victoria Avenue in Wanganui
Opera House (1899)

Wanganui is a city in the Whanganui District of the Manawatu-Wanganui region on the North Island of New Zealand . It is the seat of the Whanganui District Council .

Origin of name

The meaning of the name Whanganui can be translated either whanga for port and nui for large or whanga for wait and nui for long . The latter is attributed to a tribal leader of the Ngāti Ruanui , who is said to have waited a long time for a canoe after a long journey on the river. The river was named Whanganui .

With the colonization of the region by Europeans, the problem of the different spelling of the name Whanganui , either with or without "h", began. Initially, the European spelling prevailed to write the name without the "h". In 1991 the government first changed the name of the river back to the spelling with "h" in order to follow the pronunciation of the Māori and to meet their wishes. But the dispute over the name of the city remained.

In 2009, the New Zealand Geographic Board decided to spell the city's name with an "h" and the government is free to use either spelling. However, 4/5 of the residents of Wanganui spoke out against the spelling with the "h".

In December 2014, the District Council commissioned the New Zealand Geographic Board to change the name of the district to Whanganui District . The authority complied with the request on August 28, 2015. On October 22, 2015, the Waitangi Tribunal finally decided that the government had exceeded its competence with the exemption of the spelling and decided in favor of the Māori spelling for the district. However, the city continues to be spelled without an "h".

geography

The city is located around 70 km northwest of Palmerston North directly at the confluence of the Whanganui River in the Tasman Sea . It is located in the bay that extends from the South Taranaki District of the Taranaki region to the Kapiti Coast District of the Wellington region .

and display information about the image
Views of the city and the Whanganui River from Durie Hill from

history

The mouth of the Whanganui River was a popular settlement area for the Māori even before the arrival of the Europeans . Tribal feuds, however, repeatedly led to changing influences from different tribes ( Iwi ). After Wellington was founded by the New Zealand Company , the search for new land for the growing number of settlers Pākehā began .

Edward Jerningham Wakefield boughtaround 16,000 hectares of land in the mouth of the river from the Māori in 1840, commissioned by the New Zealand Company , and in the same year the city of Wanganui was founded, but still under the name Petre , named after Lord Petre a director of the New Zealand Company . But it quickly became clear that the land purchase was based on misunderstandings. The Māori reclaimed their land and Wakefield insisted that the treaty be valid. The conflict and rivalries between two Māori tribes led to an armed conflict and to the fact that a garrison was set upin the place in 1847. In 1848 the commissioner for land purchases, Donald McLean ,pacified thedispute by buying 32,000  hectares of land, thus part of it, again and defining the trade in a contract. After that, the place, which was renamed Wanganui in1854and upgraded to a city in 1872, could develop without any obstacles. In 1924 the city was named a city.

The area on the Whanganui River is considered tapu by the Māori . Nowadays, the Wanganui area is still seen as a social hotspot, as conflicts between the Māori and the rest of the population over land rights persist. In 1995 the Māori tribe of Wanganui occupied the Moutoa Gardens , which the Māori consider to be their property and which are called Pākaitore , for 79 days in a mainly peaceful protest over the territorial claims .

population

In the 2013 census, the city had 38,091 inhabitants, 2.3% less than in the 2006 census.

economy

In the area around Wanganui , the soils are very fertile, so there is a lot of agriculture there . Port facilities and construction companies are the main contributors to Wanganui's economic power .

Infrastructure

Road traffic

The New Zealand State Highway 3 , which connects the city with the region of Taranaki and Palmerston North , runs through Wanganui . In the city, the New Zealand State Highway 4 branches off to the northeast, creating a connection with the central mountainous region.

Rail transport

Starting from Marton , the Marton-New Plymouth Line runs directly through Wanganui and, like State Highway 3, connects the city with the Taranaki region and Palmerston North .

Shipping

Wanganui has a small port in the suburb of Castlecliff in the mouth of the Whanganui River .

Air traffic

There is an airport ( IATA code WAG) four kilometers south of Wanganui , from here daily connections to Auckland and Wellington are offered.

Attractions

The historical buildings in the city are worth seeing, such as the Wanganui Opera House, the cornerstone of which was laid in 1899 and was inaugurated on February 9, 1900 by Prime Minister Richard Seddon , as well as the Durie Hill Elevator , an elevator from 1916, and Durie Hill Memorial Tower , a tower monument. The building of the Sarjeant Gallery , which is used as an art gallery, is also impressive .

Furthermore, the Waimarie paddle steamer , which was salvaged and restored by a local volunteer group and which goes on excursions up the river from Wanganui , is a tourist attraction.

Personalities

See also

literature

  • Helga Neubauer: Wanganui . In: The New Zealand Book . 1st edition. NZ Visitor Publications , Nelson 2003, ISBN 1-877339-00-8 , pp. 455-460 .

Web links

Commons : Whanganui  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b 2013 Census QuickStats about a place : Wanganui District . Statistics New Zealand , accessed on October 10, 2017 (English, StatsMap: Meshblock analysis from the interactive map).
  2. ^ Neubauer: Wanganui . In: The New Zealand Book . 2003, p. 458 .
  3. ↑ a b Wanganui or Whanganui? . Whanganui District Council , May 16, 2016, accessed June 25, 2016 .
  4. ↑ Whanganui or Wanganui - it's up to you . New Zealand Herald , December 18, 2009, accessed June 25, 2016 .
  5. ↑ a b c Topo250 maps . Land Information New Zealand , accessed October 10, 2017 .
  6. ^ A b Diana Beaglehole : Whanganui places - Whanganui . In: Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand . Ministry for Culture & Heritage , June 10, 2015, accessed June 25, 2016 .
  7. ↑ a b Neubauer: Wanganui . In: The New Zealand Book . 2003, p. 456 .
  8. ↑ Was in Whanganui . In: New Zealand History . Ministry for Culture & Heritage , August 15, 2014, accessed June 25, 2016 .
  9. ^ Diana Beaglehole : Whanganui places - In and around Whanganui . In: Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand . Ministry for Culture & Heritage , June 10, 2015, accessed June 25, 2016 .