Whanganui

Whanganui pronunciation, also spelled Wanganui, is an urban area and district on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is part of the Manawatu-Wanganui region.

Like several New Zealand centres, it was officially designated a city until administrative reorganisation in 1989, and is now run by a District Council. Despite this, it is still regarded as a city by most New Zealanders.

Although called Wanganui from 1854, the New Zealand Geographic Board recommended that the name be changed to "Whanganui", and the government decided in December 2009 that while either spelling was acceptable, Crown agencies would use the Whanganui spelling.

A considerable proportion of Whanganui's economy relates directly to the fertile and prosperous farming area that surrounds the city. 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 world famous Q-West Boat Builders, who operate from here.

Tourism is now becoming a major income stream for the district and the local Council has undertaken a number of tourism initiatives. Planning to relocate the local i-SITE Visitor Centre to a higher profile and specialised building is currently underway as well as the upgrading of a number of local landmarks (including the new riverfront walkway). Council has also taken actions to raise the profile of its main tourism wanganui.com website as this has been recognised as the leading source of information on Whanganui for visitor information.