Turia expresses disappointment at Council decision

Te Tai Hauauru Member of Parliament, Tariana Turia, has shared her deep disappointment that the Whanganui District Council has voted to retain the mis-spelling of Whanganui city and district, by voting against the letter 'h' in the spelling of Whanganui.

“The fact that there was such a close vote shows just how divided the Council was on this issue” said Mrs Turia. “Seven councillors voted with the Mayor while the other five councillors voted in support of the original spelling, Whanganui”.

“I want to commend those five members for their courage and their bold stand to do what was right for our city”.

“The actions of the Council have been extremely divisive for our community” said Mrs Turia. “There are people on the Council, who have long enjoyed a positive and constructive relationship with tangata whenua, and yet on such a significant issue have chosen to ignore the wishes of the iwi whose very name is inextricably linked to Whanganui”.

“I have rung one of these councillors – Sue Westwood – and shared my disappointment at her decision. She was someone whom I have known since school days, and at a personal level it is obviously distressing that in the end for some members of the Council, the spelling of Whanganui appeared to bear no relationship to the whanau, hapu and iwi of this rohe”.

“It is very clear to me that we need leadership that doesn’t mind making the hard decisions. That is what leadership is all about”.

“There are other councils in the Country who have worked really hard to develop positive constructive relationships with the iwi – but not so with the Whanganui District Council over this issue” said Mrs Turia.

“It is a classic example of the tyranny of the majority over a minority in this so-called democracy – and we have known what that has been like all of our lives”.

“The correct spelling of Whanganui is now in the hands of the New Zealand Geographic Board” said Mrs Turia. “I am proud of Te Runanga o Tupoho for taking this issue through the proper channels, and we will all be gearing up for the meeting next month”.