70-558: 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, national and international events. These include grand opera, operetta, tribute concerts, piano recitals, orchestral concerts, school events, lectures, graduation ceremonies, fashion shows, dance of all forms, and floral theatre. Functions requiring
140-533: 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
210-742: A major collection of works by the Whanganui-born Edith Collier . The Whanganui Regional Museum collection has been growing since the first items were displayed in Samuel Henry Drew 's shop window in Victoria Avenue. It includes artwork by John Tiffin Stewart . Potters have a long history of working in the area, such as Rick Rudd , Paul Rayner and Ivan Vostinar. Local glass artists include Kathryn Wightman, Lisa Walsh, and Claudia Borella. A repertory group has been active in
280-577: A minor claim to being New Zealand's oldest city. Legal disputes over the powers that the Otago Provincial Council delegated to the newly formed Dunedin City Council in 1865, resulted in the central government stepping in and confirming its powers. Consequently, Dunedin City Council was the first council recognised in central government law. Furthermore, the central government passed legislation in 1868 to better regulate municipal councils across
350-702: A month later by the New Zealand Constitution Act 1852 , however, the electorates of both "City of Auckland" and "City of Wellington" were carried forward to the first nationwide election of 1853 . The first municipal council to bear the title of "city council" was the Auckland City Council formed in 1854 by act of the Auckland Provincial Council . Following the election of an anti-taxation superintendent in March 1855, William Brown ,
420-532: A railway bridge at Aramoho. Wanganui was linked by rail to both New Plymouth and Wellington by 1886. The town was incorporated as a Borough on 1 February 1872, with William Hogg Watt the first Mayor. It was then declared a city on 1 July 1924. As an alternative to the Wanganui chapter of the Women's Christian Temperance Union of New Zealand , Margaret Bullock formed a club for women activists in 1893, originally as
490-615: 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 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 mainframe computer -based intelligence and data management system, it
560-463: 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
630-409: A stage and auditorium style seating can be accommodated. Wedding ceremonies have been performed and the stage can accommodate a reception of up to 80. The Opera House has its own ticketing system but maintains a link to TicketDirect Network. In 1897, Wanganui Borough Councillor F.M. Spurdle proposed that Queen Victoria's “record reign” should be commemorated by the building of an opera house. The idea
700-737: A strong cultural and recreational focus. Queen's Park (Pukenamu) in the central township has several cultural institutions, including the Sarjeant Gallery , the Whanganui Regional Museum , 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. There are more than 8,000 artworks in
770-404: A young poet, Walter D'Arcy Cresswell , 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 in 1985. The Whanganui River catchment is seen as
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#1732854635829840-794: 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 the 19th most-populous urban area in New Zealand and the second-most-populous in Manawatū-Whanganui, with a population of 42,500 as of June 2024. Whanganui is the ancestral home of Te Āti Haunui-a-Pāpārangi and other Whanganui Māori tribes. The New Zealand Company began to settle
910-723: 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 66 m (217 ft) elevator and a 200 m (660 ft) tunnel. South of Whanganui is the Cameron Blockhouse . Rotokawau Virginia Lake , located on St John's Hill, is a historic lake with a fountain, Art Deco conservatory and winter garden. List of cities in New Zealand The word city took on two meanings in New Zealand after
980-588: 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
1050-576: Is encompassed by. Existing cities are grandfathered under Schedule 2, Part 2 of the Act. The only new city council so far under this section is the Tauranga City Council , from 1 March 2004. Previously, under Section 37L of the Local Government Act 1974, new cities could only be formed from a "reorganisation scheme". The same criteria were used. The last city to be constituted under this section
1120-441: 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 that Whanganui District Council is part of was renamed from Manawatu-Wanganui to Manawatū-Whanganui. The area around the mouth of the Whanganui river was a major site of pre-European Māori settlement. The pā named Pūtiki (a contraction of Pūtikiwharanui )
1190-485: 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. The Whanganui urban area had a population of 39,720 at the 2018 New Zealand census , 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
1260-516: Is thus some argument over which settlement was the first city in New Zealand. Traditionally in the United Kingdom (the former colonial power of New Zealand), city status is a special status granted by the monarch , usually by the issuing of letters patent . Between the 16th century and 1888 , city status was associated with the presence of a diocesan cathedral . In 1841 the Diocese of New Zealand
1330-489: The Local Government Act 1974 , for example Timaru . Other urban areas that are no longer cities, such as Rotorua and Whangārei , have higher populations than some present cities. The most recently proclaimed city is Tauranga , which became a city, for the second time, from 1 March 2004. Christchurch (1862 and 1868) and Invercargill (1930 and 1991) have also been declared cities more than once. Under Section 27 of
1400-537: The New Zealand Company had settled Wellington it looked for other suitable places for settlers. William Wakefield, younger brother of Edward Gibbon Wakefield , 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 ,
1470-512: The local government reforms of 1989 . Before the reforms, a borough that had a population of 20,000 or more could be proclaimed a city. The boundaries of councils tended to follow the edge of the built-up area, so there was little difference between the urban area and the local government area. In 1989, the structure of local government in New Zealand was significantly reorganised. Almost all the new district councils and city councils were much larger in land area, and they covered both urban land and
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#17328546358291540-592: The town of Gisborne , for example, adamantly described itself as the first "city" in the world to see the new millennium. Gisborne is governed by a "district council", though its status as a city is not generally disputed in New Zealand. Similarly, there is no "city council" in Auckland , though its status as a city is not generally disputed due to its considerable size. Listed below are the large urban areas referred to colloquially as "cities". Statistics New Zealand creates standards for statistical geographic areas that are
1610-476: 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 6,100 people in the Whanganui District live in
1680-530: 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). In 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016, Whanganui
1750-572: The Auckland City Council was dissolved and formally disestablished 1856. A new Auckland City Council would be established in 1871, which was later was merged into Auckland Council in 2010. The Christchurch City Council was formed by an act of the Canterbury Provincial Council which received Royal assent on 31 January 1863. The council has been active since and is therefore the longest continuously operating city council in New Zealand. A legal oddity also provides Dunedin with
1820-516: 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. After
1890-521: 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 onto land that they still claimed. It was not until the town had been established for eight years that agreements were finally reached between
1960-482: The Local Government Act 2002, a district may become a city by either a "reorganisation scheme" with the Local Government Commission, or under Section 27(1) it may apply for a change in status under Schedule 3, Clause 7. The new city must have "a population of not less than 50,000 persons", be "predominantly urban" and "a distinct entity and a major centre of activity within the region " (or regions) that it
2030-487: The River. Generations of river iwi have learned to use and protect this great taonga (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
2100-579: The Wanganui Women's Franchise League. Ellen Ballance , the second wife of the former Premier John Ballance 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
2170-416: The act, and therefore the brief name change, did not apply to Dunedin, Dunedin City Council can claim to have the longest continuous use of the title "city council". The schedule of cities in New Zealand was brought under central government control in 1867, but continued to be sporadically applied. From 1886 the definition of a city was changed to any borough with a population of 20,000 or more. This value
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2240-423: The area in 1840, establishing its second settlement after Wellington . In the early years, most European settlers came via Wellington. Whanganui greatly expanded in the 1870s, and freezing works , 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 . Like several New Zealand urban areas, it
2310-430: The auditorium measuring 60 ft by 60 ft, affording seating accommodation for over one thousand persons. The dress circle and orchestral stall seats are of the latest pattern, with cast-iron frames and upholstered backs, the latter to tip up, thus giving ample room for persons to pass in front of those sitting down…" The circle itself was supported from below by 18 cast iron pillars, painted to imitate marble, and which spoiled
2380-454: The bar/sweet stall lounge at the Opera House. The six sheets show "plans at basement, ground floor and dress circle levels, a longitudinal cross-section, and external elevations. The Wanganui Herald of the day recorded that "the building which is of wood, resting on massive concrete foundations, all the inside walls being plastered. In size, it compares favorably with any theatre in the colony,
2450-703: The basis for determining population figures. Statistics New Zealand announced in 2017 that the Statistical Standard for Geographic Areas 2018 (SSGA18) would replace the New Zealand Standard Areas Classification 1992 (NZSAC92). The change impacted Wellington most, by splitting it into four urban areas, being the Wellington city and Lower Hutt city "major urban areas" and Porirua and Upper Hutt "large urban areas". As defined by SSGA18, Wellington approximately halved in size, and Lower Hutt entered
2520-406: The city rankings in sixth place between Tauranga and Dunedin. The table below contains all "major urban areas" (100,000 or more residents) and all "large urban areas" (30,000 to 99,999 residents). The urban area that will next move from the "medium urban area" category to the "large urban area" category is Paraparaumu (30,300). Functional urban areas (FUAs) are geographic areas which represent
2590-520: The city. The suburbs within Whanganui include (clockwise from central Watt Fountain): Whanganui enjoys a temperate climate, with slightly above the national average sunshine (2100 hours per annum), and about 900 mm (35 in) 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
2660-461: The club. Bullock and Jessie Williamson led the club's connections with the National Council of Women of New Zealand . By 1903, a year in which Bullock died and Williamson moved to Christchurch , the club's activities had declined and its library collection was donated to the local public library. Perhaps Wanganui's biggest scandal happened in 1920, when Mayor Charles Mackay shot and wounded
2730-485: 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 of the 1860s, although local Māori at Pūtiki led by Te Keepa Te Rangihiwinui remained friendly to settlers. In 1871, a town bridge was built, followed six years later by
2800-599: The corner of Campbell and Plymouth Streets is now a private home, but it was formerly the Karitane Home and later a boarding residence for secondary school students. It was built for philanthropist John Tiffin Stewart and social activist Frances Ann Stewart . There are two large towers overlooking Whanganui: the Durie Hill War Memorial Tower and the Bastia Hill Water Tower. The Durie Hill Tower
2870-458: The country. Dunedin was already under the provisions and was therefore unaffected. The new act brought all other "city councils" in New Zealand under the central government regulations as "borough councils". The name change, however, was only due to an oversight in the language of the act and an amendment was made in November 1868 allowing some councils to revert to using the title of "city council". As
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2940-557: The day time. Other ventilation was provided with "twenty-two ‘a hit and miss’ ventilator fitted into the walls, and in the dome itself is an ornamental cast-iron ventilator. At night electricity was used to light the theatre, ‘power for which is derived from a 16 hp Crossley Brothers engine". 39°56′04″S 175°03′06″E / 39.93456°S 175.05180°E / -39.93456; 175.05180 Whanganui Whanganui ( / ˈ hw ɒ ŋ ən uː i / ; Māori: [ˀwaŋanui] ), also spelt Wanganui ,
3010-412: The functional extent of major, large and medium urban areas, based on commuting patterns. Functional urban areas correspond to New Zealand's metropolitan areas . FUA populations are as at the 2018 Census. The populations given are the latest (June 2018) Statistics New Zealand estimated resident populations. Many cities were reorganised into districts by the Local Government Commission in 1989 under
3080-759: 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 , 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 , Domenico Piola , Frank Brangwyn , Bernardino Poccetti , Gaspard Dughet , William Richmond , William Etty , Lelio Orsi , Frederick Goodall , Augustus John and others. Its New Zealand holdings include six works by Wanganui artist Herbert Ivan Babbage and
3150-592: The heritage building is strengthened and redeveloped. The Whanganui Regional Museum (1928) and the Alexander Heritage and Research Library (1933) were both bequests of the Alexander family. The award-winning Whanganui War Memorial Hall (1960) is one of New Zealand's finest examples of modernist architecture. The Royal Whanganui Opera House is located in St Hill Street in central Whanganui. Stewart House on
3220-589: The inhabitants. The first European traders arrived in 1831, followed in 1840 by missionaries Octavius Hadfield and Henry Williams who collected signatures for the Treaty of Waitangi . 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 (CMS). The Revd Richard Taylor joined
3290-489: The junction of State Highways 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 and Aramoho Railway Bridge (rail and pedestrians only) and a Cycle bridge which was opened in 2020. Both Mount Ruapehu and Mount Taranaki can be seen from Durie Hill and other vantage points around
3360-562: The local dialect, Māori pronounce the wh in Whanganui as [ˀw] , a voiced labial–velar approximant combined with a glottal stop , but to non-locals the name sounds like "Wanganui" and is hard to reproduce. In 1991, the New Zealand Geographic Board 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
3430-511: The longest navigable waterway in the country, and runs for 290 km (180 mi) 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
3500-576: 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 , 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,
3570-401: The surrounding rural land. Many locations that once had a "city council" are now governed by a "district council". Since 2002, an urban area must have at least 50,000 residents to be proclaimed a city. The word city is used in a general sense to identify the urban areas of New Zealand , independent of local body boundaries. This informal usage is jealously guarded. The district government of
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#17328546358293640-512: The town since 1933. Since 1994, The New Zealand Opera School has been hosted at Whanganui Collegiate School . Pukenamu–Queens Park in central Whanganui, formerly the hilltop location of the Rutland Stockade, is home to several iconic buildings. The Sarjeant Gallery , a Category I Historic Place, was a bequest to the town by local farmer Henry Sarjeant , and opened in 1919. Since 2014, it has been in temporary premises on Taupo Quay while
3710-412: The township itself, meaning there are few prominent outlying settlements. A small but notable village is Jerusalem , which was home to Mother Mary Joseph Aubert and the poet James K. Baxter . The Whanganui District is also home to other settlements with small populations, including Kaitoke, Upokongaro , Kai Iwi /Mowhanau, Aberfeldy, Westmere, Pākaraka , Marybank, Okoia and Fordell. Whanganui has
3780-426: The view of patrons. Even today patrons avoid buying seats located too close to the pillars. Behind the circle was a reception and refreshment room”. Thomson notes that "the auditorium was comparatively narrow, and the circle ended at the proscenium on each side, "strengthening the intimacy of relationship between actors and audience". Ten large windows provided some ventilation and lit the auditorium and dress circle in
3850-564: 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
3920-640: Was 55.4%. Despite the clear results, the spelling of the name continued to be surrounded by significant controversy. Iwi 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
3990-537: Was Invercargill, which was re-reorganised into a city in 1991. In 1991, the Lower Hutt City Council became the Hutt City Council by a special Act of Parliament which did not change the name of the city of Lower Hutt ; the city's coat of arms still refers to the "City of Lower Hutt". Prior to 1876, there was no official definition of a city or uniform system of local authorities in New Zealand. There
4060-542: Was Nelson in 1858. Under the Provincial Councils Act 1851, the Governor had the right to establish electorates for provincial legislative councils. On 21 May 1852, Governor George Grey proclaimed electorates for New Ulster . Although the proclamation explicitly defined Auckland as a "town" for the purpose of property franchise , it later defined the electorate " City of Auckland ". This ambiguous proclamation
4130-524: 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. The Whanganui District covers 2,337 km (902 sq mi),
4200-475: 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 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
4270-528: Was and is home to the Ngāti Tupoho hapū of the iwi 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 stronghold of Ngāti Toa chief Te Rauparaha . Te Rauparaha retaliated in 1830, sacking Pūtiki and slaughtering
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#17328546358294340-400: 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 was held in Wanganui in 2006, where 82% voted to retain the city's name "Wanganui" without an 'h'. Turnout
4410-648: Was awarded to a former employee of his, Swiss-born Nicholas Meuli, who ran his own building company in Whanganui. The general design of the building is of the Tuscan order (pillars and pilasters) for the lower storey and the Doric for the upper one, and somewhat in keeping with the Borough's other building alongside, the Council Chambers. The plans Stevenson drew up are held in the Whanganui Regional Museum . Copies are displayed in
4480-469: Was established, based in Auckland, however no letters patent were ever issued. The Diocese of New Zealand was split in 1856 with the southern part becoming the Diocese of Christchurch . Christchurch was subsequently issued letters patent by Queen Victoria and became the "City of Christchurch". Despite the formation of other dioceses in New Zealand, the only other city to be subsequently issued letters patent
4550-564: 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
4620-494: Was known colloquially as the "Wanganui Computer". The data centre housing it was subject to New Zealand's highest-profile suicide bombing on 18 November 1982 when anarchist Neil Roberts detonated a gelignite bomb in the entry foyer. Roberts was the only casualty of the bombing. Whanganui is on the South Taranaki Bight , close to the mouth of the Whanganui River . It is 200 km (120 mi) north of Wellington and 75 km (47 mi) northwest of Palmerston North , at
4690-427: Was officially designated a city until an administrative reorganisation in 1989, and is now run by Whanganui District Council . Whanga nui is a Māori language 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 New Zealand Company , but it was never popular and was officially changed to "Wanganui" in 1854. In
4760-418: Was supported by Mayor Alexander Hatrick , an investigative committee was established and the council agreed to proceed. The Wanganui Opera House Company published a prospectus in a local newspaper in March 1897. Of the 5000 £1 shares, 4000 were offered to the public. The council announced a competition to design the opera house, to be sited beside the council chambers in St Hill St. The successful architect
4830-444: Was the first official use of the term "city" in New Zealand legislation. The electorates of New Munster were also declared a short time later on 1 June. Likewise, Wellington was described as a town for property franchise, but more ambiguously established an electorate referred in different parts of the proclamation as either " City of Wellington " or "Town of Wellington". The provinces of New Ulster and New Munster were disestablished only
4900-410: Was to be rewarded with supervision of the job, and a commission of five percent on the total cost, with a second prize of £40 and third prize of £20. The winner, Wellington architect, George Stevenson, was announced in January, 1899. Stevenson died that July, the day on which the foundation stone was laid. A retired Whanganui builder, James Tawse, took over supervision free of charge. The tender of £4597
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