Putting the 'h' back in Wanganui (fwd link)

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Putting the 'h' back in Wanganui

New Zealand
The Dominion Post | Wednesday, 21 May 2008

Governing bodies have a responsibility to protect and respect our indigenous
language, and that includes correct spelling, writes Rawiri Taonui.

A battle looms between "Wanganui" rednecks versus "Whanganui" Maori and their
enlightened Pakeha cohorts as iwi prepare for another tilt at getting the "h"
put back into "Wanganui".

The spelling issue was raised first before the Waitangi Tribunal and then in an
unsuccessful application to the Human Rights Commission. The name of the river
was corrected in 1991, but not that of the city. A new application is being
prepared for the National Geographic Board.

Te Runanga o Tupoho say "Whanganui" (meaning great harbour or expanse of water)
is important because it was named by their ancestor, Hau of the Aotea waka,
more than 600 years ago, and that "Wanganui" is a meaningless corruption.

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http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/4555470a1861.html