The Whanganui settlement was named Petre by the New Zealand Company, after company director Lord Petre. In this 1844 petition, settlers ask for the former name of Wanganui to be reinstated, noting that the new name is ‘universally disliked’. They were successful, but not until 10 years later.

In the 2000s debate recurred over the town’s name – in this case, whether the spelling should be Wanganui or Whanganui. In December 2009, Minister for Land Information Maurice Williamson ruled that both spellings would be official.