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Prime Minister on Wanganui 'H' issue - 16/09/2009

Tomorrow, Thursday September 17, the NZ Geographic Board will release its final decision on the spelling of Wanganui.

The Board’s proposal was that the Wanganui spelling be changed to Whanganui. A district wide referendum held in May 2009, with over 19,000 Wanganui residents voting, overwhelmingly rejected the Board’s proposal. And then on Radio Live’s Michael Laws show, the Mayor interviewed Prime Minister John Key on the issue. Below is a verbatim transcript of that conversation.

MICHAEL LAWS: And joining us the man who runs the country or at least most of it, the Prime Minister, Right Honourable John Key. Good morning to you sir.

JOHN KEY: Good morning Michael how are you?

MICHAEL LAWS: I'm very well. Where are you?

JOHN KEY: Well I'm in Te Kiri actually, the famous [indistinct] town. I'm coming up here to speak to a tourism conference and go over treaty grounds and a few other bits and pieces.

So yeah, in the far north today. I was in Dunedin yesterday so been around the country but not in Wanganui with or without the H, I've got to say.

MICHAEL LAWS: Well you know you may actually or your Government - well as you know will be the final arbiter on that. What's your view of local democracy?

JOHN KEY: Yeah, well we try and listen to local people where we can. The - I don't know, it's a bit of an interesting debate, isn't it?

MICHAEL LAWS: Well seriously - I just, you know, I didn't mean to talk about that this morning but it will come to you, it will come to the Government because the final decision's not made by the New Zealand Geographic Board.

But four out of five Wanganui people voted - at the referendum this year, I think 19,000 people voted, and 80 per cent of them said listen, keep things as they are. Is that persuasive for you?

JOHN KEY: Yeah, well, it sounds like a pretty strong argument. I haven't waded my way through the whole thing other than just sort of occasionally hearing it, you know, bubbling along in the background. But, yeah, I mean in the end it should be ultimately the decision I would have thought for local people.

MICHAEL LAWS: Thank you. I'm delighted to hear that.

(Interview on the Michael Laws show on Radio Live, 7 September 2009. The full interview can be heard on the Radio Live site)

ENDS

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