Wanganui History

History

Maori settlement here dates from around 1100. The first European on the river was Andrew Powers, in 1831, but Wanganui’s European settlement didn’t take off until 1840 when the New Zealand Co could no longer satisfy Wellington’s land demands – settlers moved here instead. Initially called Petre, after a director of the New Zealand Co, the town’s name was changed to Wanganui in 1844.

When the Maori understood that the gifts the Pakeha had given them were in permanent exchange for their land, they were understandably irate, and seven years of conflict ensued. Thousands of government troops occupied the Rutland Stockade in Queens Park, which dominates the hill. Ultimately, the struggle was settled by arbitration; during the Taranaki Land Wars the Wanganui Maoris assisted the Pakeha.