Discover Whanganui media release
A new interpretive signage and mobile guide experience has launched in Whanganui, inviting locals and visitors to discover the city through its stories – from Pākaitore to the City Bridge and across the central city.
New signage is now installed along the riverfront and boardwalk area, offering a series of visual and interactive moments that help people experience Whanganui’s stories where they happened.
The project features a series of bilingual interpretive signs and a self-guided mobile walking tour, combining visual storytelling, QR technology, and original artwork. Together, they create a deeply local experience – connecting people with Whanganui’s past, its people, and the environment.
Developed as part of a wider strategy to support place-based storytelling, this city-centre trail is designed to bring local narratives into public spaces — helping people see the places they walk past every day through new eyes.
“This project has been several years in the making,” says Paul Chaplow, Strategic Lead – Visitor Industries at Whanganui District Council. “It’s part of a long-term vision to build richer, more meaningful visitor experiences – ones that help people understand where they are, and why it matters. Whether you’ve lived here forever or are visiting for the first time, these stories help bring the city to life and, more importantly, deepen people’s connection to this place.”
This project was 100 percent externally funded and could not have been delivered without the support of these funders. A total of $400,000 investment was made possible through two national programmes with distinct goals: the Lottery Grants Board Environment and Heritage Fund, which supports projects that promote, protect, and conserve Aotearoa’s natural, physical, and cultural heritage; and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s Strategic Tourism Asset Protection Programme (STAPP), created to support the recovery and resilience of regional tourism by stimulating demand and enhancing visitor experiences.
This investment has supported a multi-phase approach to storytelling in Whanganui, with deliverables including both newly launched and previously delivered work across the rohe:
The storytelling content for the city-based signage and mobile guide was developed with cultural guidance from Dr Rawiri Tinirau, a local researcher and director of Te Atawhai o Te Ao. Visual design and artwork were created by local Māori artist Judd Bailey. Visitor experience production was led by Lily Frederikse, Director of Stitchbird, an agency specialising in place-based storytelling, visitor experience, museum and public space design across Aotearoa.
“Stories are what root us to place,” says Frederikse. “When people are invited to see and hear the land’s history as they walk through it, the experience becomes layered – emotional, memorable, and deeply personal.”
That layering of meaning – between place, people, and experience – was a key consideration in how the content was developed and delivered.
“There’s a responsibility that comes with sharing stories in public space,” says Dr Rawiri Tinirau. “It’s not just about what’s told – it’s about how it’s told, and who it’s for. This project creates a space for reflection, for learning, and for connection to grow.”
The project also brought together the knowledge of researchers, museum staff, creatives, and community members from across the region. The Whanganui Regional Museum was instrumental in supporting the research that underpins the interpretive content, contributing expertise and resources that ensured the stories were accurate, rich, and grounded in local history.
“This work reflects many voices – and it wouldn’t have been possible without the support and guidance of community members, museum staff, artists, researchers, and others who lent their expertise along the way,” says Chaplow. “Each helped shape what this is, and what it could become.”
The mobile trail – Downtown Tales – takes about an hour to complete on foot and can be accessed via QR codes installed throughout the city. A printed A4 map is available from the Whanganui i-SITE, and pavement trail markers guide users along the way. The trail’s te reo Māori name, He ia kōrero, speaks to the flow of stories – a concept broad enough to welcome future chapters across the wider region.