New Zealand town to vote on spelling

WANGANUI, New Zealand, April 6 (UPI) -- District councilors in Wanganui, New Zealand, have voted to allow the citizens to decide whether the city's name should instead be spelled "Whanganui."

The councilors decided Monday to put the question to the voters after the local Geographic Board said 10 days earlier that the current spelling, which omits the "h," was the result of a mistake 150 years ago, Radio New Zealand reported Monday.

The district council said a historian will be hired to research the issue and help voters made an informed choice.