He Ia Kōrero – Whanganui Stories

District-Wide Interpretive Strategy & Delivery

A Collaborative District-Wide
Strategy

While Whanganui has consistently performed strongly as a tourism destination, it lacked the physical interpretive storytelling infrastructure needed to truly immerse people in its rich history. To address this, the Whanganui District Council brought Stitchbird on board to lead the strategy and implementation of a district-wide suite of interpretive projects, aimed at elevating the visitor experience and connecting the community to their local narratives. Fundamental to this was placing Te Awa Tupua, the Whanganui river, and its personhood at the centre of all activities.

We facilited wide community engagement to identify key opportunities, core themes, high-visitation locations, and solutions that could be rolled out in stages.

E rere kau mai te awa nui nei
Mai i te kāhui maunga ki Tangaroa
Ko au te awa
Ko te awa ko au.

The great river flows
From the mountains to the sea
I am the river
The river is me.

Following the adoption of the framework, Stitchbird was commissioned to deliver a suite of interpretive projects. Working closely with the Whanganui Regional Museum and their strategic Māori advisor, local historians, and hapū, we focused on the historic waterfront and old town quarter. Here, we delivered a comprehensive suite of physical signage and digital storytelling installations. In tandem we delivered storytelling signage and a heritage property exhibtion fitout along the Whanganui River Road.

From Strategy
To Delivery

To package these distinct experiences into a cohesive visitor offering, we developed a suite of discreet products under the banner of He Ia Kōrero – Whanganui Stories. The final delivery included:

Te Awa Trail: A family-focused physical experience that invites visitors to explore storytelling signage along the central city’s river walkway.
A Comprehensive Mobile Guide: A digital companion designed to deepen engagement, featuring:
- Downtown Tales: An immersive audio walking tour through the city’s heritage precinct, brought to life by local actors, personal stories, and evocative soundscapes.
- Ko Pūtiki: An audio playlist delivered by hapū members exploring the long-standing history of the Māori settlement in the city.
- Creature Card Collection: A digital integration that links seamlessly with the physical Te Awa Trail signage to reward family exploration.

By bridging the gap between strategic planning and tangible, on-the-ground delivery, the project successfully transformed Whanganui's streets and riverbank walkways into a highly accessible, multi-layered storytelling experience.