It will be interesting to see what, if any, widespread reaction there is to the decision by the Wanganui Employers' Chamber of Commerce to include that most controversial of letters (an H, if you hadn't guessed) in the spelling of its name.
It's now approaching two years since the decisionwas made that both Wanganui and Whanganui were acceptable spellings of the name of our city.
The issue polarised, with then-mayor Michael Laws an outspoken advocate of keeping the city's name without the H, and local iwi keen to see the letter included. But perhaps now, finally, there's a sense that there are bigger issues to worry about.
Of course, there will always be those on the fringes, those who will remain adamant to their last breath that their particular view on the spelling issue is the one which should be adopted en masse.
But as we stand at the threshold of another general election, while the world lurches from one economic crisis to the next, and while our country continues to recover from the likes of the Christchurch earthquakes, there appears to be an over-riding sense that a large portion of the local populace are, frankly, over it. Even Westmere Service Station owner Ray Stevens, who previously insisted he would resign from the chamber immediately if the H was adopted, appears to have softened his stance. Mr Stevens said he was a fully paid up member by default until the end of May 2012, although he maintained he would not be rejoining until he could be convinced it was worth it.
Given the time that has elapsed since Land Information Minister Maurice Williamson announced the initial decision, the idea of government departments gradually switching to the H spelling is one more and more people have become comfortable with.
Nevertheless, the chamber's decision, while reflecting a new regional role, was far from unanimous, with two-thirds of members voting to include the H and the word "regional" in its title in the future.
Importantly, the chamber has resisted the temptation to encourage or discourage its Wanganui members to make a similar name change for their business.
