Editing Wellington (section)

==Toponymy==
Wellington takes its name from [[Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington|Arthur Wellesley]], the first [[Duke of Wellington (title)|Duke of Wellington]] and victor of the [[Battle of Waterloo]] (1815): his title comes from the town of [[Wellington, Somerset|Wellington]] in the [[Counties of England|English county]] of [[Somerset]]. It was named in November 1840 by the original settlers of the [[New Zealand Company]] on the suggestion of the directors of the same, in recognition of the Duke's strong support for the company's principles of colonisation and his "strenuous and successful defence against its enemies of the measure for colonising South Australia". One of the founders of the settlement, [[Edward Jerningham Wakefield]], reported that the settlers "took up the views of the directors with great cordiality and the new name was at once adopted".<ref name=Edward>Wakefield, Edward Jerningham (1845). ''Adventure in New Zealand'', Vol. 1, pub. John Murray.</ref>

In the [[Māori language]], Wellington has three names:
*{{lang|mi|[[Te Whanganui-a-Tara]]}}, meaning "the great harbour of Tara", refers to [[Wellington Harbour]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title=Te Āti Awa of Wellington|encyclopedia=[[Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand]] |url=https://teara.govt.nz/en/te-ati-awa-of-wellington|access-date=28 October 2019|last=Love|first=Morris|date=3 March 2017}}</ref> The primary settlement of Wellington is said to have been led by Tara, the son of [[Whatonga]], a chief from the [[Māhia Peninsula]], who told his son to travel south, to find more fertile lands to settle.<ref name="WCC_Māori_hist"/>
*{{lang|mi|Pōneke}}, commonly held to be a phonetic Māori transliteration of "Port Nick", short for "[[Port Nicholson]]".<ref>"[http://www.wcl.govt.nz/wellington/streetschap1.html The Streets of my city, Wellington New Zealand] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170520195407/http://www.wcl.govt.nz/wellington/streetschap1.html |date=20 May 2017 }}" by F. L. Irvine-Smith (1948); digital copy on Wellington City Libraries website. Retrieved 2 January 2013.</ref> An alternatively suggested etymology for {{lang|mi|Pōneke}} is that it comes from a shortening of the phrase {{lang|mi|Pō Nekeneke}}, meaning "journey into the night", referring to the exodus of [[Te Āti Awa]] from the Wellington area after they were displaced by the first European settlers.<ref>{{cite thesis|last=Te One|first=Annie|title=Mana Whenua, Mātaawaka, and Local Government: An Examination of Relationships Between Māori and Local Government in Wellington and the Hutt Valley|url=https://openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au/bitstream/1885/164254/1/ANNIE%20TE%20ONE%20PHD%20REVISED%20THESIS.pdf|type=PhD thesis|publisher=Australian National University|year=2018|docket=|access-date=15 December 2022|page=192}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Poneke|url=https://natlib.govt.nz/records/32006539|access-date=8 October 2022|publisher=National Library of New Zealand}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=nekeneke – Te Aka Māori Dictionary|url=https://maoridictionary.co.nz/word/4381|access-date=28 April 2024|website=maoridictionary.co.nz}}</ref> However, the name Pōneke was already in use by February 1842,<ref>{{Cite news|title=[untitled]|pages=8|work=Maori Messenger: Te Karere Maori|url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/MMTKM18420201.2.7|quote=Tenei pea kua ronga nga tangata maori i te kokotinga o te ringaringa o Tako i Poneke, kahore ra nei.|via=Papers Past}}</ref> earlier than the displacement is said to have happened. The city's central [[marae]], the community supporting it and its {{lang|mi|[[kapa haka]]}} group have the pseudo-tribal name of [[Ngāti Poneke|Ngāti Pōneke]].<ref>{{cite web|date=20 February 2007|title=Poneke: Wellington places to visit|url=http://www.doc.govt.nz/templates/placeprofilesummary.aspx?id=35015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070220225053/http://www.doc.govt.nz/templates/placeprofilesummary.aspx?id=35015|archive-date=20 February 2007|access-date=19 June 2015|publisher=[[Department of Conservation (New Zealand)|Department of Conservation]]}}</ref> 
*{{lang|mi|Te Upoko-o-te-Ika-a-Māui}}, meaning "The Head of the Fish of Māui" (often shortened to ''Te Upoko-o-te-Ika''), a traditional name for the southernmost part of the North Island, deriving from the legend of the fishing up of the island by the demi-god [[Māui (Māori mythology)|Māui]].

The legendary Māori explorer [[Kupe]], a chief from [[Hawaiki]] (the homeland of Polynesian explorers, of unconfirmed geographical location, not to be confused with [[Hawaii]]), was said to have stayed in the harbour prior to 1000 CE.<ref name="WCC_Māori_hist">{{Cite web|date=30 December 2015|title=Māori history|url=http://wellington.govt.nz/about-wellington/history/history-of-wellington-waterfront/maori|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190410012111/https://wellington.govt.nz/about-wellington/history/history-of-wellington-waterfront/maori|archive-date=10 April 2019|access-date=9 July 2019|website=[[Wellington City Council]] }}</ref> Here, it is said he had a notable impact on the area, with local mythology stating he named the two islands in the harbour after his daughters, [[Matiu / Somes Island|Matiu (Somes Island)]], and [[Mākaro / Ward Island|Mākaro (Ward Island)]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title=Wellington region – Early Māori history|encyclopedia=[[Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand]] |url=https://teara.govt.nz/en/wellington-region/page-5|access-date=28 October 2019|last=Maclean|first=Chris|date=1 August 2015}}</ref>

In [[New Zealand Sign Language]], the name is signed by raising the index, middle, and ring fingers of one hand, palm forward, to form a "W", and shaking it slightly from side to side twice.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nzsl.vuw.ac.nz/signs/4738|title=Wellington – New Zealand Sign Language Online|publisher=Deaf Studies Research Unit, [[Victoria University of Wellington]]|access-date=11 November 2013}}</ref>

The city's location close to the mouth of the narrow Cook Strait leaves it vulnerable to strong gales, leading to the [[nickname]] of "Windy Wellington".<ref name="windy">{{cite encyclopedia|last1=Maclean|first1=Chris|title=Wellington region – Climate: Windy Wellington|url=https://teara.govt.nz/en/diagram/13182/windy-wellington|encyclopedia=[[Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand]]|access-date=28 October 2019|date=1 August 2015}}</ref>