original_query: What is the meaning of the Māori name "Manawatū-Whanganui"?
query: What is the meaning of the Māori name "Manawatū-Whanganui"?
answer: The name is a compound word.  "Whanganui" means "big bay" or "big harbour".  The meaning of "Manawatū" comes from an old Māori song describing an ancestor's search for his wife; his heart settled when he saw the Manawatū River.