Whanganui port project moves to phase 2 with inter island ferry proposal excluded from plans 19 May, 2021 05:00 PM 3 minutes to read Whanganui's port is heading into a new phase in its revitalisation. Photo / Whanganui District Council Whanganui's port is heading into a new phase in its revitalisation. Photo / Whanganui District Council Whanganui Chronicle Plans for Te Pūwaha - the project to revitalise Whanganui's port - do not include an inter island ferry, Te Pūwaha chairman Gerrard Albert says. In 2017 Whanganui's Neville Johnson began the Midwest Ferries initiative, proposing that ferries operate between Whanganui and Motueka. However, Albert said in a statement it was "important to note" a ferry was not part of current plans for the port.