Road signs at Kai Iwi will be replaced after a spelling mistake was spotted in three of the signs.
Wanganui businessman and district councillor Ray Stevens contacted the Chronicle wanting to know why there were inconsistencies in the road signs for the township, north of Wanganui on State Highway 3.
Opposite Mr Stevens' business, Double S Motordrome at Westmere, is a sign pointing down Rapanui Rd to Kai Iwi Beach. But a few kilometres along the highway is another sign pointing down Kai Iwi Valley Rd to Kaiiwi Beach, and the road signs at the township itself tell motorists they're passing through Kaiiwi.
Mr Stevens said the missing space may not seem like a big deal "but it has the potential to be big".
There are several other locations throughout New Zealand with the same name and at least one, in Northland, is written Kaiiwi.
"We already have issues with emergency services struggling to find rural locations.
"This is a cracking example of how confusion can happen."
Resident Carrissa Brown has lived in Kai Iwi all her life and said she had never seen the name written as one word.
She had noticed the signs after they went up about six months ago.
"I thought they must have made a mistake," Ms Brown said.
Anthony Frith, from the New Zealand Transport Agency, confirmed the signs with the Kaiiwi spelling were mistakes.
"We have asked our contractors to correct the sign. We apologise for the error and we thank those who have brought it to our attention," he added.