Mayor elect Hamish McDouall has praised people in the district for the high voter turnout at the local body elections.
Preliminary election results show that the Whanganui District had the highest percentage of voter turnout of provincial local authorities throughout New Zealand.
While some rural local authorities with a smaller population had a higher percentage turnout, 56 percent (17,506) of Whanganui's registered electors voted.
Mr McDouall says the high turnout "is a reflection of the keen interest the Whanganui community takes in Council activities.
"Whanganui should be proud of this statistic. We have traditionally had one of the highest turnouts for local authority elections and it's pleasing that this year is no exception," Mr McDouall said.