Wharite Peak is a mountain at the southern end of the Ruahine Range, north of Woodville in the Manawatà «-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The mountain is home to the main television and FM radio transmitter for the city of Palmerston North and the wider Manawatu region.
Wharite is a corruption of either Whare-Iti ("home of Iti") or Whare-tëtë ("nesting place of tëtë").
According to RangitÃÂne o Manawatu, Wharite was inhabited by Iti a Tohunga from the Ruakawa Pa area below. The Tohunga was banished to the peak due to his small stature and disfigurements. However, RangitÃÂne o Manawatu still consulted him for his knowledge related to environmental matters.
A pilot 1 kW television transmitter was established atop Wharite in 1963, relaying WNTV1 from Wellington.
In October 1963, the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation (NZBC) announced Wharite as one of four sites (along with Waiatarua in Auckland, Mount Te Aroha in Waikato, and Sugarloaf in Christchurch) to receive permanent 100 kW television transmitters. The new 100 kW transmitter and transmitter tower came into service on 4 April 1966. Buttresses were added in 1991 to reinforce the tower, while the tower height was reduced to the present in the late 2010s after analogue switch-off.
In addition to the main TV/FM tower, there is also a smaller FM-only tower to the south (known as Wharite South).
The following frequencies were used until 29 September 2013, when Wharite switched off analogue broadcasts (see Digital changeover dates in New Zealand).