Whanganui District Council proposes to fund 10 community projects through its long-term plan

The Power up the Park project at Castlecliff Domain will get council funding to the tune of $44,000. Photo / Bevan Conley.

A cycle trail, a Castlecliff Domain lighting project and a new surf lifesaving building are some of the community initiatives proposed to receive funding from the Whanganui District Council.

Last year, groups presented their cases to the council’s aspirations and future projects committee.

They were then evaluated for consideration as part of the council’s long-term plan which will go out for public consultation on April 2.

Ten of 21 projects have been given the green light and are included in the draft plan to receive funding between 2024 and 2034.

The community can have its say on three through the consultation process – Pākatoire Reserve paving and crossing, the Wanganui Surf Lifeguard Service building and the Rapanui Road trail.

The council follows its significance and engagement policy to determine which issues need public consultation.

Council chief executive David Langford said there was “a whole bunch of different criteria” in it.

Some of the community projects didn’t require a lot of money and were well aligned to the council’s core purpose so there wasn’t a need to make them a key issue in the consultation document, he said.

“Plus, the community is already aware of them because they went through the aspirations and future projects committee.”

Whanganui District Council chief executive David Langford. Photo / Bevan Conley

The trail, stretching from State Highway 3 to Kai Iwi Beach, has a price tag of $2.4 million.

It would cost ratepayers $12.50 per property per year for 15 years from 2032/33.

The consultation document said a wide grass verge currently ran adjacent to the road for much of the way along Rapanui Rd.

“It has been identified as an ideal location for the establishment of a shell rock trail.

“Not only would this trail improve safety for its users but it will also encourage the community to get active and enjoy Whanganui’s surrounding areas.”

At Pākatoire, the council plans to invest $830,000 in a raised pedestrian crossing between the reserve and the Whanganui River which would annually cost $6 per property for 10 years from 2029/30.

The council proposes to give the Wanganui Surf Lifeguard Service $1m towards its new building in the 2027/28 financial year.

That would cost $7 per property each year for 10 years.

The Power up the Park initiative at Castlecliff Domain, which will eventually bring floodlights, Wi-Fi and art to the area, is proposed to receive council funding of $44,000 in 2026/27.

Langford said people could make a submission on anything in the plan, whether it was in the consultation document or not.

“The consultation survey has got free typing boxes so people can type whatever they want if the questions don’t let them.

“They’re not just forced to tick boxes.”

Whanganui's Repertory Theatre could be no more, pending public feedback. Photo / Bevan Conley

Projects to miss the cut include the William Birch Pool restoration project, an upgrade of the Repertory Theatre, Special Olympics’ redevelopment of the former St John’s Bowling Club site, a new Men’s Shed facility and a Whanganui enviro-hub.

To keep the 2024/25 rates rise to 10.6 per cent, the council is proposing to do away with the Repertory Theatre altogether.

According to the council’s consultation document, a full rebuild of the theatre would cost around $2.6m.

“Due to these high costs and the fact that there are alternative theatre buildings in Whanganui, council recommends that we close the theatre for demolition at a cost of around $200,000,” it said.

“This will enable us to put more focus into the Royal Whanganui Opera House.”

SolarNet, a scheme put forward by councillor Michael Law last October, did not receive funding.

He proposed to install solar panels on people’s roofs. The electricity not used by the individual household would be sold back to the grid, with the homeowner receiving a rates rebate at the end of the year.

The public can make submissions on the plan from April 2 to May 2, with hearings on May 14-16.

Mike Tweed is an assistant news director and multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.