Whanganui’s North Mole regeneration project on track but more funding may be required

An artist's impression on the aspirations of the North Mole community and hapū.

The regeneration of Whanganui’s North Mole is moving closer to kick-off but more funding may be needed to finish “some of the prettier stuff”.

The project is led by community and hapū collective Ngā Ringaringa Waewae, in partnership with the Whanganui District Council.

Collective spokesperson Jamie Waugh told the council’s projects and grants committee a system was in place to deal with any funding shortfalls.

“Once there are things below the line in terms of affordability, we can go out to the charitable, community and commercial sectors, on behalf of the community, to try to raise further funds,” he said.

The amount of consultation already completed meant the collective was confident it knew the parts most important to the community, he said.

Waugh said the core elements of the project were a functional, compliant carpark with a restored dune in front of it, a shower and amenity unit and an end to the Mountains to Sea cycle trail that was “fit-for-purpose”.

He said non-core elements were “some of the prettier stuff” that added a narrative, such as concrete fishing platforms.

In 2023, the project received $876,250 in funding from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s (MBIE) Tourism Infrastructure Fund.

The project has a total budget of $2.56 million, with other funding coming from the district council and Horizons Regional Council.

So far, $139,158 has been spent.

Project manager Diana Veitch said a geotechnical report of the site had been positive and the next step was a coastal engineer review.

A council peer review would occur before a tender for the design was released, she said.

At present, the Whanganui Port owns the land.

Waugh said leasing it from the port was probably the best option, preferably at “a very low rate”.

“That is an ongoing conversation but I’m confident we’ll get something beneficial for the community.”

Whanganui Mayor Andrew Tripe. Photo / NZME

Whanganui Mayor Andrew Tripe said the concept of community-led projects was something he was keen to explore and the North Mole was a role model for that.

“We ask central government to trust local government in what we do, and to get on with things,” he said.

“Likewise, this is a microcosm of that.

“This is local government trusting our community to get on with things as well.”

Councillor Charlie Anderson said current maintenance around the carpark was poor every time he went there and he usually backed out again.

In the future, contracts could be given to those who used the North Mole regularly, Waugh said.

“When I used to go there in the early 2000s, the guys clearing the driftwood just had a truck in their backyard.

“There are people down there with access to diggers right now, who could do it for, I’d suggest, whatever’s getting paid at the moment.

“We are paying too much for a lot of that kind of thing and it’s not getting done as well as if it was done by a local.”

Veitch said designs for the project were being checked to make sure the site was easy to maintain.

“The new carpark will definitely be sealed and the existing carpark might be sealed as well,” she said.

Waugh said the restored foredune was designed to capture more sand and planting was being undertaken in the area.

“You utilise the environment,” he said.

“The experts we’re talking to say that should work and minimise the costs over time.”

Veitch’s report said the project was due to be completed by November 25 this year.

Mike Tweed is a 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.