Dystopian portrayal not helpful

Anna Wallis PHOTO/FILE

All that was missing was The Pogues' Dirty Old Town playing in the background.

Sunday's coverage of comments by economist Shamubeel Eaqub has riled many in Wanganui as a cliche.

Shots of degraded parts of the city, a few of Marton and an aged sign for Wanganui at the steam club museum didn't help.

Nor were there bustling street scenes, the cafe quarter down Victoria Avenue or the specialised sectors such as boat-building.

Arts and beautiful buildings, the rural rump or the Maori renaissance - as outlined by the FOMA conference here this weekend - didn't get a look in.

Thank goodness it was a beautiful day - what could they have done if the weather was bad enough for a Wuthering Heights imbued vision of Haitian economic sorcery.

We all know the section highlighting an ex-mayor's hubris and plugged with rust-bucket shots could instead have showcased thriving businesses.

But put aside the direction of the programme, are Shamubeel Eaqub's assertions worth looking at positively?

The country has overwhelmingly elected a National government that is set to make changes to the Resource Management Act and labour and local government laws which must align with greater prosperity for Wanganui as well as the rest of New Zealand.

We could ask newly re-elected MP Chester Borrows to put some stakes in the ground - no further degradation of UCOL or loss of government offices for a start.

If we are burdened with an ageing population how can we make the most of that? Could Wanganui with its central position, cheap land and temperate climate become even more of a magnate for the aged care industry?

Thousands of people are already supplementing Wanganui success and Jamie O'Leary was an eloquent example of that on Sunday. His unequivocal championing of the city should resonate with all of us - not Sunday's portrayal of a Kiwi dystopia.