Mark Dawson
THERE is concern about the performance of Whanganui's economic development agency, Whanganui and Partners.
The concern is understandable.
The operation is funded by ratepayers to the tune of more than $2.5 million each year and that adds up to around $8 million since its formation in 2014.
And on Tuesday, its economic development strategy was thrown "in the bin". The bin is getting rather full.
Another strategy is being prepared for 2018, but there is a feeling we have been here before.
District council infrastructure manager Mark Hughes concurred there was a certain "gobbledegookness" about the strategy, while in June council chief executive Kym Fell said Whanganui and Partners had been "floundering for six months".
At that time, benchmarks were established to properly measure the agency's achievements. The targets were tough - grow average domestic product by 2.5 per cent by 2020; increase population by 4500 by 2025; increase employment 5 per cent - but at least they represented some accountability.
That was followed by the departures of manager Adrian Dixon, Lyn Cheyne (Destinations lead - i.e. tourism) and Chris Heywood (Business lead). Pretty much a clearout.
There was then a review and some changes to job descriptions and responsibilities, and now new faces are in place to take up the challenge, with a new manager, Philippa Ivory taking the hot seat in the new year.
Credit to the agency's chairman Myles Fothergill who has started holding regular public forums. This move to greater transparency is welcome, even if it has exposed some weaknesses in the organisation.
Mr Fothergill knows something about economic development, having built his Q-West boat business up from next to nothing to be one of the city's success stories.
Do we expect too much from Whanganui and Partners when outside economic forces are so influential in our prosperity?
Possibly so, but 2018 may be a make or break year for the agency - a year when it needs to produce tangible results.
How the summer tourism wave is expected to hit the Whanganui region.