If you ever wanted to know what Whanganui and Partners does, a lunchtime gathering will give you an insight. The council-controlled organisation has a public meeting from noon to 2pm in the War Memorial Centre's Pioneer Room next Tuesday.
It is the second question-and-answer session the organisation has held and is an opportunity for businesses and the community to highlight concerns and raise ideas directly. There will be updates from three boards which operate under the structure: Visit Whanganui, Business Whanganui and Education Whanganui. Items to be outlined include Whanganui and Partners' new economic development strategy and the regional growth study.
Whanganui and Partners was set up by Wanganui District Council in 2014 to improve economic and social wellbeing.
It is run by a board which includes council, iwi and independent representatives. Industry representatives and elected members, sit on three other boards adding their skills to those of council staff.
The goals include increasing the value of exports from the district, raising the gross domestic product, increasing Wanganui's population by 4500 by the end of 2025 and lifting employment by 5 per cent.