Whanganui entered September still in lockdown, but with some more freedoms permitted by the shift to alert level 3. Photo / NZME
Whanganui entered September still in lockdown, but with some more freedoms permitted by the shift to alert level 3. Photo / NZME
As 2021 draws to a close, we look back at some of the news highlights of what has been another year like no other.
September 1
Whanganui residents got a taste of freedom as soon as the calendar page turned over to September 1, when alert level 3 came into force.
Whanganui still hadn't recorded a single case of Covid-19 in the Delta outbreak at this point, but the cautious strategy aimed to maintain what was then our elimination strategy saw all of the country, bar Auckland and Northland, move to the less-restricted level.
After just a week in alert level 3, with no cases discovered locally, Cabinet made the call to move the country, bar Auckland, back down to what the Chronicle dubbed "the new level 2", with added restrictions including mandated mask use and compulsory scanning.
The city's hospitality sector was the biggest winner of the announcement; businesses were finally able to open their doors to customers and staff alike, resuscitating the local economy that had been crawling since the beginning of lockdown in August.
Whanganui entered September still in lockdown, but with some more freedoms permitted by the shift to alert level 3. Photo / NZME
Schools were also allowed to reopen, and students headed back into the classroom - some choosing to mask up.
Monday, September 13 marked an important day for the Whanganui Chronicle, after the title made one of the most significant changes to its masthead in its 165-year history.
Coinciding with the beginning of Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori, the paper officially added its te reo name, Hiwa-i-te-Rangi, to the masthead permanently.
Hiwi-i-te-rangi is a star in the Matariki cluster, offered to the Chronicle by iwi representatives when it was first used as a temporary masthead during Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori in 2019.
In 2018 the Chronicle also marked Māori language week by changing the masthead from Wanganui Chronicle to Whanganui Chronicle - in line with the official spelling of the district.
September 14
Properties across Whanganui and Rangitīkei were left with a nasty clean-up job, after torrential rain fell across the districts in the hours prior.
Heavy rain fell across the Whanganui region in the middle of September, culminating in the evacuation of the Pūtiki kaumātua flats on September 14. Photo / NZME
Whanganui recorded 68mm on rain in the hours between September 13 and 14, making it one of the wettest spots in the country.
Evacuations took place across the region, the biggest evacuation taking place at the Pūtiki kaumātua flats where water had entered multiple properties.
Motorists travelling along State Highway 3 in Whanganui got a surprise on September 16, when a box of dumped cannabis plants was found sitting in the middle of a busy roundabout.
Two cardboard boxes of cannabis were discovered at a Whanganui roundabout in September. Photo / Supplied
The cannabis was quickly seized by police, who later confirmed the plants were destroyed.
September 22
On Wednesday September 22 the Chronicle reported on greyhound injuries at Whanganui's Hatrick Raceway.
Six dogs were injured during one race meet in September; injuries ranged from broken limbs to torn triceps.
Just days later, on September 23, Greyhound Racing NZ closed the track indefinitely, while it worked on a solution to the growing number of injuries and deaths. The track remains closed.
Wednesday September 28 was no ordinary day for Whanganui East couple Valerie and Alan Watson, who celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary.
Whanganui East couple Valerie and Alan Watson celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary on September 29. Photo / NZME
The Chronicle sat down with the couple to talk about what makes a 70-year relationship so special.
The pair met when they were both just 15. Alan was living in Lower Hutt and Valerie had travelled to the region to perform in a marching band competition.
"I wasn't going to let a beautiful little dolly bird like her get away," Alan said.
