Whanganui District Council cuts flower beds with budget trimmed by $30,000

The council-maintained Cooks Gardens' flower circle has gone but flowers in the CBD remain in place courtesy of Mainstreet Whanganui. Photo / Mike Tweed

A $30,000 funding cut means fewer flower beds will be on display in Whanganui public places this summer.

Whanganui District Council property and open spaces general manager Sarah O’Hagan said as a result of “non-significant” budget cuts, flower beds on roundabouts at either end of the Dublin St Bridge had been replaced with grass, as had the circular flower bed overlooking Maria Place at Cooks Gardens.

“Flowers are lovely but they all come at a cost,” she said.

“What the public is seeing is a specific reduction in service level to pare back the cost, so we can keep rates to the level they are.

“This was bundled up in what we called non-significant cuts, which [council] found before the long-term plan process.”

A $31,000 reduction in the annual budget for trees, shrubs and annuals was part of $1.5 million in savings the council made earlier this year, with others including a reduction in library book purchases, disestablishing the Whanganui Youth Council and reducing maintenance in premier parks.

The average rates rise for 2024/25 was 11.2%, with residential at 13.5%.

“People will notice an aesthetic change but key things like lawnmowing - the things that tend to get under peoples’ skin - will continue,” O’Hagan said.

In its long-term plan, the council reduced hanging baskets in the central city to a summer-only display, saving $47,000.

O’Hagan said flower beds in the CBD were maintained and managed through Mainstreet Whanganui under a separate contract.

On July 10, the council put out a new tender for city shrubs and annual bed maintenance, saying it was looking to engage a contractor “with a strong focus on efficient and effective delivery”.

“Some of these changes aren’t specific to summer. They started from July 1 and will be ongoing,” O’Hagan said.

“We haven’t cut flowers 100%, we just won’t be doing them in as many places.”

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.