Whanganui news year in review: March 2018

Whanganui Chronicle

28 Dec, 2018 06:00 PM6 mins to read

Coastgaurd stuck in the mud at the Wharf St boat ramp, Whanganui River. Photo / Bevan Conley.

March 2
A last-minute crusade by councillor Rob Vinsen slashed pay of incoming Whanganui Holdings directors by more than $100,000.

Whanganui Holdings runs the city's ports and the council-owned Gasnet and New Zealand International Commercial Pilot Academy.

In August last year council set the budget for paying board members at $252,250, a 20 per cent increase. But under its Council Controlled Organisation governance manual this was increased to $355,000.

Vinsen believed councillors "unwittingly" signed off the increase when approving the CCO manual later in the year and that it was "unjustified".

March 8
Whanganui could get universal kerbside recycling and the council may again offer rubbish collection if there is enough public support.

The district council decided to carry out a household survey to test support for both a ratepayer-funded, fortnightly recycling pick-up and a weekly, user-funded, rubbish bag collection.

A report to council's strategy and finance committee estimates kerbside recycling would cost about $60 a year per residential ratepayer, which would add about 1.5 per cent to rates.

This follows Envirowaste's decision to stop collecting rubbish bags in the city, which is a move also being considered by Waste Management, the only other private waste collection company. Envirowaste will also stop its recycling collection from April.

March 10
Unstable slips, sharp bends and eroding cliffs - it's a hazardous reality many drivers who use State Highway 4 from Whanganui to Raetihi, know only too well. But is Whanganui's most dangerous road getting worse?

Earlier this month a motorist was killed by a falling rock after getting out of his car to remove debris from the road.

A few days later the road was closed for two days while concrete safety barriers were put in place to stop yet another slip. The Chronicle counted 25 slips on the 75-kilometre stretch from Whanganui to Raetihi, many of which had been partially cleared off to leave only a single lane.

New Zealand Transport Agency regional transport systems manager Ross I'Anson said emergency works were still taking place to fix damage from the 2015 storm.

By 2019, a total of $45 million would have been spent on emergency works to fix the damage done in the 2015 storm - and that is on top of the $263,000 after Cyclone Debbie in 2016 and the $635,000 after last year's snow storm.

This slip 2km south of the Fields Track turnoff closed State Highway 4 for two days in February. Photo/Bevan Conley

March 13
Whanganui will continue to welcome freedom campers, despite concerns raised by 32 district mayors.

Whanganui Mayor Hamish McDouall, himself a keen freedom camper, says the district has no reason to share the concerns raised by other councils - at the moment.

He and 32 other mayors met Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis to discuss issues around freedom camping (camping in a vehicle or tent in an area not designated for camping).

Unlike many of his peers, McDouall wants to encourage freedom camping in Whanganui for its economic benefit and tourism boost. He said Whanganui would benefit from having freedom campers because they tended to spend all the money they had, even if not on accommodation.

March 16
Whanganui's Nazareth Rest Home and Hospital announces its closure, leaving 41 residents to find a new place to live.

The Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart NZ Trust Board and Mary MacKillop Care NZ Ltd made the announcement with "deep regret", saying it was not sustainable to continue using the current buildings for rest home and hospital services.

While the buildings met current standards, it would not be viable in the future to remain compliant with legislation. Residential aged-care services began at Nazareth in 1987 to look after the order's own older sisters, along with elderly from the wider Whanganui community.

Keeping buildings up to scratch was deemed to be uneconomic. Photo/Stuart Munro

March 20
The Cornmarket Reserve will not be sold - unless it is.That's all the assurances petitioners got when protesting the possible sale of the council-owned park.

Almost 500 people signed a petition against the potential sale, and Mike Webber delivered the petition to Whanganui district councillors.

The reserve is one of 23 properties Wanganui District Council has identified as surplus and which could be sold to pay off debt and invest. Mayor Hamish McDouall said any sale was "about three hurdles away" and the 23 properties were listed as possible sales rather than proposed for sale.

Anne Webber and husband Mike Webber presenting the Cornmarket reserve petition to Whanganui District Council. Photo/Bevan Conley

March 24
A Whanganui midwife says she will be forced to give up the profession she loves if the "midwifery crisis" is not taken seriously.

The New Zealand College of Midwives have estimated that rural midwives, like Whanganui's Jessica Mill, are earning about $7.38 an hour after tax and expenses and the profession is at breaking point.

Mill said she became a midwife because she was passionate about helping mothers and babies but "the Government are relying on that passion and love to keep the profession alive. The truth is we are all burnt out and the system is failing".

In May Mill joined midwives from all over New Zealand to march on Parliament calling on the Government to act urgently.

March 26
A significant silt build-up is making Whanganui's boat ramp unusable at times - and causing problems for the Coastguard.

Coastguard Wanganui president Garry Hawkins said the silt at the Wharf St ramp meant launching rescue boats from Putiki, which added 45 minutes to Coastguard's response time.

He said it was not just Coastguard's emergency work that is being hampered - fishermen are also hitting trouble with the excessive silt, particularly at low tide.

Whanganui District Council port manager, Phil McBride said weather conditions had resulted in an increased amount of silt being deposited near the ramp.

He said they had been exploring options to dredge the channel and widen and deepen it to allow low tide access. "The council wants to get on top of the dredging needs at the Wharf St ramp to offer a higher level of service, which does come at quite a cost."

Coastgaurd stuck in the mud at the Wharf St boat ramp, Whanganui River. Photo / Bevan Conley.

March 29
Whanganui's Marae Time Drop-in Centre has closed its doors, leaving a huge gap for some sectors of the Whanganui community.

Anne Murray, with the help of a team of volunteers, has operated Marae Time at Te Rau Oriwa Marae, next to St Mary's Church in central Whanganui, for the past nine years.

But with the church increasing the rent and a lack of grant funds to operate the centre, her team have been forced to make the difficult decision to close. "It's hard to tell them we're closing. It's been a shock to them," Murray said.