The Whanganui port revitalisation project, Te Pūwaha, has completed the first phase of work to prepare the site for upgrades and work is about to ramp up, with a focus on public spaces.
Te Pūwaha is a collaboration involving community, hapū, Whanganui District Council, Horizons Regional Council, central government, Q-West Boat Builders and the Whanganui District Employment Training Trust.
Te Pūwaha chairman Gerrard Albert said Te Pūwaha has made a commitment to ensure that the project is inclusive and that the wider community is involved in the plans for the port, in line with the legal status of the Whanganui River as Te Awa Tupua.
"The status of the river as Te Awa Tupua implores us to work more collaboratively and to keep the wellbeing of the people and the river at the heart of the project," Albert said.
"Significant effort has gone into ensuring the project is set up in a way that supports community participation and leadership. This is an improvement on past ways of working, where community engagement would traditionally come late in the project."