New Zealand Transport Agency contractors "hydroseeded" the face of the Ore Ore slip, and began repair work. Photo / supplied
New Zealand Transport Agency contractors "hydroseeded" the face of the Ore Ore slip, and began repair work. Photo / supplied
November 2 It was safe enough for the NZ Transport Agency to start on-the-ground investigation and repair of the Ore Ore slip.
Up until then it had used drones, but in November contractors could begin the process of de-watering the slumped land. However, Ruapehu Mayor Don Cameron doubted that a temporaryroute across the slip could be ready by Christmas.
Use of the Whanganui River Rd alternative was promoted for light and tourist traffic. But the slip did stabilise and work began later in November to build a temporary road across it.
David Owen Lyttle was found guilty of murdering Whanganui River property owner Brett Hall. Photo / RNZ
November 14 Whanganui River property owner Brett Hall disappeared in 2011, leaving police searching for his killer. In November, after a first trial was aborted, Manawatū builder David Owen Lyttle was convicted of his murder.
The 10-week trial took place in the High Court in Wellington, and the jury was unanimous. Police had suspected Lyttle but it took an undercover operation, where they posed as gangsters and asked about his past, to get his confession.
November 18 Whanganui's Labour Party electorate committee had been going through the process of selecting a candidate to contest the 2020 election and last election's candidate, Steph Lewis, was chosen again. The other contender was Tim Easton.
Steph Lewis will be Whanganui's Labour Party candidate next election. Photo / Stuart Munro
Lewis only needs 900 votes to win the electorate back from National.
A dinner to raise funds for her campaign was held on November 30, during the Labour Party conference in Whanganui. The conference brought more than 600 Labour delegates and supporters to town, and filled beds in hotels and motels.
Chronicle senior newsroom editor Zaryd Wilson seized the opportunity to interview Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern while she was here.
The conference was also an opportunity for Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway, Immigration New Zealand and Whanganui Iwi to talk about the refugee settlement proposed here. Until that time no details, dates or support agencies had been confirmed.
There was "constructive discussion" at the meeting, but no resolution.
November 27 New Zealand First Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced that $380,000 from the Provincial Growth Fund will be used for research into using Pinus Radiata residue to make biodegradable plastic.
The result could be a pilot plant in Marton, creating 200 jobs, including some high-tech ones.
November 22 The Chronicle reported the death on November 19 of well-known Whanganui cyclist and coach Bill Main. He had been awarded an OBE in 1985, for services to sport, and a Lifetime Achievement Award at Sport New Zealand's Sport and Recreation Awards in 2018.
His funeral was a private family occasion, and fellow cyclists took his coffin for one last lap around the Whanganui Velodrome. He had dearly wished for it to be roofed, and donations at his funeral went toward the cause.
Whanganui identities Lys Noble and Allan Anderson also died in November.
