Mars Petcare officially closed in December after 27 years in Whanganui. Photo / Bevan Conley
Mars Petcare officially closed in December after 27 years in Whanganui. Photo / Bevan Conley
December 3
After months of delays and eager anticipation, the $3.4 million Upokongaro Cycle Bridge finally opened to the public on December 3, with streams of cyclists and walkers alike taking to the new structure.
The opening saw a ceremony which included waiata performed by Upokongaro School students, and aspeech from mayor Hamish McDouall. McDouall acknowledged the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment, Waka Kotahi NZTA and elected officials for their assistance throughout the project.
The new cycling bridge in Upokongaro opened in December. Photo / Paul Brooks
The ceremony concluded with Upokongaro School students Benson McKay and Lukah Wyeth cutting the ribbon.
The 130m-long suspension bridge was first lowered down and installed shortly before lockdown. The bridge was first proposed in 2014 under mayor Annette Main, and the project was finally given the green light in 2017.
December 8
The property where Whanganui's Thain heritage building once stood became the home to Whanganui's newest piece of public art on December 8, when Steuart Welch's Tahi sculpture was installed at the site.
The gigantic steel column, measuring about 7.5m, was installed with support from Creative Communities and the Supporting Artists with Residencies Trust.
Steuart Welch's Tahi, a 7.5 metre steel column, was installed in December. Photo / Bevan Conley
According to Welch, the sculpture took six weeks to complete and was named Tahi as "a nod to our bilingual society and who we are as a people today".
"Hopefully something like this will make people go 'gee, I want to have a closer look at that' and they'll get out of their car and walk down to see it," Welch said.
December 12
A Whanganui law graduate made history after being the first person in New Zealand to study for and be admitted to the bar completely in te reo Māori.
On December 8, the Chronicle reported the story of Tāwhiao McMaster, who was admitted to the bar in Hamilton, now working in the climate change practise at law firm Simpson Grierson.
"It was a heck of a ride. The English legal language is hard enough as it is, but I can tell you, the te reo Māori legal language is a whole lot harder," McMaster said.
Tawhiao McMaster, who was born and bred in Whanganui, was admitted to the bar in the Hamilton High Court. Photo / Supplied
McMaster was immersed in te reo Māori from the beginning, attending both Te Kohinga Aroha Kohanga Reo and then Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Tūpoho.
"I wouldn't be where I am if it wasn't for my family and the Whanganui community. The iwi and hapū that supported me from home are who I owe my position to."
It was an end of an era in Whanganui on December 18, as the Mars Petcare factory shut its doors for good.
After 27 years based in Whanganui, the factory indicated at the end of 2019 it would be closing its doors in favour of a new factory based in Thailand.
With the closure came the loss of the factory's dedicated workers. For some staff at the factory, they'd been there since the beginning - the average service at the factory was 15 or 16 years. Plant manager Aaron Manville started as a contractor at the factory in 2000 and had been employed in various roles at the factory for 18 years.
"It hasn't been easy and it's been a hell of a year with everything that's gone on in the world. It's been tough for everybody, but they've been fantastic all year," Manville said.
The site of the factory was purchased by a small goods producer.
