Midweek mayoral musings: Gallery reopening ‘one of those great days’ - Mayor Andrew Tripe

Mayor Andrew Tripe was in the Whanganui Christmas Parade on December 7.

THREE KEY FACTS:

- Reopening of Sarjeant Gallery a highlight of 2024.

- The 2024-34 long-term plan was delivered.

- Six-point plan for efficiencies and cost savings is well under way.

Andrew Tripe is the Mayor of Whanganui and district

OPINION

The highlight of the last month – and in fact this year – was the reopening of Te Whare o Rehua Sarjeant Gallery. It was one of those great days.

There is no doubt that our gallery will draw people in from around New Zealand and across the globe and further deepen our identity.

In my speech on the day, I said: “Today we open the doors wide to the world. It is a day that reflects our maturity and right to stand up as a global citizen by taking Whanganui to the world and bringing the world to Whanganui.

“Our gallery will become a focal point for many visitors to our city and our wider region, connecting Whanganui nationally and globally.

“Whanganui’s identity – the awa, arts, design and creativity, and heritage – has shaped our past and will take us forward into our future. Te Whare o Rehua Sarjeant Gallery brings these three attributes of our identity together into one. It encompasses these three attributes of our identity on its own.

“Te Whare o Rehua, translating to “house of inspiration”, is also a whare o taonga, a house of treasure, standing on the hill like a guardian with the river flowing past from the mountain to the sea.”

Everyone who attended will have their own reflections of the day. For me, it was two key areas: firstly, the bringing together of our community as one, and secondly, the cementing of our identity.

Ultimately the gallery is more than just a building – it is a building that has life; a life force to uplift hapū/iwi and all people of Whanganui.

At the end of any calendar year, it is always good to reflect back in order to look forward to next year.

We as a council have achieved a huge amount. The annual report is a 228-page document showcasing the incredible breadth of activity that councils undertake. Some key achievements this year were:

• The delivery of the 2024-34 long-term plan (LTP) in the midst of a depressed economy with high inflation, high interest rates, and high insurance costs;
• A review of our governance structure and council-controlled organisations which culminated in the winding up of the extra governance layer of Whanganui Holdings and seeing Whanganui and Partners come in-house to the council – both of these have been very successful;
• The introduction of elected member portfolios to match communities of interest.

Another focus this year has been Local Water Done Well. I believe all elected members across the country accept change is required in how and who manages our water assets.

The initial legislation had us on the same waka as Tauranga, Rotorua, Hamilton and New Plymouth with governance led outside our district as well as ownership taken away from us.

Early next year we will present a number of options to the community for consideration including a preferred option that retains decision-making close to home and ownership of our water assets.

Of note is that we have been given a tight deadline of December 18 for expressions of interest for Regional Deals. If you haven’t heard, “Regional Deals” is the name of a government initiative to establish long-term agreements between councils and central government to fund councils to make improvements in their regions.

We have until February 28 to submit a light-touch proposal. This is an opportunity for us to find critical mass with a wider Regional Deal either across the Horizons region or – my preference – a sub-regional Regional Deal with Ruapehu and Rangitikei in addition to Local Water Done Well.

I have spoken to the mayors of these two districts and hapū/iwi. There has been lots of criticism of too many decisions being made for us by the central government so I applaud the Regional Deal approach which will seek closer relationships and a better partnership with the central government.

We will, as elected members take time to agree on the content of the Regional Deal prior to submission in late February.

As we moved into the last year of this triennium, many of us campaigned on various matters we felt were important for our community. One of my five campaign areas at the time was for a more responsive and streamlined council.

This included an activity and service review of council operations to find efficiencies, and cost reductions and a review of our current assets and future asset needs. The six-point plan is part of this response, as addressed in the chief executive’s report.

A streamlined and efficient council organisation is not just good practice – all organisations should be doing this – it is also the right thing to do for our ratepayers in order to have the lowest rates possible.

We are well under way in delivering the six-point plan for efficiencies and cost savings – it is pleasing to read that around $5 million of $13m has been found to date. In addition, the council-controlled organisation review has been completed and is being implemented and the governance review has been completed.

I want to acknowledge that part of the six-point plan includes a recent restructuring. We will have all seen cuts across both the private and public sector in recent times and I want to acknowledge the staff who have served Whanganui District Council and lost their roles. Thank you for your service and best wishes for finding new employment.

I also want to say thank you to our 12 councillors, our independent directors, and the Rural Community Board for your hard work and diligence over this last year. Particular thanks also go to council staff for their hard work and focus on making life better for our community.

With the closure of community newspapers around the country, this will be the last edition of Midweek ever so I want to say thank you to current editor Steve Carle and all those involved with keeping us informed on community activity through this newspaper over the years.

By the time this newspaper comes out, it will be less than a week until Christmas. Christmas means different things to different people but whatever the season holds for you, I hope you get to take a break and enjoy some time with the important people in your life.

I extend my best wishes for a Merry Christmas to everyone in our community.