Whanganui Chronicle
  • Whanganui Chronicle home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Taranaki
  • National Park
  • Whakapapa
  • Ohakune
  • Raetihi
  • Taihape
  • Marton
  • Feilding
  • Palmerston North

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • New Plymouth
  • Whanganui
  • Palmertson North
  • Levin

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Whanganui Chronicle

Taihape residents want rest home

By Lin Ferguson
Whanganui Chronicle·
28 Jun, 2016 09:37 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

DETERMINED DUO: Uffie Keefe, left, and Elsie Valle are hoping a rest home is possible again for Taihape. PHOTO/LIN FERGUSON

DETERMINED DUO: Uffie Keefe, left, and Elsie Valle are hoping a rest home is possible again for Taihape. PHOTO/LIN FERGUSON

Taihape people can discuss getting a rest home for the town at a public meeting next week at Bennett's Funeral Lounge.

The meeting is on Monday at 6pm.

Organisers Elsie Valle and Uffie Keefe said, with 3000 people living in urban and rural Taihape and at least 70 per cent of those being elderly, having no rest home is very difficult for older people.

"I know we're a small town but, really, is a small rest home too much to ask for? People have to be sent to Marton or Whanganui if they need to be in care," the women said.

The two have discussed the problem many times, but it wasn't until one night when Elsie was front of house in Al Centro, the Italian restaurant owned by her and her husband Pietro, that a corner was turned.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

She was talking to a man and the conversation turned to problems small towns have.

"I was telling him it was sad because we had nowhere for our elderly to go. If they needed to go into care, they had to be taken out of town, which is very hard for elderly couples when one of them has to be taken in."

The man was very sympathetic.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

He introduced himself: businessman Henry Clothier from Tirau.

Twenty years ago he had a vision for the small northern town and decided to do something about it.

He realised that many people passed through the town each day due to its situation on State Highway 1 and its proximity to many popular tourist destinations.

"Similar to Taihape in a way."

He bought an old building and turned it into a large, successful antique shop, transformed the old council building into a conference and event centre and, over the past 10 years, has been a leading force in attracting many other businesses to Tirau.

Elsie said the conversation ended with Mr Clothier offering to come to Taihape as a guest speaker and encourage the residents to really get behind the town.

"So we got the meeting all organised, and he's coming," Uffie said.

The two said although more businesses was a biggie, it was the rest home that was of prime importance.

The closure of the town's rest home and scaling back of hospital services came as a kick in the guts to the people of Taihape in 2010 and 2011.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

Whanganui Chronicle

$3.2m confirmed for rural health centre

07 Jul 09:14 PM
Whanganui Chronicle

Taihape books return to premier final

07 Jul 05:01 PM
Whanganui Chronicle

Kaierau end Border’s reign, secure finals spot

07 Jul 05:00 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

$3.2m confirmed for rural health centre

$3.2m confirmed for rural health centre

07 Jul 09:14 PM

Raetihi's existing health facility will be transformed into a 'wellness centre'.

Taihape books return to premier final

Taihape books return to premier final

07 Jul 05:01 PM
Kaierau end Border’s reign, secure finals spot

Kaierau end Border’s reign, secure finals spot

07 Jul 05:00 PM
Premium
Kevin Page: Semi-retired life and the quest for dry shoes

Kevin Page: Semi-retired life and the quest for dry shoes

07 Jul 05:00 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Whanganui Chronicle e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Whanganui Chronicle
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP