June 2
The focus on honey production in the Whanganui region is paying dividends for an organisation that employs people with disabilities.
Wanganui Enterprises, a charitable trust formed in 1979, provides training and employment in its London St factory, producing wood and metal products that are sold around New Zealand.
General manager Andy Lynn said a need to diversify and play to its strengths saw the organisation move into manufacturing beehive ware last year. "We do really well at 'repeatable activities' with wood, steel and light engineering work and the bee industry made sense," Lynn said.
Wanganui Enterprises now produces beehive boxes and bases, nuc (nucleus colony) boxes and hive and nuc lids and mats, mainly for local customers.
The organisation's dog kennels and runs have been the cornerstone of its business since it started operating in Purnell House in 1981 as part of a sheltered workshop.
June 9
Burglars ransacked a rural home near Whanganui, leaving a woman and her five children so traumatised they can't sleep in their beds.
Azaria Timmins and her children have been sleeping in the lounge of their Waipapa Rd home at Kakatahi since the burglary. It happened while Timmins was on her weekly shopping visit to Whanganui.
The story did have a happier ending. Since the family's plight was publicised by the Chronicle Timmins has received offers of help from total strangers.
"I want to say thank you to everyone who offered to help or supported us with comments online," Timmins said. "I've been in Whanganui all my life and when something like the burglary happens it changes your perspective and you start to think that everyone is like that. It's good to know there are decent people out there. It doesn't change what happened but it makes you feel a little bit better. I'm really grateful."
June 13
After years of inquiry, debate, legal action, design and construction Whanganui District Council has revealed the total cost for the new wastewater treatment plant has come in at $38.9m, which is $2.3m under budget.
Council incurred extra costs in areas such as investigating alternative design options and additional site works which reduced those budget savings to $1.5m from a total budget of $42.05m.
The upshot for ratepayers is council will be paying $100,000 a year less than expected in debt servicing with $1.5m less debt on the books. It also means lower than expected pan tax rates and trade waste fees which reduces the average rates rise for this year by 0.1 per cent to 4.5 per cent.
The saga over the previous plant - which began operating in 2007 but never met its resource consent before ultimately failing and being shut down in 2012 - was deemed to have cost ratepayers $27m.
In 2016, a $54,000 independent report by Robert Domm found cost saving was a driver behind the design of the failed plant and that council was misinformed ahead of critical decisions.
June 16
Grizzles the Result Rooster may be hoping to follow in the footsteps of Paul the Octopus but his owner "wouldn't bet the house on it".
Whanganui Mayor Hamish McDouall recruited his rooster Grizzles to predict the winner of matches in the football World Cup in Russia.
Paul the Octopus rose to worldwide fame in 2010 for correctly predicting the result of each of Germany's World Cup matches that year.
McDouall gave Grizzles a test run ahead of last week's All Blacks test, the rooster picking France, before he backed Saudi Arabia to beat Russia in the opening game. They lost 5-0. "So his record isn't good so far, 100 per cent wrong," McDouall said.
With food placed under the flags of the teams, Grizzles indicates his pick by which tray he goes to.
June 22
Hadleigh Reid reckons he's lost some sleep since he bought three old inner city Whanganui buildings but that's only because he's excited by the prospect of upgrading them.
Reid was the sole bidder when the buildings were auctioned; a purchase that means he now owns the entire frontage along north side of Drews Ave from Ridgway St to Rutland St.
The Whanganui dentist and district councillor will tackle the building on the corner of Ridgway St and Drews Ave first because it needs the least amount of structural work done to it and at this stage suggests a retail tenant could be interested.
He said as well as potential retail floor space, the buildings would lend themselves to apartment living, "which is something council is encouraging in the inner city". He said there had been murmurings of pulling down that corner building "so I was pleased I eventually got it."
Whanganui District councillor Helen Craig, who chairs the council's property and community services committee, which is charged with town centre regeneration, said Reid's decision was to be applauded. "Some talked of demolishing those buildings but Hadleigh believes that restoration is possible and economically viable and hopes a mix of retail/office space and apartment living will see these buildings fully occupied," she said.
June 25
Screams mingled with an icy breeze as Whanganui locals of all ages dipped into the incoming waves at Castlecliff Beach.
It was the More FM Polar Plunge 2018 and dress-up costumes were made of wigs, capes, hats, masks and even butterfly wings.
After the plunge, participants were looking forward to spot prizes, a sausage sizzle and certificate ceremony at the Castlecliff Club.
June 23
Charles Oliver began teaching in 1973 at Whanganui Intermediate School and that is where he finished his career in education in this year.
Oliver has been principal at the school since 2001 and on Friday, July 6, he attended his last assembly as the man in charge.
Originally from the Hawke's Bay, Oliver was keen on motorcycle racing and would come to Whanganui to watch the Boxing Day races.
After training at teachers college he saw Whanganui as the place to be and made the move.
Oliver's first post as a principal was at the now defunct Waitahinga School.
He also had stints at Heretaunga Intermediate in Hastings, Woodville School, Kai Iwi School and Taihape Area School.
"People are leaving teaching because they can earn more money in other sectors. We need to pay our teachers better and provide them with a better work life by giving them more support." He said his had been "a wonderful career, opportunities to do different and diverse things and I've been able to support other colleagues. I get a lot of good vibes out of that."
June 29
A new-born baby was among the seven killed in a horrific car crash near Waverley (June 28).
The head-on collision involved two cars and happened on a bend on State Highway 3 just past the Waverley Racecourse about 11am.
Four people were in each car. Two passengers, a woman and an eight-year-old girl, were flown to Wellington and Waikato hospitals with critical injuries. With them in the same car were the newborn baby and an adult male driver, who both died at the scene. The eight-year-old died later.
The four people in the other car, which was travelling west towards Hawera, were elderly and all from Waverley.
They all died at the scene. Central District Road Policing Manager, Inspector David White said police priority was dealing with those at the scene and also providing some support and comfort to their families and that's where our thoughts are.
Former members are 'more than welcome' to return, RSA Welfare Trust president says.