Art work on Whanganui River structure blessed

Emma Henare, 14, designed the art work on a new structure at Whanganui's Mosquito Point. Photo / Stuart Munro Wanganui Chronicle

Some good things and some bad things happen at Whanganui's Mosquito Point, kaumātua John Maihi said as he blessed the design on a new changing shed structure there.

He's hoping the taonga on the structure there will mean more good things happen and fewer bad.

One good thing is that Mosquito Point's swing will be reinstated ready for next summer, Whanganui District Council spokeswoman Cass Alexander said.

Its loss has been lamented since the pole was removed in July 2016. Before that the swing provided lots of thrills and excitement, as well as causing a few injuries.

It was a small crowd that gathered for the blessing of the design. Horizons Regional Council engineer Wayne Spencer said he "let some young engineers loose" to design improvements at the swim spot, after it won a Horizons competition last year.

The council held a second competition to find a design for one side of the changing shed structure. Whanganui High School teacher Jason Duffy encouraged his design pupils to enter, and 14-year-old Emma Henare was very excited to win.

Also commended were Grace Smith, Riki Wainhouse, Ben Emerson, Firooze Colaabavala, Cemre Gifford-Oner and Tayla Robbertsen.

The title of Emma's design was the Whanganui whakatauki (proverb) Ko au te awa, ko te awa ko au. I am the river and the river is me.

Whanganui District Council helped promote the first competition, and Alexander said she hoped people would make use of the improvements and "swim in our beautiful awa" next summer.

The structure's new design was blessed with some short speeches, a prayer and a song.