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

Ballance won't be back

SEAN HOSKINS
Whanganui Chronicle·
1 Nov, 2005 11:04 AM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

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

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


JOHN Ballance won't return to his former home at Moutoa Gardens.
The Wanganui District Council yesterday approved a community development committee recommendation not to return a replacement statue to Moutoa/Pakaitore.
The original statue was vandalised beyod repair by activists during the 1994 occupation of the site and has been in storage since.
A
tripartite agreement between council, iwi and the Crown to resolve issues around the occupation had a provision that the statue would be returned briefly to the Moutoa Gardens before being reallocated permanently to another site.
But the community committee recommended the council instead accede to a Moutoa Gardens Historic Reserve Board request that the statue be permanently relocated to a site other than Moutoa Gardens.
Cr Don McGregor spoke to the item, calling such a proposal a backward step.
"Iwi and this council both signed the agreement in the presence of the prime minister, and it should go there temporarily. One reason is to show that crime doesn't pay; people can't just go around smashing statues," he said.
"Also, I think when iwi acceded to having it back temporarily it was an apology, an acknowledgement that it shouldn't have happened.
"I don't think we should change something that was so solemnly agreed to four years ago," Mr McGregor said.
Mayor Michael Laws said the reserve board, which he sits on, was of the view that the statue should be relocated somewhere where it would be properly appreciated.
"But siting it at Moutoa could see John Ballance possibly damaged further."
Mr Laws said the statue would eventually be moved anyway. Another issue was the original statue plinth, which was still at the reserve.
Cr Sue Pepperell said the family of John Ballance didn't want his effigy heading back to Moutoa Gardens.
"I think it's important to note that the family of John Ballance have expressly said they do not want it back there," she said.
A vote was taken with only Crs McGregor and Randhir Dahya voting against the proposal. All councillors, bar the departed Graeme Taylor, were present at the meeting. Cr Sue Westwood withdrew from the meeting during the vote.
Council community development manager Rosemary Hovey also noted that a new statue had yet to be created, although insurance money was hand.
The reserve board and council would have to decide what materials to use, whether the new statue would be the same size as the old or smaller and what would happen to the plinth.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save
    Share this article

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

Whanganui Chronicle

'Just a precaution': Pātea residents told to boil water

17 Sep 04:14 AM
Whanganui Chronicle

Police arrest three in Castlecliff operation

16 Sep 11:18 PM
Whanganui Chronicle

'We need Māori voices influencing the decisions that affect our whenua'

16 Sep 11:00 PM

Sponsored

Kiwi campaign keeps on giving

07 Sep 12:00 PM
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

'Just a precaution': Pātea residents told to boil water
Whanganui Chronicle

'Just a precaution': Pātea residents told to boil water

The current supply does not meet the new drinking water quality assurance rules.

17 Sep 04:14 AM
Police arrest three in Castlecliff operation
Whanganui Chronicle

Police arrest three in Castlecliff operation

16 Sep 11:18 PM
'We need Māori voices influencing the decisions that affect our whenua'
Whanganui Chronicle

'We need Māori voices influencing the decisions that affect our whenua'

16 Sep 11:00 PM


Kiwi campaign keeps on giving
Sponsored

Kiwi campaign keeps on giving

07 Sep 12:00 PM
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