Development agency Whanganui & Partners seeks economic evolution

Whanganui & Partners general manager Philippa Ivory.

Whanganui & Partners' latest quarterly public forum was short on specifics but big on talk about positive changes in the future.

However, general manager Philippa Ivory warned the audience at Tuesday's forum that "transformational change" for Whanganui would take time.

"So I won't be standing here in three months telling you that we have a four-star hotel being built in Whanganui but I may be back saying we have found a developer to work with who may be interested in building a four-star hotel," Ms Ivory said.

Ms Ivory, who started with the economic development agency in January, said the key challenges and constraints for Whanganui included population gaps in the 20-30 age group; availability of land for housing and industrial development; and inner-city earthquake strengthening.

Retaining younger people in Whanganui would require "building pathways for employment" and more options for tertiary study for those who did not want to go to university, she said. Discussions were under way on plumbing and electrical trades training.

Asked about providing facilities, such as a climbing wall and bowling alley, that would appeal to young people, Ms Ivory said Whanganui and Partners' role was to create an environment for people to want to come to Whanganui to set up businesses, not to provide facilities itself.

"It doesn't actually grow our economy - we need the 20-30s to stay here."

A solution for Whanganui's earthquake-prone buildings could be on the cards.

"There's some very ingenious work being done, that I can't share with you, that may make truly transformational changes," Ms Ivory said.

Whanganui & Partners board chairman Myles Fothergill said the organisation was not looking at "smaller, micro-type of things".

"We make no apology for the things we aren't going to do; we want to be accountable for the things we are going to do," Mr Fothergill said.

However, the board and organisation are operating without a current economic development strategy and destination marketing strategy and under an old statement of intent.

The economic development strategy is being developed by the Whanganui District Council and the destination marketing strategy will be available after a new statement of intent is signed off, Ms Ivory said. The statement of intent is due to be finalised on June 30.