Comment: It's not just the fact Whanganui has been removed from the MetService homepage weather map that is upsetting. It's not the inconvenience of an extra few clicks to check out the weather information that grates. It's what that decision represents.
As we've reported today,our fair city has been culled from the main page of New Zealand's main weather information source.
MetService says it has simplified its site, showing 24 locations.
It's a fair question to ask why those 24 don't include any coastal towns or cities between Wellington and New Plymouth.
And please don't try to tell us forecasts for New Plymouth or Palmerston North will suffice.
As our understandably outraged mayor has pointed out, there's a huge difference between Whanganui's climate and those climates of our North Island neighbours.
In September the Chronicle reported this district has recorded a growth in population for the first time in decades, and that it's predicted that growth will continue.
Census data shows Whanganui district's resident population at 45,309, an increase of 3156 people on the 2013 Census.
People enjoy summer weather at Castlecliff Beach in Whanganui earlier this year. Photo / Bevan Conley
Work is under way to ensure Whanganui is in a good position to cope with the growth.
Whanganui and Partners said at the time the district's population would continue to grow because of the constraints larger cities won't be able to be overcome within the next Census period.
Mark Ward said: "Their economies are slowing a lot faster than ours. We're definitely in the top three or four for our size in New Zealand, we are going to attract capital and we are going to attract people."
Let's hope those people can find us on the map!
For your information, smaller centres still on the MetService homepage include Kaitāia, Gisborne, Taupō and Masterton, and those are just the ones in the North Island.
The call to cull is yet another kick in the teeth for a growing, thriving centre that deserves better. We're looking at you Air New Zealand.
And while this slight is peanuts next to our national carrier's pullout, it's indicative of an attitude that's too common out there in the rest of New Zealand.
