There’s no safety plan for Whanganui River. That’s about to change

Jodie Brunger says this time around, the plan will involve “working from the community up”. Photo / Bevan Conley

Using the Whanganui River is “getting riskier” with boats travelling at high speeds around blind corners or in the wrong direction, poor awareness of river-use rules and a lack of signage.

There has not been a safety plan for the river for 20 years but that could change.

A group made up of members of the Whanganui District Council, Horizons Regional Council, Ngā Tangata Tiaki, Te Pūwaha, iwi, sport and recreation groups, and Sport Whanganui also found there were hazards from debris, fishing, and derelict structures in the river, and no governing body to oversee safety or to report to.

District Council deputy chief executive Lance Kennedy told a council strategy and policy committee meeting there had been “several cracks” at a plan over many years.

“This group, supported by Ngā Tāngata Tiaki, has decided not to be the next one that starts and fails,” he said.

“We think it’s getting riskier on the river, given the number of jet skis and the like that are out there now and increased usage of the lovely walkways.

“There is potential for accidents.”

Te Pūwaha community representative Jock Lee said iwi didn’t want the new system to be managed through council bylaws and there wouldn’t be a “police state” on the river.

A top speed of five knots needed to be adhered to between the Cobham and Upokongaro bridges, Lee said.

“That should be observed now but it isn’t. Five knots is 9.26km/h - about an average jogging speed.”

Vessels such as the Waimarie, which had clear timetables, would be an exception and non-powered craft such as rowboats were not required to stay at or under five knots.

A report from Sport Whanganui said that for the past 20 years there had been no active maritime safety management system (SMS) in place, especially within city boundaries where the greatest densities of public sport and recreation took place.

Sport Whanganui active communities manager Jodie Brunger said while plans had been made numerous times before, the difference this time was “working from the community up”.

A collaborative approach was needed, she said.

“We want to make sure we get things right before there is a fatality on the awa.”

Te Pūwaha community representative Jock Lee. Photo / Bevan Conley

A report by Kennedy said the SMS would cost the council $40,000 over the first two years and a further $15,000 per year for the three after that.

Sport Whanganui’s report said clear roles and responsibilities needed to be identified, along with safety equipment such as rescue tubes and flotation devices at key access points and signage on water and at access points.

An online platform would serve as a self-regulating safety management system informed by community users and regional and district councils.

Councillor Philippa Baker-Hogan said she had been involved in a significant accident on the river a couple of years ago.

She had been in a non-powered craft that got hit.

“It went down in about two minutes, completely splitting in half. There were four older gentlemen in it.

“That was a wake-up call and shows how quickly things can happen.”

Lee said there was “a clear danger of drowning” at Mosquito Point, which was well known.

“When we visited, it was quite clear that the design invites everyone on to the water, and why wouldn’t it, but [there is] not one mention of the dangers of swimming.

“We need to make it quite clear it’s not safe for swimming, but as somewhere to gather and congregate and be with the river. Certainly not on it and certainly not on the other side.”

He said a significant number of accidents had been reported in the area opposite Pākaitore in the central city.

“There are three different boatsheds, four if you include the Waimarie.

“It’s actually putting this council at risk. Those dangers have been identified and reported and nothing has happened.”

An easy and cost-effective solution was to divert cyclists away and create a pedestrians-only precinct.

Lee said there also needed to be a reporting system for those who weren’t adhering to rules and were causing danger - potentially a feature in the online platform to take a photo and send it to the relevant authority.

Mike Tweed is an assistant news director and multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.