Local elections 2025: Charlotte Melser wants second term on Whanganui District Council

Charlotte Melser is in her first term as a district councillor. Photo / Mike Tweed

Charlotte Melser is keen to continue building relationships if re-elected to the Whanganui District Council.

She said “the power of partnership” was key for the council.

Melser opened Castlecliff’s Citadel cafe in 2016, operating it for just over two years before the birth of twin sons.

“That was hand in hand with the Castlecliff Regeneration Project, and I built it to be a community hub for our suburb,” she said.

“That was only achieved through partnership with council.

“The results of that are obvious, and I think it‘s something that communities in other suburbs can look to, to see what’s possible.”

She said local government faced its biggest reforms since the 1980s and that brought potential and opportunity.

However, there was a lot of punching down and undermining from central government.

“We are already one of the most centralised systems in the Western world but there is a real power in localism, as long as it’s efficient and effective,” Melser said.

“Blunt instruments, like rates capping, are good conversations to have, but it’s not the be-all and end-all.

“Every single community and council is in a different position. A blanket rule across the country won’t necessarily have the outcomes that are intended.”

She said residents’ rate bills remained unaffordable and there was no quick fix to the problem.

“Our community is genuinely struggling.

“For [reforms] to be successful, again, it comes down to partnership.

“We need to partner with central government to have really strong conversations about the best outcomes for the sector and our community.”

Whanganui’s council “could be a bit of a beacon” for the sector for what could be achieved through finding efficiencies and doing it wisely, she said.

The council has invested more than 80% of its budget in infrastructure, with an average rates increase of 2.2% for 2025-26.

Melser, a first-term councillor, holds portfolios for youth, and climate and sustainability.

She said she had learned a lot over the past three years.

“You can come in with all the opinions in the world but reality is still reality.

“With the wide breadth of policies, strategies, issues and investments, it really does take half a term to get your feet under the table.

“The relationships I’ve built over this first term mean I can jump straight into the next round and carry on with a lot of the work I‘ve started.”

Mike Tweed is a 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.