“We’ve got the weather for it and an easily accessible town.”
Sundman said the NZ International Commercial Pilot Academy taking over the Collegiate Motor Inn was a bad move, because it took away much-needed accommodation and a higher-end restaurant.
“Surely there were other options to house dozens of people.”
He also questioned the council spending $2.5 million on resurfacing the velodrome, especially as there were no plans to add a roof to it.
“It’s hard to know what’s going to come next, because it’s been a dicey few years.
“We’ve just got to do the basics right, and not do anything extravagant.
“Invest wisely, too. Don’t buy a building (Wanganui Furnishers) for a hotel, then do nothing with it.”
Sundman said he had no plans to put up any election billboards.
“I don’t think it’s necessary.
“If you’re involved in the community, which I feel I am, you can meet and talk to people from all sides.”
Whanganui was in a good position to attract more musical artists, he said.
“We’re a good stopping point for people playing in Wellington.
“Porridge Watson has had a lot of returning artists, like Lawrence Arabia, who has been here three or four times.”
He was keen to see another tertiary option, similar to the Whanganui School of Design.
“We’ve got [training for] security guards and nurses and hairdressers, all the things you need, but it would be great to have something different.”
He said being a councillor would be challenging, but not as much as participating in Dancing for Hospice - “Learning the waltz as the gumbiest person out there”.
Sundman was part of this year’s event, partnering with Sport Whanganui chief executive Tania King.
“I’m just going in [to the council] as a regular person with a logical thought pattern.
“We’ve got to get our heads down and coast, I think, because anything can happen.”
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.
