Management of Whanganui’s William Birch Reserve could be handed to community group

Staff from Comvita working to clear a track at the William Birch Reserve.

A community group is confident it will be granted custodianship of a historic reserve on the outskirts of Whanganui.

The William Birch Reserve, home to the long-unused William Birch Pool, near Pākaraka, is managed by the Whanganui District Council.

Richard White, spokesman for the Friends of the William Birch Pool, said the group presented its case to elected members this week and got a good response.

“Essentially, we are offering to take over what the council is doing, to take a reserve out of their portfolio.

“Give it to us, we’ll look after it, and you can look after the hundreds of others there are.”

The group was committed to the reserve for the long term.

“When you look at most passionate groups, they are often a bunch of grey-haired buggers like me.

“We’ve got youth, people in their 20s and 30s, and we see longevity.

“A community will rally around a community group but, when it comes to rallying around council, it’s usually, ‘We pay our rates, you do it.’”

The pool was opened in the 1930s on the Ototoka Stream, with the Birch family donating the land and commissioning the work to construct it.

It has not been suitable for swimming for many years. White said he initiated the last clean-out in 2009, with Pākaraka Pā kaumatua Ray Hina.

While the pool would never again be used for swimming, the group had asked the council for funding to remove the silt buildup, he said.

Last year, the Whanganui West Catchment Group was refused funding for work at the reserve and pool through the council’s Long-Term Plan (2024-34).

It would have included $80,000 for track work and pool clean-out, and $15,000 for yearly maintenance work.

Whanganui Mayor Andrew Tripe said there was already an operational budget for reserve maintenance, but no decision had been made on funding for the pool.

The council was keen to support the group, he said.

“When we know the community is behind it, the council is keen to get behind it.

The group has asked for council funding to clear out silt from the pool, which has been left to fill since 2009.

“Local government is looking for more trust from central Government to get on with it and, at a smaller scale, councils should be trusting communities to get on with things, own stuff and make things happen.”

White said the group had received ongoing offers of help from members of the public, but it needed a mandate from the council to accept them.

“As soon as we set ourselves up, we got a message from Comvita [Apiaries],” he said.

“They offered 13 staff and three vehicles for the day. That reinforces the point that a group like ours can bring the community in.

“We’ve already had a boundary fence done as a donation.”

While the pool would remain empty, other parts of the reserve could be retained and upgraded, he said.

It covers 6796sq m.

“You can actually do a round trip on a walkway path, which we tidied up with Comvita. It just needs edging and some product put down.

“Eliminating [tradescantia] is another project, and enhancing the native bush and birdlife."

He said a farmer had offered to take the silt once it was extracted from the pool.

“[The council] do have a bit of responsibility in that respect, and there is the environmental aspect to it as well.

“Cleaning up the stream is a 25 or 30-year project, but you’ve got to start somewhere.”

The grandson and great-granddaughter of William Birch had come to visit the reserve recently, he said.

“We’ve kept the family up to date and they are right behind us.

“It’s neat to have different generations still proud of it.”

Tripe said handing management of the reserve to the group would be considered at a council meeting, but he was unsure when.

Mike Tweed is a multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. His current focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.