Stories of the decade: Whanganui fights back against 'zombie town' label

Economist Shamubeel Eaqub said the district needed to build on its strengths and focus on prosperity. Photo / File

As we enter a new decade, we take a look back at some of the biggest stories that hit the headlines in Whanganui over the past 10 years.

The prospect of being labelled a "zombie town" got Whanganui people fired up in 2014.

Economist Shamubeel Eaqub coined the now infamous "zombie town" tag for declining regional economies and said that Whanganui needed to reinvent itself if it wanted to maintain a sound economy.

Eaqub, the author of Growing Apart - Regional Prosperity in New Zealand, warned that different parts of the country had different economies and the gap between the prosperous and the struggling was widening.

Eaqub said some parts of regional New Zealand were falling behind the rest of the country in many economic factors and suggested some might be near their end.

"It's horrible to say but, yes, we have zombie towns and some of them do have to close, and you know it's going to be devastating for those communities, but it will be better for New Zealand if we target our resources in places that have some hope of growing and creating prosperity."

He would not name which towns he thought were on death's door, but hinted at parts of Whanganui and Rangitikei.

"I think about some of those small towns in the central North Island where populations are declining and they've got this massive infrastructure deficit that they're going to have to replace and you're like, 'Would you really invest hundreds of millions of dollars for a declining population?' The answer might be no."

Whanganui and Rangitīkei MPs and mayors defended their towns, saying they were working to develop them and it wasn't the end of the road for small-town New Zealand.

A Zombie March was a celebration of the positives about Whanganui. Photo / File

In late August 2014 the Chronicle invited Eaqub to Whanganui to check out the district and the economist accepted. Ahead of his visit, Eaqub told the Chronicle that regional New Zealand was a different story to Auckland and while the futures may be different, he said a shrinking population didn't mean the end of prosperity. Certain trends such as urbanisation and an ageing population were not going to be stopped and towns needed to plan for a different future.

A group that Whanganui mayor Annette Main described as "people who have popped up above the parapet in terms of being positive about the possibilities in Whanganui" was invited to hear Eaqub speak - and were they in for a surprise.

Far from putting the boot into Whanganui as many had expected, Eaqub was there cheerleading for change and creating prosperity rather than growth.

The basis of his talk was a challenge to Whanganui to tackle regional decline and create prosperity. But a new way of thinking was required.

"We keep on trying to use the same broken models in terms of regional development," he said.

"We shouldn't get hung up on growth for the sake of growth. Prosperity, that has to come first - if it comes with growth, great."

Change needed to be driven from within regions such as Whanganui, he said. There had to be unique solutions for each region.

"The leadership has to come from local government and from local business and community leaders but, ultimately, you're going to have to have the community fully behind it because otherwise none of this stuff will last."

The opportunities he saw in Whanganui included taking advantage of natural resources, the climate, tourism and piggy-backing on the growth in neighbouring regions.

But first Whanganui needed to have "That conversation that celebrates success because the need for inspiration and aspiration is so critical".

"You've got to get across to people that there is hope and that outlook can be really good."

Eaqub's challenge started many conversations in Whanganui and got people talking about the positives and the things that needed to change.

"It seems that the threat of a 'zombie town' image has made many people think about the kind of place we live in and how we want to be seen by those outside the district as well as ways to contribute to a future where we can say that 'Whanganui works for us'," Main said.

There was even a Zombie March to celebrate that Whanganui was alive and kicking.