Strategy for Whanganui: Guiding document signed off by council after two years of work

A community engagement event at Article Cafe for Strategy for Whanganui.

Two years of work have culminated in Whanganui District Council’s new guiding document - and a goal of more than 5000 new residents by 2035.

Strategy for Whanganui - Rautaki mō Whanganui, replacing 2014’s Leading Edge Strategy, was signed off by councillors at a meeting this month.

It has five key goals - grow, build, protect, activate and celebrate Whanganui - and a district population target of 53,000 in 10 years.

According to the 2023 Census, Whanganui has a population of 47,619.

Other 10-year goals include improved river quality, year-on-year increases in the use of council facilities, supporting the construction of 1000 affordable homes, and getting median household income closer to the national median.

Councillor Jenny Duncan, who is stepping down at the end of this term, said population growth was not necessarily a benefit.

“If you look at our rates this time around, 2.2% [average rise for 2025/26], and you look everywhere else that is growing rapidly, their rates increases are horrendous.”

She said it needed to be controlled and sensible, “not just growth for growth’s sake” which could be a burden on the community because of increasing infrastructure requirements.

Councillor Michael Law was the only elected member to vote against the strategy, saying it had come too late and was not finished.

“It requires some specificity, and it requires measurable, actionable metrics,” he said.

“I would rather wait until there are new councillors around the table to vote on what the new strategy will be moving forward,” he said.

Councillor Kate Joblin said “throwing numbers and formulas at things” did not always lead to good outcomes.

“We need a more nuanced approach, and I look forward to the new council actually getting their head around that,” she said.

“I think this strategy very faithfully reflects the engagement we had with our community.”

Local elections will be held in October for 10 general ward seats and two Māori ward seats.

Funding for formulating the new strategy, including about $229,300 in consultancy fees, was covered by the Government’s Better Off fund.

Councillor Kate Joblin says "throwing numbers and formulas at things” does not always lead to good outcomes. Photo / NZME

Councillor Ross Fallen said the strategy was a “vital document” for new councillors being inducted.

“It sits behind everything we do.

“We need to keep it in our mind’s eye, with referencing in our reporting where possible.”

Mayor Andrew Tripe, who worked as a consultant on the Leading Edge Strategy before he was elected to council, said it had been developed when the city was called a “zombie town”.

In 2014, economist Shamubeel Eaqub coined the term to describe declining regional economies, saying Whanganui needed to reinvent itself to maintain a sound economy.

“If you look at the difference between 2014 and 2025, we have come a long way,” Tripe said.

“Our role is to continue that journey. I think this strategy does set the right direction.

“Let’s do some stuff, as opposed to talk about it and navel gaze.”

A report from council strategy and policy manager David Gurney said community engagement on the strategy ran from May to October 2023, with “feedback consolidation” from December 2023 to July last year.

Work was put on hold that August, following the Government’s announcement that the four wellbeings - social, economic, environmental and cultural - would be removed from the Local Government Act.

The draft strategy was then reframed, with another community consultation in April 2025.

Gurney told councillors the Strategy for Whanganui’s “first push out into the community” would come in February or March next year, during engagement work for its 2027-2037 long-term plan.

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.