Whanganui Chronicle
  • Whanganui Chronicle home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Taranaki
  • National Park
  • Whakapapa
  • Ohakune
  • Raetihi
  • Taihape
  • Marton
  • Feilding
  • Palmerston North

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • New Plymouth
  • Whanganui
  • Palmertson North
  • Levin

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Whanganui Chronicle

Whanganui council to buy Durie Hill reserve sections

Whanganui Chronicle
29 Oct, 2020 04:01 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Numbers 3 and 9 Blyth St, betweeen Durie Hill's elevator and tower, are likely to become part of an extended Whanganui District Council reserve. Graphic / Whanganui District Council

Numbers 3 and 9 Blyth St, betweeen Durie Hill's elevator and tower, are likely to become part of an extended Whanganui District Council reserve. Graphic / Whanganui District Council

After 99 enthusiastic submissions Whanganui District councillors have narrowly agreed to buy two sections near the Durie Hill tower, and extend that reserve.

The council will purchase number 3 and 9 Blyth St in order to protect the public space and views in the area.

Five submitters were heard at a special council meeting on October 22. After that councillors debated whether to purchase. They were unanimous on agreeing in principle to buy No 9.

When it came to buying No 3 only six were in favour - Charlie Anderson, Helen Craig, James Barron, Jenny Duncan, Hadleigh Reid and Alan Taylor. Five - Philippa Baker-Hogan, Rob Vinsen, Brent Crossan, Graeme Young and Josh Chandulal-Mackay - voted against it.

Councillor Kate Joblin was on leave of absence and Mayor Hamish McDouall didn't use his casting vote, so the option to buy No 3 was narrowly won.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

But the purchases will only be made if satisfactory terms of sale can be agreed with the vendor. Councillors then excluded the public while they talked price, citing commercial sensitivity.

Craig was strongly in favour of buying both sections. She said the elevator was one of two in the world and more and more people would come to see the view.

She wanted No 3 included so the turning circle at the reserve could be enlarged to allow buses to get around in one sweep. That section could be sold again if unneeded, perhaps with a covenant to prevent intrusive building.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The council has no plan for the reserve as a whole, she said, but proper planning will be possible if No 3 is available.

The matter came to the council table in June when Step Up Durie Hill asked council to purchase No 9 which was on the market.

No 9 was the only section the group asked for, Chandulal-Mackay said.

He wanted the council to buy it to support Step Up Durie Hill aspirations.

Several councillors, including Crossan, said council should sell less-used reserves to pay for the purchases. There are about 200 reserves, council property manager Leighton Toy said, but they can only be sold after a public consultation process.

For Reid, buying No 9 is a "no-brainer". No 3 is sloping and less valuable, and should only be bought if the terms of sale are satisfactory, he said.

Acquiring more reserve land is not high on the council's list of priorities, Duncan said, and submitters pointed that out. Many thought rubbish and recycling services should be a higher priority.

"There are more compelling things to put money into. The onus is on councillors and staff to find ways to fund these purchases," Duncan said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Sue Morgan (right) says Step Up Durie Hill is excited that council will purchase the sections. Photo / Bevan Conley
Sue Morgan (right) says Step Up Durie Hill is excited that council will purchase the sections. Photo / Bevan Conley

Step Up Durie Hill members are really excited about the possible purchases, spokeswoman Sue Morgan said

She was impressed by some of the "clear and intelligent" submissions.

"It's been quite a long process for everybody, the owner as well, who has been extremely patient. We just appreciate everybody's efforts in this."

The result is "a great win for the city", she said.

Step Up Durie Hill is keen to work with the council on additions to the reserve. It can raise funds for gardens and seating, and is offering to maintain any gardens.

"We have done that with the other seven gardens up there," Morgan said.

Because the group knew the council had no budget, it did not ask for the purchase of No 3 Blyth St as well as No 9. However many submitters wanted both purchased.

"If they do buy both, that's fantastic," Morgan said.

NewsletterClicker
Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

Whanganui Chronicle

RSA 'alive and well' despite premises closure

11 Jul 06:00 PM
Whanganui Chronicle

‘Everyone went silent’: Whanganui Youth MP speaks in Parliament

11 Jul 05:00 PM
Whanganui Chronicle

Major Joanna Margaret Paul exhibition opens

11 Jul 05:00 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

RSA 'alive and well' despite premises closure

RSA 'alive and well' despite premises closure

11 Jul 06:00 PM

Former members are 'more than welcome' to return, RSA Welfare Trust president says.

‘Everyone went silent’: Whanganui Youth MP speaks in Parliament

‘Everyone went silent’: Whanganui Youth MP speaks in Parliament

11 Jul 05:00 PM
Shelley Loader: How we can all get a share of the apples

Shelley Loader: How we can all get a share of the apples

11 Jul 05:00 PM
Major Joanna Margaret Paul exhibition opens

Major Joanna Margaret Paul exhibition opens

11 Jul 05:00 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Whanganui Chronicle e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Whanganui Chronicle
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP