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 named a Smart21 Community by Intelligent Community Forum

Whanganui Chronicle
5 Nov, 2019 04:03 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

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

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
Proaxiom general manager Mike Price (left) and director Murray Woodhouse moved the company to Whanganui largely because of its broadband advantages. Photo / File

Proaxiom general manager Mike Price (left) and director Murray Woodhouse moved the company to Whanganui largely because of its broadband advantages. Photo / File

Whanganui has been declared one of the global communities "most ready for the 21st century".

Once again, Whanganui has been named a Smart21 Community by the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF), a New York-based think tank which helps communities adapt to a digital economy.

.

.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Each year it selects the 21 communities, from its membership of 180, which best demonstrate the forum's mission and are deemed most ready for the 21st century.

Whanganui was first named a Smart21 Community in 2013 and has been on the list six times. In 2016 it was placed in the top seven.

Communities from 10 countries have been selected in the 2020 Smart21 list, based on quantitative and qualitative data, evaluated against a framework that looks at initiatives around broadband, the knowledge workforce, innovation, digital equality, sustainability and advocacy.

This year is the first time two New Zealand cities have made the Smart21 list, with Wellington also included.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Hannah Kelly, Whanganui & Partners' strategic lead of capability and international, said the designation reflects the value Whanganui's leaders have put on developing a city prepared for the future.

"We were an early adopter of high speed broadband and saw the benefits of that," Kelly said.

"For instance, the IT company Proaxiom chose to move their headquarters here from Wellington in 2015, in large part because of our advantages around broadband.

.

Discover more

Whanganui will enter Smart 21 again

16 Sep 04:07 AM

Named top small place with big ambition

10 Sep 09:00 PM

Tech Week: Massive potential for technology in Whanganui

21 May 05:00 PM

Why Whanganui was named NZ's most beautiful city

24 Oct 09:00 AM

READ MORE:
• Whanganui tops Intelligent Community Forum list of smaller communities adapting to digital economy
• Whanganui District Council consulting on draft digital strategy
• Smart 21 no show a lost opportunity, deputy mayor says
• Whanganui named a 'smart community' for fifth consecutive year

.

"Initiatives like the Resource Recovery Centre gave us an edge in the sustainability category too, which the recent Most Beautiful City Award also highlighted.

"We want our community to be prepared for the challenges as well as the opportunities of the next 50 years. The Smart21 designation is a good indicator that we're on the right track."

.

.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Seven of the Smart21 Communities will be named the Top7 Intelligent Communities of 2020 on February 10 in Taoyuan, Taiwan. One of those seven will be crowned the Intelligent Community of the Year at the 2020 ICF Global Summit next June.

Save
    Share this article

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

Premium
OpinionGareth Carter

Gareth Carter: Grow your own strawberries

19 Sep 05:00 PM
Whanganui Chronicle

Done deal: Rural reserve handed to community group

19 Sep 05:00 PM
Whanganui Chronicle

'Glued to this matter': Wakefield St Bridge petition reaches council

19 Sep 05:00 PM

Sponsored

Kiwi campaign keeps on giving

07 Sep 12:00 PM
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

Premium
Premium
Gareth Carter: Grow your own strawberries
OpinionGareth Carter

Gareth Carter: Grow your own strawberries

COMMENT: Strawberries are easy to grow in small spaces like containers or raised beds.

19 Sep 05:00 PM
Done deal: Rural reserve handed to community group
Whanganui Chronicle

Done deal: Rural reserve handed to community group

19 Sep 05:00 PM
'Glued to this matter': Wakefield St Bridge petition reaches council
Whanganui Chronicle

'Glued to this matter': Wakefield St Bridge petition reaches council

19 Sep 05:00 PM


Kiwi campaign keeps on giving
Sponsored

Kiwi campaign keeps on giving

07 Sep 12:00 PM
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