Whanganui needs to clean up its act of it wants to be the country's most beautiful city. Photo / Bevan Conley.
November 3
Whanganui's house prices and pace of life caught the interest of people attending an Auckland home show.
And having our mayor there didn't hurt either. For the second year, economic development agency Whanganui & Partners had a stand at the Better Home and Living Show at the North Shore Events Centre.
As before it was the only stand providing information about a region as a place to live or visit, Whanganui & Partners digital and online lead Paul Kjoss told the Chronicle. Mayor Hamish McDouall joined Kjoss and visitor centre consultant Saskia Bloot on the stand, which Kjoss said was a crowd pleaser.
"He really is an enthusiastic proponent for Whanganui and people love to see a mayor there. At first people didn't believe he was really the mayor. We had to show them his photo in the Celebrating Whanganui publication before they believed us. He engaged with everyone and people were having their photos taken with him."
More than 8000 people attended the show, with the Whanganui team actually talking to nearly 1000 and nut just handing them brochures.
"The main things they asked about were house prices. Most people don't believe the house prices are as affordable as they are, so it was good to have Whanganui Chronicle Property Guides to show them. Lots of people were taking them to show friends or family members thinking of moving to the regions," Kjoss said.
November 6
Whanganui will become the focus of New Zealand politics in November next year with the city chosen to host the 2019 Labour Party conference.
The city headed off Rotorua as the final two made their pitch at this year's conference in Dunedin. About 800-900 delegates will converge on Whanganui in early November in what Whanganui mayor and Labour Party member Hamish McDouall says could be the biggest conference Whanganui has hosted.
"It's certainly up there. Obviously the Masters Games is the biggest event we host but that's spread over 10 days," McDouall said.
He travelled to Dunedin to support Whanganui's bid, which was put forward by the Whanganui local electorate committee. Whanganui and Partners helped write the original bid, with Whanganui and Rotorua invited to present at the conference.
"It's just amazing. It will be a huge economic benefit to accommodation places and cafes and restaurants. And we shouldn't underestimate the power of having a bunch of people from the media really focusing on Whanganui," McDouall said.
The Labour Party conference follows Whanganui hosting the Clubs New Zealand conference in March.
November 7
From florist to frontline cop, Whanganui police constable Nadine Staples is one of the new recruits reflecting the diversity police are aiming for.
Staples was raised in Whanganui and will be familiar to many people through her previous work in floristry, hospitality and retail. She has been a volunteer with Women's Refuge Whanganui and involved in community events.
"I was doing my OE and when I was flatting in Vancouver I was assaulted by a flatmate and that was, I guess, the lightbulb moment. Three very helpful police officers came to speak to me, including one female, and that was it.
I thought 'that's what I want to do'." After finishing at Police College, Staples spent a month with different police work groups in Whanganui and then went into frontline policing.
At this stage she's enjoying being on the frontline but hopes in future she may move into detective work (CIB), family harm or working with children through Youth Aid or the Child Protection Team.
November 8
While thousands will reflect on the first 100 years of the Ratana Church today, the focus will very much be on the future.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern spent more than an hour with Ratana children after she arrived bearing "koha" of almost $2 million to fund housing in the settlement. Ratana's centenary celebrations attracted thousands including politicians.
The $1.9 million investment will support the development of 26 sections on Maori freehold land for whanau to build on.
The celebrations marked 100 years since prophet Tahupotiki Wiremu Ratana is said to have received a divine revelation from which the RatanaChurch was born.
November 12
About 150 people were at the cenotaph in Queen's Park in Whanganui to mark Armistice Day, the moment 100 years ago when the guns of World War I fell silent.
Guest speaker Euan Noble reminded them that the World War I memorials that dot the New Zealand countryside are important as places where relatives can at least "touch the names" of soldiers buried overseas.
Noble said 525 men from the Whanganui district were killed in World War I, some only teenagers. He said the families left behind grieved for their dead. They had no bodies or funerals to focus on.
Instead they put up war memorials to serve as "de facto headstones", a place where they could at least "touch a name".
November 13
A developer with extensive experience investing in major cities overseas has revealed plans to turn the former Whanganui Chronicle building into a "stylish" riverside apartment block.
John Hay, who moved to Whanganui 18 months ago, bought the building with a vision of converting it into 20 one and two-bedroom homes.
Hay has been a property developer for about 40 years and has developed apartment style properties in Australia, Hong Kong, Canada and the United States with his company Bridgewater Estates. The building has been home to the Whanganui Chronicle and before that housed New Zealand Railways.
He said there were still some obstacles to overcome. According to the district plan, residential properties are not allowed on the ground floor.
The access to it is still a reserve and not a dedicated road and that had to be sorted out before they applied for resource consent. But he said the council had been very helpful and had a team working to get the project across the line.
November 14
The word from Russia is that Briar Novis' stem-cell treatment is going as planned.
The Whanganui woman travelled to Russia in October to begin treatment for multiple sclerosis which is not available in New Zealand.
Novis was diagnosed with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) four years ago and since then her health has been in decline. She decided to get treatment overseas after she learned of others with RRMS getting it successfully treated in Russia.
Novis' mother, Cherry Novis, travelled to Russia with her and said her daughter had had the treatment and was now out of 10-day isolation. She said her daughter's immune system was gradually building up.
Once home Briar will be in isolation in her home for up to three months. Over months of fundraising events as well as a Givealittle page, the family managed to raise $80,000 for the Russia trip.
It was less than the initial target of $95,000 but it was enough for the cost of the treatment, which was about $77,000.
November 15
Whanganui needs to lift its game if it wants to be New Zealand's most beautiful city.
The challenge comes from Whanganui district councillor Helen Craig who has recently returned from the Keep New Zealand Beautiful Awards.
It's an award Whanganui District Council has set its sights on after councillors recently voted to ask staff to pull together a bid to win the most beautiful city award in 2019. But she said Whanganui had to do better at dealing with waste.
The Chronicle has reported countless cases of illegal dumping this year alone. Craig said the award was about sustainability as well as appearance so she was urging Whanganui residents to have some pride and do what they can.
She believed it would help if there was a holistic rates-funded kerbside pickup for everyone and suggested council could try an annual rates-funded collection of inorganic waste from the kerbside.
Students remain 'in the dark' about what comes next.