Whanganui has been recognised as a Unesco City of Design, becoming just New Zealand's fourth city in the Unesco Creative Cities Network. Featuring St Paul's Memorial Church in Putiki. Photo / Supplied
Whanganui has been recognised as a Unesco City of Design, becoming just New Zealand's fourth city in the Unesco Creative Cities Network. Featuring St Paul's Memorial Church in Putiki. Photo / Supplied
As 2021 draws to a close, we look back at some of the news highlights of another Covid-disrupted year.
November 4
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern visited Whanganui as part of a wider drive around New Zealand's lower-vaccinated areas.
Visits to vaccination clinics in Whanganui and Hunterville were called offthough, as large groups of protesters gathered.
At least 250 gathered outside the vaccination pop-up clinic at Caltex Victoria Ave in preparation for the arrival of Ardern.
Whanganui became just the fourth New Zealand city to be recognised by the Unesco Creative Cities Network (UCCN).
Whanganui has been recognised as a Unesco City of Design, meaning Whanganui gets a place in the Unesco (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) Creative Cities Network and has its historic and contemporary contributions to design internationally recognised.
Whanganui joins the Unesco Creative Cities Network (UCCN) with Dunedin as a City of Literature, Wellington a City of Film, and Auckland a City of Music.
The selection is in recognition of the cities' commitments to placing culture and creativity at the heart of their development and to sharing knowledge and good practices.
November 12
Whanganui is set to get kerbside recycling from 2023, and a year after that food waste collection will follow.
The Whanganui District Council's policy and bylaw committee voted in favour of adopting its Waste Minimisation and Management Plan 2021 on Wednesday.
The kerbside recycling service will cost each household $70 a year and the kerbside food waste collection service will add a further $40 a year.
The plan does not include rubbish collection services, which were estimated to cost each individual ratepayer $160 a year and were deemed to be too expensive.
November 15
Whanganui defeated North Otago 22-16 in the Lochore Cup final played in heavy rain and wind at Cooks Gardens.
Semi Vodosese came off the bench and made an immediate impact, running a try in and securing Whanganui the win in the Lochore Cup. Photo / Lewis Gardner
North Otago took the lead through a penalty but a series of four consecutive penalties back the other way from Ethan Robinson meant the home team led 12-3 into half time.
Then the first try of the game came just before 50 minutes as North Otago's Levi Emery kicked and chased to score and complete a move his team started from a turnover in their own half.
Abel Magalogo converted to put North Otago ahead 13-12.
At about 57 minutes, Hayden Todd kicked a penalty from the halfway line to put North Otago four points to the good.
Then the match turned as a late shoulder charge from Todd led to him being sin binned before Whanganui winger Alekesio Vakarorogo scored after a good team move from the home side.
Straight off the bench Semi Vodosese then scored from the back of the scrum to push Whanganui's lead out to 22-16 and secure their second Lochore Cup.
November 18
Covid-19 has been a nightmare for event organisers, highlighted by the cancellation of Vintage Weekend 2022.
Vintage Weekend 2022, the 10th anniversary of the event, was one of the events cancelled because of Covid-19. Photo / Bevan Conley
The 10-year anniversary of the annual event was set to run over Wellington Anniversary Weekend in January but this week the Whanganui Vintage Weekend Trust (WVWT) made the call to cancel it.
"The uncertainty around the implementation of the new Covid-19 Protection Framework, and the anticipated timing of mid-January to reach required vaccination levels in our region, means we simply cannot afford to wait until we reach the required 90 per cent level to make a final decision," trust chairman Bruce Jellyman said.
November 30
It is announced that Whanganui will be in "red" when the Covid-19 traffic light system goes into effect on December 2.
The Covid-19 Protection Framework is designed to maximise the use of vaccination passports, giving more freedoms more those who are vaccinated.
Whilst the move isn't too surprising to leaders due to the regions low vaccination rates, the new framework was a whole new system for businesses to wrap there head around.
