Welcome from the Mayor

Welcome from Mayor Hamish

Haere mai ki Whanganui. Welcome to our city, a city of resilient people and bold innovative businesses, and a city with a unique relationship with tangata whenua that recognises their deep physical and spiritual connection to the Whanganui River.

And now Whanganui has won international recognition as a UNESCO City of Design, joining a network of creative cities that place culture and creativity at the heart of development. Whanganui is rich with centuries of indigenous Ma¯ ori art and traditions of design thinking, from famed ornate waka to innovative hi ¯ naki designs. We are a place where contemporary design and architecture abounds. Gracefully restored colonial villas, nationally significant gardens, eclectic art deco wonders and remarkable design one-offs, including the Durie Hill War Memorial Tower and New Zealand’s only public underground elevator, demonstrate how people have long brought their imagination and passion into the shaping of this place. We are so proud of our UNESCO achievement and we won’t be stopping there! Our economic development agency will leverage opportunities for sharing design across all sectors, and our council’s town centre regeneration project continues to work with the community to create inviting public spaces where people can enjoy tasty local food against a backdrop of street art generated through our Whanganui Walls festival. The iconic Sarjeant Gallery Te Whare o Rehua holds more than 8300 artworks of national significance in the heart of our town centre. We’re also home to the Quartz Museum of Studio Ceramics, the Whanganui Regional Museum, New Zealand Glassworks and the New Zealand Opera School. International accolades aside, we are thriving at the grassroots level too. Local artists inhabit studios across the city, independent galleries show new works and artisans share their wares at our welcoming River Markets – a great place to get to know Whanganui people on a Saturday morning. Enjoy live music? Our soundscape is fuelled by diverse musicians, all best enjoyed with a cold beverage from one of several local craft-beer breweries in hand.

The energy and enthusiasm in our business sector continues to see our local economy fly high and we are excited about the year ahead. The New Zealand International Commercial Pilot Academy will welcome more pilot training students from overseas in 2022. This proven boost for our regional profile has created jobs here and we also support new ventures and innovators through

our Innovate Whanganui business accelerator programme and our Amplify creative infrastructure grants. Whanganui has a proud sporting pedigree and our active community is supported through Whanganui District Council’s collaboration with Sport Whanganui. Fiercely competitive community clubs offer something for everyone and there’s a multitude of parks and side-lines to cheer on your favourite neighbourhood team. Cooks Gardens, where Peter Snell broke the four-minute mile record in 1962, provides an invaluable multipurpose stadium. And our awa is an accessible training ground for waka ama and our home-grown rowing and canoeing Olympians of today. Cheers of joy at the Aramoho Whanganui Rowing Club echoed across the city when our young athletes brought home medals, including New Zealand’s first gold from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics for Kerri Gowler. At the grassroots we have facilities that much bigger cities would crave. Wembley football park, the hockey turf at Gonville and a cluster of sports on Victoria Park, including one of the best croquet greens in the country.

Outside of town, you’ll feel the transition from our heritage and colourful urban spaces to Te Taiao / nature in all its beauty. Whanganui district is bounded by the mountainous central plateau to the north and the Tasman Sea to the south. Visitors can take it all in along the Mountains to Sea / Nga¯ Ara Tu¯hono cycle trail, on any of our numerous walking trails, or on picturesque journeys onboard restored historical river vessels.

Whanganui residents all have their favourite view, Ruapehu against an evening sky or sea foam cascading off a surf break at Castlecliff Beach. For others it’s those serene glimpses of the awa winding its way through our city, or our beautiful arboretum with trees dating back to 1917 as they journey home along our shared riverside and park pathways.

Whanganui offers something for everyone: arts, culture, sports and music. And our district has some exciting developments underway. These include growing our network of cycle lanes and shared pathways with support from Waka Kotahi; the ongoing redevelopment of the Sarjeant Gallery, and the Whanganui port revitalisation project, Te Pu¯waha, that over the coming years is rebuilding our wharf infrastructure, improving our marine precinct and creating more jobs and training opportunities for local people.

Of course, like the rest of Aotearoa New Zealand, Whanganui has had to weather the continued challenges of COVID-19. One of the strengths of our community is our connectedness in the face of adversity. I can say that the awhi and kindness, our unique Whanganuitanga, that our people have shown to each other is our greatest asset.

Whether you’re visiting, planning to move here or newly arrived – haere mai ki Whanganui, it’s great to see you here.

Nga – mihi nui.