Latest news with #WhanganuiDistrict
RNZ News
29-05-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Is this the lowest rates rise in the country? Whanganui council holds firm on 2.2 percent
The plan for 2025/26 will go before the council in June to be adopted. Photo: Unsplash / Tom Rumble Whanganui District Council is sticking to an average rates increase of 2.2 percent following deliberations on its draft Annual Plan. Mayor Andrew Tripe believes it's the lowest rise in the country for the year ahead. The plan for 2025/26 will go before the council in June to be adopted. Tripe said the council has focused on doing the basics well, investing in core infrastructure, and involving the community in decision-making. The big topics thrashed out by the council in this week's deliberations were creating a standalone housing entity to grow housing stock, adopting a new strategy for Whanganui, changes to fees and charges, and increasing loan repayments. In each case, community feedback aligned with the council's preferred options. Whanganui mayor Andrew Tripe. Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin On Thursday, the council confirmed it would: Operational budget changes have also been made since the council opened its draft Annual Plan 2025/26 for consultation. This includes water levies set by water services authority Taumata Arowai to recover the cost of regulatory functions. These levies will take effect from 1 July, 2025 and are expected to cost around $16 per household. Tripe said it was "incredibly frustrating" to receive news of the levies just as the council was about to adopt its budgets for the year ahead. "It is yet another example of central government shifting costs to local councils and communities - when it should be administered and funded at a national level." These levies, along with proposed Commerce Commission levies, would be incorporated into the Annual Plan budget for 2025/26 and would affect three waters rates for connected households. To ensure full transparency, the levies would be identified on rates notices. However, they would not increase overall rates due to additional income from other council revenue streams. The Annual Plan will be adopted on 26 June, with the plan taking effect from 1 July. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
RNZ News
07-05-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Whanganui trials citizens assembly deciding pools future
Whanganui District Council is trialling a so called citizens assembly to help it decide the future of the city's public pools. Almost 400 people applied for the gig, 40 have been randonly selected, using demographic information to get a good cross section of residents. They'll be paid $500 to attend up to five meetings. Whanganui District Council chief executive David Langford spoke to Lisa Owen.
NZ Herald
25-04-2025
- Business
- NZ Herald
Prefab homes built by Anglican diocese help to address Whanganui housing shortage
'During the holidays, a bit of groundwork work is going on, but we're expecting the four in Gonville to be tenanted by August.' In all, 19 are planned for Whanganui. Harris said each house cost about $300,000 to build, with funding coming from the diocese, rather than individual parishes. 'Transportable homes don't work out to be too much cheaper than building on site, but the construction timeline is more predictable,' he said. 'They leave the factory and have everything in them, down to a dishwasher and heating units. 'Blow testing has been done on them, where the house is sealed up and air is blown into it to check for any leakage. There is next to none.' He said the aim was to build 300 homes across the diocese, which stretches from Wellington to Ruapehu and South Taranaki. Whanganui Anglican parish member Din Bandara, part of the project in Whanganui since its inception four years ago, said it had been a 'slow burn' but the results were coming. 'After Covid-19, the cost of living went up and there was a lack of a particular kind of housing - one or two-bedroom units,' he said. 'It could be elderly downsizers, or young people or families stepping into rentals for the first time. 'We identified that gap early on.' Bandara, manager of the Whanganui Community Foundation, said the diocese owned all Whanganui's Anglican churches and the land they sat on, and had identified land that was not used enough. 'At St Peter's, there is a big paddock between the church and [Gonville] school. 'I think it used to have a hall, but that burned down 30 or 40 years ago and the land has never been utilised.' The project in Whanganui also had 'the concept of community', Bandara said. 'Several families who are part of the [St Peter's] church live on Alma and Koromiko roads, and there is a real hope that there'll be wraparound support for people who move in there. 'The plan is to identify those who are in real need of housing and might need a bit of extra support.' Harris said rent for the Whanganui homes was at the lower end of the market, and tenants got a brand-new home. 'They are set up so the energy costs for heating and air conditioning are really low. 'For us as a parish, this has been an exciting thing and everyone is really getting behind it.' Solutions to Whanganui's housing shortage had to be worked through collectively, Bandara said. Originally, there were plans for two homes at the St Lawrence's site in Aramoho. ' We sold the church to the artist Sue Cooke, who has done great work there and really cares for the building, but we came to an agreement about turning the car park into a couple of units,' he said. 'When we went to the [Whanganui District] council, they said we only had 370 square metres when we needed 400sqm. 'The council loved the concept but there are a number of inherited obstacles.' Another example was people being fined for having front-yard cabins in Whanganui, he said. 'A commonsense approach is needed there because there is still a housing shortage in Whanganui.' Earlier this month, Whanganui district councillor Kate Joblin said it seemed central government wanted to take its 'hands off [housing] and leave it to the communities'. The Anglican project was one example, she said. 'Funding, of course, is an issue, but wouldn't it be great if the community stepped up even more and got involved in this space? 'It may be an opportunity.' Harris said Bedrock could build homes for the commercial market in future, but that was not the project's purpose. 'If we wanted to make money, we would be selling the land. 'This is about building affordable rental homes.'
