Issue No. 459 - 25 March 2010
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Issue No. 459 - 25 March 2010 |
Celebrating excellence: support our sports people
Wanganui's annual Regional Sports Awards event is taking place on Saturday at the Wanganui Function Centre. The Sport Wanganui Regional Sports Awards are the pinnacle event of Wanganui's sporting calendar celebrating the commitment, passion and dedication of the Wanganui sporting community. This year's nominations cover a diverse range of sporting codes and many nominees have represented not only Wanganui on a national basis, but have brought New Zealand to the world. Special guests including New Zealand Iron Man and Surf Race champion Cory Hutchings will be at the awards. World Iron Man Champion three times over, Cory has retired from the Kelloggs Nutri Grain Ironman Series which he won 11 times. He now spends time coaching, promotional speaking and acts as an ambassador for a number of organisations including SPARC, who are helping to bring him to Wanganui for this engagement. Cr Danny Jonas, CEO of Sport Wanganui, is looking forward to a great evening. "The Sports Awards is a highlight of the sporting year in Wanganui. It's a good opportunity for people to get together and celebrate not just our successes in competition but also the contributions made by those who support our teams and individuals. "Wanganui has a fantastic range of sporting opportunities and facilities and our nominees are all proof that a small provincial city can provide our sports people with what they need to compete on a regional, national and international stage." The categories for the sports awards are: Winners of each of these categories will then be considered for the Wanganui Chronicle Supreme Award. Tickets for the awards cost $80 per person and are available from Sport Wanganui, 40 Maria Place Extn, phone (06) 349 2300. |
New Youth Councillors sworn in
Pictured is Cr Danny Jonas with some of the new Youth Councillors (from left) Steven Schwamm (22) Sales Merchandiser, Monique Mulholland (14) Wanganui Girls' College, Renee Harrison (12) St Marcellin School, Anna Groves (15) Wanganui High School and Savannah McKnight (17) Wanganui High School. Steevie Reweti (16) Wanganui City College and Marie Webb (16) Wanganui Girls' College have also been appointed as Youth Councillors. 27 applications were received for the seven positions and all applications were of an extremely high standard. The seven new Youth Councillors were appointed after a series of interviews. The new Youth Councillors will join returning Youth Councillors Whitney Tangaroa, Jack Bullock, Shannon Renarta Jury, Raphael Solomon, Caleb Perry, Frances Wood-Bodley, Josh Chandulal-McKay, Sarah Robinson, Grace Kennedy, Shariah Irving and Kate McLennan. |
The Big Braai event a first for New Zealand
Wanganui's Cooks Gardens has been chosen as the venue for The Big Braai on Saturday, April 3. The Big Braai is planned to attract people from all over New Zealand to gather and make an attempt to set a brand new Guinness World Record to have the most people simultaneously preparing meat over open coals (a braai is a South African BBQ). Musical entertainment will be provided throughout the event by a range of international and New Zealand based performers and bands, with something for every taste. Heading up the bill will be South Africa's own Bok van Blerk with his entire entourage – imported especially for the occasion. The braais will be set up in the centre of Cooks Gardens, surrounded by market stalls offering a range of local and South African traditional cuisine, crafts and confectionery. Children will be fully catered for with activities including bouncy castles. The Big Braai is organised by SAMCA (South African Mid Central Association) with support from local businesses. The event has received funding from Wanganui District Council's Impact Fund. The Impact Fund supports projects which will generate significant economic benefits to the Wanganui city and district. For more information about the event and to purchase tickets go to www.wanganui.com/big-braai. |
Introducing the Shaping Wanganui project
Shaping Wanganui is the name of the Wanganui District Plan Review project currently being undertaken by Council. Every district has a District Plan that is required to be reviewed every 10 years. The current District Plan was prepared in the 1990s and is now ready for review. The process for this review will be broken into the following phases:
Shaping Wanganui begins with consultation for the riverfront and central city areas. Stakeholder meetings for owners and occupiers of the riverfront area, central city and outer commercial areas are being held over the next few weeks. Public meetings to discuss the future of the riverfront area and central city will also be held, with the details of these meetings confirmed soon. It is important to attend if you want to have a say in the way our district develops into the future. Why do we have a District Plan? The District Plan affects everyone who lives, works, and owns or leases land in the Wanganui district. The Plan does this by providing a set of rules and guidelines about what can and cannot be done in different parts of the district. Why review the District Plan? |
Artists Open Studios and fringe festival a highlight this month
Wanganui will host the second weekend of the Whanganui Artists Open Studios 2010 and fringe festival on March 27-28. The Open Studios event is being held over two weekends, March 20-21 and March 27-28. The Wanganui District Council is supporting the event with $10,000 from the Impact Fund. The Impact Fund gives grants for projects, events and initiatives that deliver significant economic benefits to the Wanganui city and district. This will be the 10th year that local artists have opened their doors to the public and invited everyone to celebrate Wanganui's vibrant creative community. The event, which features artists working in a wide range of media, attracts many out-of-town visitors, as well as locals. This year there will also be a fringe festival from March 20-27. A highlight will be a performance by poet Sam Hunt on Friday, March 26. The fringe festival will also include street performances, food stalls, stonecarving symposium, music, films and readings from local authors. A number of workshops will be held in association with the Open Studios. These include glass blowing, "drawing through awareness", harakeke/flax weaving, intaglio print, tours of the Sarjeant Gallery's basement where much of the collection is stored and heritage tours of Wanganui. For more information, go to www.whanganuiopenstudios.org.nz or call in to i-SITE Visitor Centre in Guyton Street to pick up an event guide. |
Inaugural Wanganui sculpture event to put city on international arts map
Sculpture Wanganui 2010 is offering a first prize of $35,000 for the construction and installation of a permanent sculptural work. 'People's choice' and runner-up prizes may also be offered. The event runs between September 25 and October 11. Cr Nicki Higgie, spokesperson for arts, is excited about this new event in the Wanganui arts calendar. "Sculpture Wanganui 2010 offers artists a new and exciting opportunity to exhibit their work in a fantastic location. It has the potential to become the best Australasian sculpture event and will be a major focus for arts in the city. "The riverfront area is undergoing a redevelopment with a new Visitor Centre opening later this year. This area will become a bustling hub for both visitors and locals alike. Public art, in the form of sculpture, will enhance the area further and underlines council's commitment and support for the city's thriving arts scene. "We are hoping that the event will attract a large number of entries from across the country and internationally. Over time we will create a significant body of work that will become a visitor attraction in its own right and have international significance." Call for proposals Written submissions should describe the conceptual intent of the proposed work, dimensions, proposed materials, engineering requirements and calculations. Scaled concept drawings and a maquette of the proposed work should also be included. An up-to-date portfolio is also desirable. Proposals should be sent or delivered to Don Hunter, Sculpture Wanganui 2010, Wanganui District Council, 101 Guyton Street, Wanganui. For further details about the competition contact Don Hunter, Arts Coordinator, email Don Hunter, phone (06) 349 0001 ext 8415, mob 027 289 6479. Proposals must be received by midday on Friday, 16 April 2010. |
Current vacancies
Details about the following vacancies are available on this page: Parking Services Team Leader Accounting Technician The Wanganui District Council is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. |
Council meetings
We welcome members of the public to attend our meetings Council Extraordinary – Friday, March 26 (Council Chamber, 4.00pm) Wanganui Rural Community Board – Wednesday, March 31 (Committee Room 2, 4.00pm) Community Development – Tuesday, April 6 (Council Chamber, 2.00pm) Finance and Infrastructure – Tuesday, April 13 (Council Chamber, 3.00pm) Agendas are available at the Customer Services Counter, Municipal Office Building, 101 Guyton Street, Wanganui, and the Wanganui District Library two working days prior to the meeting. |
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Six of the seven new Youth Councillors were sworn in by Cr Danny Jonas at the Youth Committee meeting on Monday, March 22.
Wanganui District Council is calling for proposals for site specific sculptural works to be permanently sited along the riverside walkway and Somme Parade shared pathway (pictured), for the inaugural Sculpture Wanganui 2010 event.