'New experiences' is the key theme of this year's Children's Day, being celebrated throughout New Zealand.

Children's Day, which was founded in 2000, aims to celebrate and nurture our greatest treasure, our children. Core values of the day are giving time, praise and encouragement; listening and talking; love and affection; and new experiences.

The Wanganui District Council and Make It. Take It. Project are joining a range of community groups in supporting several events in Wanganui on Sunday, March 2.

Family Fun Day at Springvale Park
11am-2pm Sunday
Organised by SKIP Whanganui, activities include free bouncy castles, entry to the Splash Centre, face painting, family craft activities and much more. Bring a picnic and your sunscreen.

Children's Day at Castlecliff Beach Domain
12pm-4pm Sunday
Organised by the Wanganui Beach Society with assistance from the community, activities will include a beach dig, surf lifesaving display, skateboard demonstration, basketball competition, facepainting, krumping, soccer, Sea Week activities, music, games and activities, police car and fire engine rides and much more.

St Peter's Church, Gonville
10.00am Sunday
Encouraging families to spend time together walking to church and then having fun afterwards with church family. For more information, contact Richard, phone 345 2575.

Join Councillor Philippa Baker-Hogan for the Bikewise 2008 Mayoral Cycle Challenge on Sunday, March 2.

Meet behind the Pumpkin at Kowhai Park at 10am for a gentle cycle alongside the river.

There will be prizes up for grabs, including one for the most highly visible cyclist.

The Mayoral Cycle Challenge is being held in regions throughout New Zealand. The region with the most cyclists (as a percentage of population) in the event will win the challenge.

The Council this week moved to a new committee meeting structure, based on two 'super committees'.

The new Finance and Infrastructure Committee will be chaired by Deputy Mayor Dot McKinnon, with Cr Ray Stevens as Deputy Chair. Its responsibilities will include strategy (Annual Plan and estimates; 10-Year Plan), finance and administration, infrastructure, harbour and forestry.

The new Community Development Committee will be chaired by Cr Stevens, with Cr McKinnon as deputy. It will be responsible for strategy (Growth Strategy, Community Strategic Plan, Review of District Resource Management Plan, Heart of Wanganui Project, Bylaws Working Party, Health Taskforce, Council/Iwi Taskforce on Youth Wellbeing, Community Development Initiatives), community and environment, sport and recreation, heritage and Maori.

The Hearings Committee, chaired by Cr Sue Westwood, will continue to undertake the Council's statutory hearings role as required by statute.

The Youth Committee, chaired by Cr Danny Jonas, will be a subcommittee of the Community Development Committee.

Councillors who will not be chairing a committee have been allocated leadership roles:
Cr Philippa Baker-Hogan – Sport and recreation
Cr Barbara Bullock – Economic development
Cr Nicki Higgie – Arts and environment; Community development (with Cr Sue Westwood)
Cr Marty Lindsay – Heritage, Bad Neighbour By-law
Cr Rangi Wills – Maori and Iwi liaison
Cr Randhir Dahya – Civil Defence
Cr Rana Waitai – Harbour and Port development
Cr Sue Westwood – Community development (with Cr Nicki Higgie)
Cr Allan Anderson – leadership role to be determined at the next Council meeting

The Council will meet every six weeks, with the ‘super committees’ meeting in the weeks preceding the Council meeting.

Wanganui motorists will see a new speed sign around the district from this week.

ACC has loaned the Wanganui District Council a radar activated speed sign. The sign, mounted on a trailer, can be towed to different locations to improve drivers' awareness of the speed they are travelling. It is not a speed camera.

The sign will be used where vehicles are known to regularly travel over the speed limit, at crash locations where speed has been a factor or any other locations where it is deemed appropriate, such as near schools.

The speed sign uses a radar that calculates a vehicle's speed and displays the speed on the sign. The speed sign will operate from Monday, February 25, until June 30.

The Wanganui community’s exceptional efforts in using less water in recent weeks have allowed the Council to ease the total ban on sprinklers.

Sprinklers can now be used between 7pm and 9pm on the odds and evens system (odd numbered houses can use sprinklers on odd numbered days of the week; even numbered houses on even days).

People need to be sensible and still conserve water where possible, otherwise the total sprinkler ban will have to be reintroduced.

Youth Committee applications invited

Information on how to apply to be part of the 2008 Youth Committee is available here (PDF, 95KB). Applications close on 7 March 2008.

We welcome members of the public to attend our meetings

Hearings (Extraordinary meeting) – Thursday, February 28 (2.30pm)
- The purpose of the Extraordinary meeting is to hear objections to the temporary road closure of Victoria Avenue from just north of Maria Place to Taupo Quay, but excluding Taupo Quay and the Ridgway Street intersection, on Saturday and Sunday, 15 and 16 March 2008, for Heritage Weekend community events.

Wanganui Rural Community Board – Wednesday, March 5

Council – Tuesday, March 11 (Council Chamber)
- Approve Draft 2008/09 Annual Plan for consultation.

Hearings – Thursday, March 13 (to be confirmed)

Community Development - Tuesday, March 18 (Council Chamber, 3.00pm)

Unless otherwise noted, these meetings are held at 4.00pm in the Council Chamber, 1st Floor, Municipal Office Building, 101 Guyton Street, Wanganui.

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.