Living in Wanganui and the performance of the Council have scored highly in the latest survey of residents.

The 2008 Community Views Survey involved 400 telephone interviews with residents throughout the district, carried out by an independent research company on behalf of the Council.

Asked to compare the general quality of life in Wanganui with three years ago, 42% of respondents said it has improved, 43% said it is the same, 10% said it is worse and 5% were not sure.

The majority of respondents (76%) said they do not want to leave Wanganui. Of the 19% who said they would leave, the main reason was to move to Australia. Five percent were not sure whether they would leave Wanganui.

Of those surveyed, 75% said they were very satisfied or satisfied with the performance of Wanganui's Mayor and councillors. This was consistent with the 2007 results where the rating was 76%, up from 45% in the previous survey conducted in 2003.

The level of dissatisfaction with core Council services generally improved slightly on the 2007 results (see graph).

An exception to this was the Airport which significantly improved from 26% dissatisfaction in 2007 to only 2% this year, reflecting the recent refurbishment and improvements made to the Airport. There was also a much-improved rating for the control of litter in streets and other public spaces. The work of the Council's litter team has made a big difference to the amount of litter in public places.

Respondents who were very satisfied or satisfied with the Council for responding to community needs and issues totalled 77%, with 14% neutral, 8% dissatisfied and 1% unsure.

SAMOACONTEMPORARY is an exciting and diverse exhibition of work by 17 contemporary New Zealand Samoan artists working in a variety of media.

Join exhibition co-curator Bob Maysmor, from Pataka Museum in Porirua, for a floor talk. The forum will be held at 2.30pm on Saturday, June 28.

The image shows Niki Hastings-McFall's work, Vao the Forest.

Wanganui District Council Civil Defence Emergency Management has recently refurbished a number of electronic warning sirens. These sirens will be activated if we receive official warnings from the Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management, primarily for the possibility of a tsunami.

Following a technical report from Geological and Nuclear Sciences on the potential threat of a tsunami for the Wanganui coast and lower river estuary, the eight sirens are being relocated at even distances from Karaka Street through to Takarangi Street near the Cobham Bridge (State Highway 3).

Over the next two weeks, these sirens will be tested in their new locations. The tests may need to be repeated over a short period (up to 30 seconds) to ensure even coverage.

If there is a real emergency, the sirens will be sounded continuously. In that case, please listen to your local radio stations for further advice.

Pursuant to section 86 of the Local Electoral Act 2001, I hereby declare the result of the election taken on 21 June 2008 for the Wanganui District Council to be:

ELECTION OF ONE MEMBER FOR THE WANGANUI DISTRICT –
ELECTED BY THE ELECTORS OF THE DISTRICT AS A WHOLE (AT LARGE)

I therefore declare the said Robin Victor Vinsen to be elected.

Dated at Wanganui 25 June 2008
Noeline Moosman
Electoral Officer
Wanganui District Council
Phone: (06) 349 0001

The penalty for parking on a mobility (disability) park without displaying a mobility sticker is increasing from $40 to $150.

This is a government decision which the Council must enforce. The increase will take effect in Wanganui on June 30.

The Wanganui District Council is working with the Wanganui Resene PaintWise Programme. Wanganui residents can return unwanted paint (no solvents accepted) and paint packaging to the Resene Colour Shop. It is then mixed into varying shades of grey paint. Resene donates the resulting good quality waterborne Resene paint to community groups in Wanganui.

Residents can return up to 10 packs of any brand of paint free of charge.

Where: Resene Colour Shop, 17 Wilson Street, Wanganui; phone 348 0048
When: Deliver it on the last Friday of every month
Time: Between 2.00pm and 4.00pm

We want to find out about your vision for Wanganui's future.

You can have your say by answering a few simple questions on this page (submissions closed 30 June 2008).

On 19 May 2008, the Wanganui District Council approved the Draft Sarjeant Gallery Collections Policy 2008–2011.

The Council now invites the public to provide feedback on the draft policy.

Consultation
Copies of the Sarjeant Gallery Collections Policy 2008–2011 and submission forms are available for public inspection, during normal working hours, at the Customer Service Desk at the Wanganui District Council, 101 Guyton Street, the District Library, Queens Park, and the Sarjeant Gallery, Queens Park.

The consultation period will be from 12 June to 1 August 2008.

Submissions are welcomed and should be addressed to:
Sarjeant Gallery Collections Policy
Wanganui District Council
PO Box 637
Wanganui 4540

or delivered to our Customer Services Desk at 101 Guyton Street, faxed to (06) 349 0000, or emailed to us.

Submissions close at 5pm on Friday, 1 August 2008.

If you have any queries or require further information, please contact Pete Gray, Deputy Community & Cultural Manager, at the District Council, telephone (06) 349 0001 or email Pete Gray.

On 19 May 2008, the Council approved the Wanganui District Council Draft Arts Policy 2008 for public consultation.

The Council invites the public to provide feedback on the draft policy.

The objectives of the Wanganui District Council Arts Policy are:

1. To build Wanganui's profile as a centre of excellence for the arts through improved management, marketing and promotion of the arts.
2. To build creative capacity.
3. To maximise the tourism and economic potential that can be derived from the arts sector.
4. To improve access to and participation in arts activities.
5. Our built environment reflects our culture through the use of public art.

Consultation
Copies of the Wanganui District Council Draft Arts Policy and submission form are available for public inspection, during normal working hours, at the Customer Service Desk at the Wanganui District Council, 101 Guyton Street; District Library, Queens Park; Community Arts Centre, Taupo Quay, Wanganui. The consultation period will be from 5 June 2008 to 18 July 2008.

Submissions are welcomed and should be addressed to:

Wanganui District Council Draft Arts Policy
Wanganui District Council
PO Box 637
Wanganui 4540

or delivered to our Customer Services Desk at 101 Guyton Street, faxed to (06) 349 0000, or emailed to us.

Submissions close at 5.00pm on Friday, 18 July 2008.

If you have any queries or require further information, please contact Marie Gorinski at the District Council, telephone (06) 349 0001 extension 8066 or email Marie Gorinski.

We welcome members of the public to attend our meetings

Council – Monday, June 30
- The Council will consider reports from all Committee meetings held in May/June.

Community Development – Thursday, July 10
- Bad Neighbour Bylaw Issues.

Youth – Monday, July 14 (4.00pm)

Unless otherwise noted, meetings are held at 3.00pm 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.

Meeting cancellation
Harbour – Monday, June 30 – This meeting has been cancelled.