The Wanganui District Council is leading the national fight against criminal gangs.

Our anti-gang patch bill is currently before Parliament's law and order select committee, and has drawn the strong support of the Police, the NZ Police Association and MPs on both sides of the House.

Mayor Michael Laws has twice led council delegations - comprising the Mayor, Deputy Mayor Dot McKinnon, Senior Councillor Randhir Dahya and Cr Rana Waitai - to advocate for the bill at Parliament. The bill is now set for recommendation to Parliament for its third reading.

In addition, the bill has had a formative effect in hardening political opposition to gangs and their criminal activities. National, Labour and NZ First parties are now talking about complete outlawing of gangs - as originally pushed by Wanganui's council. This also reflects the will of Wanganui people as expressed in the 2006 Referendum.

Following the decision made by Wanganui District Council at its August meeting, there will be a decline in the number of gambling machines in the Wanganui district.

In April this year, a special consultative procedure was started to review the council's existing policy and the council received 123 submissions to its policy review. The review found that Wanganui had a high density of 'pokies' per head of population – 65 machines per 10,000 people; compared to the national average of 48 machines per 10,000 people. The majority of submissions supported a 'sinking lid policy', which was adopted as part of the Gambling Venue Policy 2008 by council. This means that council will not allow any new gaming machines to be licensed in the district, resulting in the number of machines declining over time.

The Pub Charity organisation and the Charity Gaming Association have recently expressed public upset at the Wanganui council's decision to impose a sinking lid on gaming machines in the district and the consultation procedure of the Wanganui District Council that led to the policy change.

Mayor Michael Laws says that legal reviews of the council's gambling and gaming machine policy have confirmed that the council followed the correct legal processes.

Wanganui District Council has turned down an application by UCOL to demolish the Native Land Court building, on the corner of Rutland Street and Market Place.

Completed in May 1922, the Native Land Court was a prominent building in Wanganui, on the edge of the local business district and in close proximity to Pakaitore/Moutoa Gardens, a significant and traditional Maori site. It is a rare, if not unique, example of a purpose-built Native Land Court building in New Zealand.

The Hearings Committee found that, "the demolition of the Native Land Court would result in significant adverse effects on the environment due to the irreversible loss of a building having significant architectural, cultural and historic values".

The building is sound and capable of redevelopment and the committee felt that the UCOL proposal to replace the building with an area of parkland would not compensate for the loss of this significant and historic building for Wanganui.

Notice is given under Section 28 (1) of the Local Electoral Act 2001 that electors of the Wanganui District Council have the right to demand a poll on the electoral system to be used for the 2010 triennial elections of the Wanganui District Council.

The Wanganui District Council resolved on 2 September 2008 to continue with the First Past the Post (FPP) electoral system for the 2010 election, unless a poll determines otherwise. The Local Electoral Act 2001 provides for the choice between the First Past the Post (FPP) and Single Transferable Vote (STV) electoral systems.

A valid demand for a poll must be:

• Made in writing.
• Signed by at least 5 percent of the number of electors enrolled as eligible to vote at the 2007 triennial election of the Wanganui District Council. This will require 1536 signatures of current electors.
• Delivered to the principal office of the Wanganui District Council, 101 Guyton Street, Wanganui, by Saturday, 28 February 2009, but note that under section 35(6) of the Interpretation Act 1999, the final day on which poll demands can be received is 2 March 2009.

Section 30 (3) of the Local Electoral Act states that every elector who signs a demand must also set out their name and the address for which they are qualified as an elector of the Wanganui District Council.

Details of the following vacancy are available on this page:

Chief Executive
Applications close 30 September 2008

We welcome members of the public to attend our meetings

Council – Monday, September 22 (2.00pm)
- The Council will consider the reports from all Committee meetings held in August and September along with Reports Direct to Council – Riverfront Boardwalk Presentation; Referendum '08; Appointment of Acting Mayor and Acting Deputy Mayor; Gilligan Close Walkway; Pets in Pensioner Housing Complexes; Forming a Shared Services Council Controlled Organisation (CCO) in the Manawatu-Wanganui Region; Amendment to the Wanganui District Council Speed Limits Bylaw; Unitary Authority Investigation. Confidential Items: Recycling Proposal; Wanganui District Council Holdings Ltd's Report; Acting Chief Executive's Report.

Submissions Hearings Subcommittee – Tuesday, September 23 (Committee Room 2, 3.00pm)
- The Submissions Hearings Subcommittee, a subcommittee of the Community Development Committee, will hear submissions to the Council's Draft Arts Policy and the Sarjeant Gallery Collections Policy.

Youth Committee – Monday, October 6 (4.00pm)

Submissions Hearing Subcommittee – Tuesday, October 7 (Committee Room 2, 2.30pm)
- The Submissions Hearings Subcommittee, a subcommittee of the Community Development Committee, will hear submissions to the Community Organisations Leases Policy.

Wanganui Rural Community Board – Wednesday, October 8 (Committee Room 2, 4.00pm)

Hearings Committee – Thursday, October 9 – to be confirmed

Unless otherwise noted, meetings are held 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.