Wanganui District Council's Youth Committee is looking for eight new Youth Councillors for 2009.

The Youth Committee provides the opportunity for our young people to take a greater role in the community, giving them a chance to speak up and be heard and advocate on behalf of others.

The first Youth Committee was established in March 2006. The purpose of the committee is to develop and monitor policy on youth issues, provide opportunities for youth to contribute to the Council's decision-making and advise the Council on matters of interest for youth in the Wanganui District.

Youth Councillors are involved in a range of things, including:

• Informing the Council about issues relating to the needs of young people when making decisions
• Informing young people in the community about Council issues affecting them
• Working with the Make It Take It project to stage events and develop responsive youth services
• Setting goals towards making Wanganui a more youth friendly place

The 2008 Youth Committee got involved in all kinds of events such as the Stepping Forward Youth Forum, with 150 young people sharing ideas over two days and included hosting guests from Wanganui's sister city Toowoomba, in Australia, representation at the Youth in Local Government conference in Christchurch, co-ordination and support of local youth events - Superhero Rave, Underground Fashion Show, Raise Up/Studio events, Picnic in the Park and the $20 Bus to the Big Day Out.

Applications are open to all Wanganui residents between the ages of 12 and 24 years.

Applications close Monday, 16 March 2009.

Senior Councillor Randhir Dahya welcomed a group of students from Kobe Yamate High School to Wanganui, at a reception held in the Council Chambers on Monday afternoon.

The students are on an eight-day visit to Wanganui, as part of an exchange trip hosted by Wanganui Girls' College. Students from Kobe have been taking part in the trips since 1994. The students have been at school in the mornings and visiting a variety of Wanganui attractions in the afternoon, including Bushy Park, Chronicle Glass and a trip on the Whanganui River.

Snr Cr Dahya was delighted to meet the students and was able to say a few words in Japanese, which he had picked up on visits to Wanganui's Japanese sister city, Nagaizumi.

The ninth Whanganui Artists Open Studios event will take place on March 21/22 and March 28/29, with more than 60 artists and arts collectives taking part.

The annual event provides an opportunity for artists to showcase their work to members of the public in their own studio spaces.

"The artists involved this year cover a wide range of genres, crafts and arts styles ranging from the conventional through to the avant garde and experimental," event co-ordinator Jo Ockey said. "A wide diversity of artists will be represented, a sign of the growing strength of the arts community in Wanganui."

Artists will also be exhibiting in some unusual spaces, such as the Ward Observatory. Jeni Rosenthal is using the dome structure of the observatory to display work which explores the concept of distances, on an intergalactic scale.

As well as visiting studios, visitors will also have the opportunity to take part in a variety of workshops, tours and events. These include glass blowing and candlemaking workshops and an Old Town Architectural Tour on Saturday, March 21. Registrations for workshops can be made at www.whanganuiopenstudios.org.nz.

Wanganui District Council has supported the Open Studios Event through the Impact Fund.

Details of the following vacancy are available on this page:

Mobile Library Driver
Applications close 18 March 2009

We welcome members of the public to attend our meetings

Wanganui District Councils' Joint Forestry – Thursday, March 12 (4.00pm, Committee Room 2)
Financial Operating Report to 31 January 2009; Significant Issues to 30 June 2009; General Business. Confidential Item: Sale Investigation.

Council – Monday, March 16
The Council will consider the reports from committee meetings held in February and March along with reports direct to Council.

Wanganui Rural Community Board – Wednesday, April 1 (4.00pm, Committee Room 2)

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

Hearings – Thursday, March 26
This meeting is cancelled as there is no business to transact.