Issue No. 31 - 5 January 2002

At Your Service - Sarjeant Gallery

We provide the Sarjeant Gallery

  • To display art works owned by Wanganui District Council for anyone to visit and enjoy.
  • To display travelling art exhibitions for public access, education and enjoyment.
  • To collect and preserve visual art works that are relevant to Wanganui and its place in the world.

How this service is provided

The Sarjeant Gallery is located in Queens Park. The Gallery was built as the result of a bequest to the city and has significant historic and architectural value. The services are recognised as the best in a New Zealand provincial gallery, which enhances Wanganui as a place to live. The main focus of the collection of more than 4000 works is New Zealand art, with strong contemporary and photographic focuses as well as 19th and early 20th century European and British work.

Services provided

  1. Developing and maintaining Wanganui's art assets, including the collection and building.
  2. Access and information for a wide range of the public, including schools and the polytechnic.
  3. A locally relevant programme of quality and diverse exhibitions, forums and events.
  4. Adding value to the community through prudent management and stewardship of resources, and by providing advocacy on art and cultural matters.

Hours

  • Open seven days per week: Monday to Friday 10.30am to 4.30pm; Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays 1pm to 4.30pm.

Monitoring the service

  • The Gallery Manager is responsible to the Sarjeant Gallery Trust Board. The Council has a formal contract document with the Board for the services provided to the community.

Cost

The average ratepayer pays $32 per year. Entry to the Gallery is free. The Sarjeant Trust provides funding for acquisitions.

Further information about the Sarjeant Gallery is available from Mark Daniels at the Council office, phone 349 0001 or email markd@wanganui.govt.nz.

This information is part of the At Your Service booklet, which gives details on all of the Council's services. You can pick up a copy of the booklet from the Council's Help Desk, or ring the Help Desk on 349 0001 and we will post a copy to you, or email us at wdc@wanganui.govt.nz to request a copy. You can view information about each of the Council's services on our Services pages.

Project team transforms Bason Botanic Gardens

Bason Botanic Gardens has taken on a new look, thanks to the work of a special community projects team.

Bason curator Don Stephenson said the team recently completed a six-month stint at the Gardens.

"Our Trust Board is thrilled at the amount of work the team has done," Don said.

"They have done work that we wouldn't otherwise be able to do and cleared areas that have been neglected for some time. It's wonderful how their work has benefitted the whole community."

The team's hard work is most noticeable near the lake where they have cleared the area of coprosma and hawthorn, providing an excellent view of the trees and allowing room for more planting. For the first time in years you can stand at the Dovey Gazebo and see the malus and magnolias flowering down by the creek at the back of the Bason. Edgings have been done; paths cleared and cleaned; lattice fences and windbreaks built; trees and shrubs planted; rubbish burnt; and messy areas cleared. Other projects include brick edging around garden beds, fencing and building a shade house. The team's final job, which took about a month, was clearing the Millennium Hill.

"We are getting a lot more visitors at the Gardens now and recently people have been commenting on how good Bason is looking," Don said.

"These guys were hard workers and they made a real difference to the appearance of the Gardens. We can't praise them highly enough - they were so good."

Funding for the project team was organised through a special grant of $50,000 made by Work and Income New Zealand to the Wanganui District Council.

What's on in and around Wanganui

To January 6: National Roller Skating Championships
Road racing December 29-31. Venue: Kowhai Park.
Flat track and artistic, January 2-6. Venue: Jubilee Stadium.

To January 27: Summer Family Experience
Relax, go kayaking, hiking, swimming, wall climbing, abseiling & more. All happening at Raukawa Adventure Centre. Cost $5 pp. Contact YMCA, phone 348 9255.

January 2-6: NZ Under 15 Boys Softball Nationals Tournament
Venue: Braves Ball Park, 29 Puriri Street.

January 4-6: Athletics - North Island Colgate Games
Venue: Westpac Trust Stadium Cooks Gardens.

January 3 to February 6: Department of Conservation Summer Nature Programme
Comprehensive nature programme organised by DoC. Programmes available from Visitor Information Centre, 101 Guyton Street or Department of Conservation, cnr St Hill St & Ingestre St. Contact Ridgway, phone 345 2402.

January 11: Recital - Okhotsk Shakuhachi Ensemble (Traditional Japanese Bamboo Flute Recital)
3pm-4.30pm. Free admission. A programme of 10 items. Venue: Nagaizumi-Wanganui Sister City Friendship Centre, 27 Duncan Street, phone 343 1945.

January 12-13: Water Skiing - Wanganui Goldstar Tournament
Venue: Lake Wiritoa.

January 12-20: Orienteering - Australia New Zealand Challenge
Venue: Wanganui District.

More information about things to do in the Wanganui District is available from the Visitor Information Centre, 101 Guyton Street.

Lake Wiritoa Closure

Lake Wiritoa will be closed to the public from Sunday, 6 January 2002 to Sunday, 13 January 2002 inclusive to allow the Wanganui Water Ski Club to host the NZTWSA Elite Squad coaching week and the Wanganui Goldstar Tournament.

The beach area of the lake will remain open for passive recreation.

The Council apologises for any inconvenience this may cause the public.

Vacancy - Information & Learning Services Manager

Applications close at 5.00pm on Friday, 11 January 2002.

 

Wanganui District Council Holiday Services

The following are the closures for the Wanganui District Council for the 2001/2002 Christmas and New Year Holiday period.

Normal after hours phone numbers will be operating.

Municipal Office Building

Normal opening hours of 8.00am to 5.00pm resumed on Thursday, 3 January 2002.

Information Centre Phone 349 0508 Fax 349 0509

Usual summer hours of 8.30am - 6.00pm weekdays and 9.00am - 3.00pm on Saturdays and Sundays

District Library

Saturday, 5 January - 9.00am - 4.30pm

Normal opening hours of 9.00am - 8.00pm will resume on Monday, 7 January 2002.

The Heritage Collection will be open from 1.00pm to 5.00pm on the weekdays the Library is open.

The Mobile Library service will resume on Monday, 7 January 2002.

Sarjeant Gallery

Usual hours of 10.30am - 4.30pm on weekdays and 1.00pm - 4.30pm on Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays

Royal Wanganui Opera House Booking Office and War Memorial Hall Booking Office

a. Royal Wanganui Opera House Booking Office
Closed from 3.00pm Monday, 24 December 2001 to 10.00am Monday, 7 January 2002
Open from 10.00am to 2.00pm Monday, 7 January to Friday, 11 January 2002
Open from 10.00am to noon Saturday, 12 January 2002
Closed Sunday, 13 January 2002
Open from 10.00am to 2.00pm Monday, 14 January to Friday, 18 January 2002
Open from 10.00am to noon Saturday, 19 January 2002
Closed Sunday, 20 January and Monday, 21 January 2002

Normal hours of 9.30am to 5.30pm resume from Tuesday, 22 January 2002

b. Memorial Hall Booking Office
Open 8.00am to 5.00pm from Thursday, 3 January 2002

Whanganui Regional Museum

Usual hours of 10.00am - 4.30pm Monday to Saturday, 1.00pm - 4.30pm Sundays

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