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Whanganui District Council

*Te Kaunihera a Rohe o Whanganui*
Whanganui District Council ; Te Kaunihera a Rohe o Whanganui
Type
Type	District council of Whanganui
Term limits	None
History
Founded	1989
Preceded by	Wanganui City; Wanganui County
Leadership
Mayor	Andrew Tripe
Deputy mayor	Helen Craig
Chief executive	David Langford
Structure
Seats	13
Length of term	3 years
Elections
Voting system	FPP
Last election	8 October 2022
Next election	11 October 2025
Motto
	Sans Dieu Rien (Without God Nothing)
Meeting place
	101 Guyton Street, Whanganui
Website
	www.whanganui.govt.nz/Home
Footnotes
	^ One mayor, 12 councillors ;

The Whanganui District Council, formerly spelled Wanganui District Council, is the territorial authority for Whanganui District, New Zealand, comprising the city of Whanganui and its surrounding areas.

The council is made up of a mayor and 12 councillors, all elected at-large. They are elected using a first-past-the-post system in triennial elections, with the most recent elections having been held in 2022.^[2]

The current mayor is Andrew Tripe.

History

Local government in Whanganui began with the creation of the Wanganui Town Board, within Wellington Province, in 1862. Following the abolishment of the Wellington Province, Wanganui County was founded in 1876.^[3]

The town board was elevated to a borough council in 1872, and then to a city council in 1924 following amalgamation with the town boards of Wanganui East, Gonville and Castlecliff.^[4]^[5]

Wanganui District Council formed after the 1989 local government reforms with the amalgamation of the Wanganui City Council with the Wanganui County Council.^[6]^[3]

In 2015, the spelling of the district was changed from Wanganui District to Whanganui District following a request from the council.^[7]^[8]

In October 2023 the council voted to establish a Māori ward for the 2025 and 2028 local elections.^[9]^[10]

Composition

Councillors

The elected mayor and councillors provide governance for the city by setting the policy direction of the council, monitoring its performance, representing the city's interests, and employing the Chief Executive.

The Chief Executive runs the everyday business of the council.^[11] The Chief Executive is currently David Langford.^[1]

Whanganui District Council, 2022–2025^[12]^[13]
Position	Name	Ticket (if any)
Mayor	Andrew Tripe	The Change We Need
Deputy Mayor	Helen Craig	Independent
Councillor	Charlie Anderson	Independent
Councillor	Philippa Baker-Hogan	Sport, Community and Business Focused
Councillor	Glenda Brown	Independent
Councillor	Josh Chandulal-Mackay	A Vote for Integrity
Councillor	Jenny Duncan	Independent
Councillor	Ross Fallen	Independent
Councillor	Kate Joblin	Independent
Councillor	Michael Law	Independent
Councillor	Charlotte Melser
Councillor	Peter Oskam	No Spin. Straightforward.
Councillor	Rob Vinsen	Ratepayer Focused

Community board

The council has created a local community board, under the provisions of Part 4 of the Local Government Act 2002,^[14] to represent the district's rural community. The Whanganui Rural Community Board consists of seven elected members.^[15]

The community board is intended to represent and advocate for the interests of the rural community.

Whanganui Rural Community Board, 2022–2025^[15]
Name	Subdivision	Position
David Wells	Whanganui	Board chair
Judd Bailey	Kaitoke	Deputy chair
Jenny Tamakehu	Whanganui	Member
Michael Dick	Kai Iwi	Member
Grant Skilton	Kai Iwi	Member
Brian Doughty	Kai Iwi	Member
Bill Ashworth	Kaitoke	Member

Civic symbols

Coat of arms

Wanganui City Council was granted a Coat of Arms in 1955. The Whanganui District Council has adopted the use of these arms as memorial bearings.^[16]^[17] The blazon for the arms is:^[18]

Coat of arms of Whanganui
	Crest On a Wreath of the Colours On a Mount Vert a representation of the Rutland Blockhouse proper. Escutcheon Gules on a Bend wavy Argent cotised wavy Or between two Escallops of the second three Lymphads each fesswise that in the centre Sable the others of the first all with sails furled and pennons flying on a Chief also of the second a Ram's head caboshed proper between two open Books proper bound Gules edged Gold. Supporters On the dexter side a Lion guardant Azure charged on the shoulder with four Mullets one two and one Gules fimbriated Argent and on the sinister side a Tuatara Lizard upon a Rock proper. Motto Sans Dieu Rien ("Without God Nothing") Symbolism The shells are taken from the arms of William Petre, 11th Baron Petre, the lymphads are taken from the arms of William Hogg Watt, while the bend is intended to represent the Whanganui River.

Flag

The current flag of the Whanganui District Council was adopted in 2015 for use during formal occasions and to be display in the council chamber and outside the council offices. The flag consists of the coat of arms with the Māori and English names of the council beneath it in white, all on a blue field.^[19]

References

^ ^a ^b "Executive Leadership Team". www.whanganui.govt.nz. Whanganui District Council. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
^ "Vote Whanganui | Your Council, Your Future – FAQ". votewhanganui.nz. Whanganui District Council. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
^ ^a ^b "Whanganui region | Government". teara.govt.nz. Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
^ "Whanganui". teara.govt.nz. Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
^ "Historic rates records database". www.whanganui.govt.nz. Whanganui District Council. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
^ "Whanganui District Council". archivescentral.org.nz. Archives Central. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
^ "Whanganui and the 'h'". www.linz.govt.nz. Toitū Te Whenua – Land Information New Zealand. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
^ Sachdeva, Sam (17 November 2015). "Wanganui District to have 'h' added to name – Government". www.stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
^ Ellis, Moana (24 October 2023). "Whanganui District Council votes for Māori wards". RNZ. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
^ Ellis, Moana (24 July 2024). "Council resists call to reverse Māori ward decision". Whanganui Chronicle. The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
^ "About Whanganui District Council". www.whanganui.govt.nz. Whanganui District Council. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
^ "Mayor and Councillors". www.whanganui.govt.nz. Whanganui District Council. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
^ "2022 Triennial Elections DECLARATION OF RESULT" (PDF). www.whanganui.govt.nz. Whanganui District Council. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
^ "Local Government Act 2002 No 84 (as at 01 July 2017)". www.legislation.govt.nz. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
^ ^a ^b "Whanganui Rural Community Board". www.whanganui.govt.nz. Whanganui District Council. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
^ "Our Coat of Arms". www.whanganui.govt.nz. Whanganui District Council. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
^ McLintock, A. H. "Coat of Arms, Wanganui City". Te Ara – An Encyclopedia of New Zealand 1966. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
^ "Wellington City Council coat of arms (general file)". Archives Online. Wellington City Council. p. 95. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
^ "Council's new flag design speaks of region's history". Whanganui Chronicle. The New Zealand Herald. 7 December 2015. Retrieved 19 August 2024.