About Whanganui District Council

Whanganui District Council is here to support our community and help make Whanganui a great place to live, work and visit. We’re a territorial authority, which means we look after the local services, infrastructure and decision-making that shape everyday life across the Whanganui district.

Local government exists to give communities a voice and to meet current and future needs in a practical, cost-effective way. Under the Local Government Act 2002, we enable democratic local decision-making and deliver good-quality services for households and businesses, now and into the future.

The council is made up of a mayor and 12 councillors (10 General Ward and two Māori Ward councillors), elected every three years by people on the electoral roll for our district. Together, they set the direction for Whanganui and employ a chief executive to run the day-to-day business of the council. We look forward to welcoming a new chief executive, Doug Tate, who starts in late March 2026; in the meantime, our interim chief executive is Barbara McKerrow.

What do we do? Quite a lot! We look after parks, playgrounds, pools, libraries and cultural facilities. We maintain roads, footpaths and public spaces, manage waste and street cleaning, support emergency management and natural hazard planning, and help grow our local economy. We deliver services to our community that make Whanganui a safe, welcoming and connected place.

We work closely with our community, engaging in many different ways, including consulting on our annual plans, long-term plans, strategies, bylaws and policies. Your voice matters, and it helps shape the choices we make.

Proudly, Whanganui is also a UNESCO City of Design. This international recognition celebrates our creativity, innovative spirit and strong design heritage – values that flow through our city and guide how we think about our future.