What does the council do?

Whanganui District Council (as our name suggests) is the local government body that represents the Whanganui district.

There are basically two levels to council – the political level (the elected councillors and mayor) and the officer level (the staff who work for the council).

At the political level, the job of councillors is to make democratic decisions on behalf of the community. So, when we vote, we’re essentially choosing people to make local decisions on our behalf.

At the officer level, the council’s role is to serve the needs of the community and by providing good quality infrastructure, local public services, and perform regulatory functions in a way that is cost-effective for our rate payers.

The work done by council staff is heavily driven by the decisions councillors make at the political level. Those decisions can also have a major impact on you and your community (whether you realise it or not).

Maybe it’s the community services we provide to our most vulnerable – or our approach to keeping our city tidy and tackling waste. It could be how we deal with our water supply and stormwater systems. Or is it the maintenance of local infrastructure like roads, footpaths, and community facilities?

Whatever the issue, the decisions made by our councillors can have a lasting impact on the future of our district. So, choosing wise councillors is very important!

The good news is that, as a voter in a democratic country, you get to play a vital role in electing councillors who you think will do the best job at making those local decisions.