Shaping district's future

SHAPING the Manawatu of the future is the aim behind new work by the Manawatu District Council.

Staff have been working with councillors over the past few weeks to develop a draft Vision statement for the district, with supporting statements for the rural areas, urban Feilding and villages.

Manawatu District Mayor, Ian McKelvie, said the Vision would provide a clear statement of how Manawatu would be in 2040.

The draft would be tested with the public and stakeholders in the coming months, along with the council outcomes derived from the Vision to guide the council in its activity. These outcomes are a requirement of the Long Term Plan, the legislated process by which council sets its strategy and draft budgets for the next 10 years.

"We do have a close eye on what’s achievable in the next three years," said Mr McKelvie, "but by planning over a longer-term we are able to ensure the future district is well-catered for.

"What our Vision will do is to ensure we look at how each project fits into the bigger picture," he said.

Community Services Group Manager, Brent Limmer, whose team has led the Visioning work, said the Long Term Plan was also about ensuring that funding was available for future needs.

“As an example, a global trend reaching New Zealand has been an increase in cycling in all its forms. This has seen a demand for cycling facilities from mountain bike parks to cycleways linking towns and cities. At the same time, council is expected to continue to fund existing services."

In the meantime, council officers are working on reviews that feed into the Long Term Plan – including revenue and financing policy, financial strategy and leisure and recreation.