About Palmerston North

Situated on the banks of the Manawatu River nestled at the foot of the impressive Tararua Mountain Range, Palmerston North is a vibrant, youthful city with an active student population, nearby military bases, and an impressive array of educational, scientific and research institutions. The largest centre of Manawatu, Palmerston North city lies 140 km north-east of Wellington and 546 km south of Auckland. The city’s central location also places it within easy two hour drives of the North Island’s Central Plateau with its thermal areas and ski fields, the beaches and wineries of the Hawkes Bay, Mount Taranaki and historic Maori sites of the Taranaki region, the Wairarapa with its vineyards, and the attractions of New Zealand’s capital city, Wellington. On our doorstep, we have the spectacular Manawatu Gorge, nearby West Coast beaches, river activities, museums, galleries, golf courses, parks and walkways, and enough cafe’s, bars, restaurants and shops to cater for every taste.

Life has been very busy, as usual, since I last wrote. There have been meetings, council workshops, end-of-year functions, a Ministry for the Environment, “Talk Environment Roadshow” (big talk-fest with little substance) and the forums held in each ward to gather feedback on ward representation. I don’t know the total numbers of people who attended these fora, but there were less than thirty at the Papaioea meeting. The majority at that meeting indicated a preference for formal ward committees. Their comments and preferences will be collated with all the other responses from the other wards and presented in a report to council this month.