Manawatū-Whanganui: Foxton regeneration
Provincial Growth Fund Application
Foxton is the birthplace of the Manawatū and was once a major port and trading centre. It is situated on the banks of the Manawatū River.
In 1943, the Whirokino Cut in the lower Manawatū River was created as a spillway for flood events, but an unexpected flood during construction led to this becoming the main path of the River. High silt loads during floods eventually caused the upstream extent of the River Loop on which Foxton is situated on to be cut off from the main river stem. The Loop behind the main street now suffers from excessive levels of E. coli, turbidity, clarity, sedimentation, aquatic weeds, and faecal coliforms.
There is resentment amongst the local community that successive governments have refused to take action on water quality in the River Loop. As one local put it ‘when the river dies, our community dies.’ As a result of the poor environmental quality and the lack of local employment, Foxton is now one of the most socio-economically deprived towns in New Zealand.
We were contracted by Horowhenua District Council to seek Government funding to regenerate the town.
Outcome
By taking a ‘four well-beings’ approach to economic development, we were successful in obtaining $3.86m of Provincial Growth Funding for an initial programme of work. We are now supporting a further application for Freshwater Improvement Funding.
Skills
Facilitation – workshops with councillors and the wider community
Stakeholder engagement – input from extensive stakeholder interviews
Business case development – strategy, costs and benefits.
Collaboration – with iwi, relevant local and national agencies.
Team
