A community is more than pipes, pot holes and rubbish collection
This opinion piece by the Mayor was originally published in Feilding First on 6 August 2026 and is reproduced here for reference.
If we want to attract and retain businesses and people to Feilding and the Manawatu District, we have to make it a place that people want to live.
Feilding’s town centre is our shop window. It’s often the first impression visitors, business people and potential residents have of our district. While we have a town we can be proud of, we can’t afford to stand still. Compared with 20 years ago, our Feilding Town Centre is shabbier than it was and needs more activity and vibrancy. We need to address that.
I have seen what happens when this community invests in itself. In the 1980’s and 1990’s our Feilding Town Centre was shabby, and we had a declining population, businesses were closing and leaving town. Confidence was low. Other rural towns were dying and Feilding was potentially going the same way. A declining population leads to a big increase in rates as there are less people to spread the rates burden across.
Back then a group of us did something about it. We formed Feilding Promotion and got the streetscape work done, we got 50 heritage buildings painted, we built the clock tower, restored the Boer War Memorial, got the Drover and Dog and Saleyards Sillouette done, we organised events, business promotions, community promotions, promoted attractions, started the Farmers Market, Saleyards Tours, Business Awards the Information Centre and lots more. Feilding Promotion worked well with Council for 20 years and we got a lot done. This included public (Council) investment, particularly in all the streetscape work – pavers, low gutters, street furniture, lighting, raised garden beds etc.
We had huge opposition to streetscape work (Council) and the clocktower (Community Project) in particular. There were letters to the Editor, public meetings opposing these things and doom and gloom stories about how the clocktower was going to put the town centre into darkness and be a traffic hazard.
Despite the opposition, what we did worked, and public investment attracted private investment, and we attracted and retained businesses and our population grew significantly. Several new developments took place. That’s no accident. Council invested well in basic infrastructure, and still does which puts Feilding and the Manawatu District in a strong position nationally and regionally, and for the last 3 years our ratepayers have been enjoying the 2nd lowest increase in rates in NZ out of all the District and City Councils. The detractors came around and now our streetscape and clocktower are among the things people are most proud of.
The same principle applies today. If we want businesses to invest here, and families to settle here, we need a town centre that is welcoming, active and used throughout the year. Feilding on a Friday has a really vibrant buzz. How good would it be if we replicated that vibrancy 6 or 7 days a week. We already have great events and a fantastic community spirit. The challenge is creating spaces that encourage people to spend more time in town, regardless of the weather.
That’s the thinking behind the proposed covered space in beautiful Manchester Square. It’s not about building a roof for the sake of it or just for the Farmers Market. It’s about creating a flexible community space that can support markets, performances, gatherings, events and everyday use throughout the seasons.
No design will ever please everyone, and that’s okay. That is why we all live in houses of different designs, drive different cars and dress differently. It’s called personal taste. The proposed design is light, open, can take trucks under the roof, and has a heritage saw tooth roof taking its design cues from heritage Victorian and Edwardian industrial buildings. I think that it has wow factor and complements our Edwardian commercial buildings very well, noting that there are none fronting the brick quadrant. We genuinely want feedback, including alternative ideas if people have them. That is what consultation is for.
Doing nothing is also an option, but history shows that investing wisely in our town centre benefits the whole district. Strong public investment, attracts private investment, creates confidence and helps build a community where people want to live, work and spend time.
That’s the future I want for Feilding and the wider Manawatu District.