Something To Celebrate

During the past two weeks I have had the pleasure of attending two events worthy of the community recognition they each received. Wednesday 3^rd November marked the 20 year milestone of the LENZ Rotorua Young Achievers Awards.  These awards celebrate the many great achievements of our senior high school students as they prepare to embark on the next stage in their lives.

Without exception, the recipients are motivated students whose maturity and work ethic are already apparent.  To achieve at this level takes more than good luck and a supportive family.  Of course a supportive family is what makes the difference in the beginning, however it is the students themselves who put in the hard yards.  Their ability to focus on long term goals while not being too distracted by short term temptations will stay with them for the rest of their lives.

The Trustpower Spirit of Rotorua Awards were held on the 8^th November.  These awards recognise and celebrate the volunteers in our community.  They showcase the many and varied ways people find to be of service and give back to the community they love.  What is especially heartening is that in our busy lives volunteering is not just for the retired or more senior members in our midst.  Awarded volunteers were people of all ages who recognise the enormous personal satisfaction that comes with service to others, being involved in something you love with others of like mind. 

I have no doubt many of the Young Achievers of today will be our volunteers of tomorrow.  Many of them already understand what a difference they can make in the lives of others.

Congratulations to all who were recognised in these events and congratulations also to the people and organisations who made these events a reality.  This is our community at work.

All Sworn In

On Thursday 28th October the official swearing in ceremony for the new council was held at Rotorua District Council.  Friends and family gathered to share in this important occasion as we, the newly elected  Mayor and Councillors made our declarations about serving our community to the very best of our ability.  It is a reminder that our role is one of service and advocacy.  Our willingness to do what we believe is right and to stand up for what we believe is best for our community is the driving force for all those who stand for election.  I am looking forward to the next three years and hope by the next election we have a web cam installed as they do in the  council chamber in Taupo,  so more of the community can witness this important event.

It's Official

The results are now final. The new councillors will be sworn in at the Rotorua District Council Chamber at an inaugural council meeting in front of family and friends on October 28th.

The new council committee structure will be announced after the first working council meeting on November 4th. There will be a very quick return to business this term and I for one am delighted that we are going to be getting back to work soon.

There are a lot of good things about an election campaign, like getting into the community and listening to people’s concerns, however it is also a stressful time for all concerned.

I have enjoyed a short break to recharge and am now raring to go. There are a number of big issues coming up, including the notification of the District Plan and submissions on the lakefront development and CBD revitalisation proposals. More on these later.

Thanks again for all your support.

Thanks Your Your Support!

Provisional results have just been announced for the 2010 Rotorua Local Body Elections.  I am delighted to have been returned for a second term on Council, having polled fifth out of 28 candidates with a provisional total of 7574 votes.   I am very grateful for the support I have received and assure you all that I will continue to work hard as your representative on the Rotorua District Council.

A summary of the results as they stand can be found at http://www.rdc.govt.nz/YourCouncil/Elections.aspx.  Voter turnout was looking a little lower than 2007, but 1400 votes were received today and still need to be included in the final count.

Congratulations to my re-elected and newly elected fellow councillors: Cr Bentley, Cr Calnan, Cr Donaldson, Cr Gould, Cr Kenny, Cr Maxwell, Cr McVicker, Cr Searanke, Cr Sturt, Cr Waaka and Cr Wepa.  Congratulations also to Mayor Kevin Winters who has been re-elected to lead the council for his third term.

Best wishes are due to all those who stood, but were unsuccessful this time.  I wish you all the best for your future endeavours.Preliminary results are expected to be updated later today or early tomorrow, so there may be some adjustments to the final standings.  The successful candidates will be sworn in at a ceremony to be held at the inaugural council meeting to be held at the Council Chambers on 28^th October.

Thank you again for your support.  YIPPPEEEEEEEE!

Do You Think It Suits Me?

Some of those big corflute “canvasses” are just too hard for some budding artists to resist!

I acquired some pretty wild facial hair out at Ngongotaha in the last couple of days, but to complete the look I think I should have a cavalier hat, beauty spot on my cheek and a rapier strapped to my hip.

Time is running out for all you Da Vincis out there.  They all come down on Friday with the election results being announced on Saturday afternoon.

If you haven’t voted yet, you’re also running out of time.  Voting papers should go into the post by Wednesday this week or can be hand delivered to the Council Chambers before 12 noon on Saturday 9^th October.

Meet The Candidates

Last week a meeting was organised by Progress Ngongotaha  at the Ngongotaha Community Hall and tonight the Mokoia Community Association held a meeting at Lakes High School.  These two community-based organisations provided the opportunity for those standing for election to speak to the community.

Both organisations are to be congratulated on running  well organised meetings where every candidate had an equal opportunity to introduce themselves  in two minutes and to answer submitted questions from the floor.

At Ngongotaha  approximately 50 people came to hear candidates with a good mix of questions raised.  At Lakes High about 25 people attended and  the range of community concerns was distilled down to one central issue: How can we make  Rotorua a more caring community?

I enjoyed listening to all the candidates air their views. The range of responses will give those who attended some food for thought.   If you weren’t able to attend either of the meetings and would like to know more about any of the candidates I suggest you give them a call and have a chat.  I think Rotorua is very lucky to have so many people prepared to step up for election.

If you want to know how I feel about any issue now or in the future please feel free to contact me.

 

50 Year Vision for Rotorua

On Friday about 50 people from around the community got together to discuss developing a 50 year vision for Rotorua.  It was great to hear the similarities in what most people wanted for our city. 

While RDC is facilitating this process the desire is for the vision to be developed by the community and key stakeholders. The wider community is  looking for a vision that we can all get behind and that supports  sustainable economic growth.  

Deryck Shaw and Paul Killerby from APR are collating all the information obtained and this will be presented to Council before the end of September. The new council will have the responsibility of putting this vision into action.  Watch this space.