Horowhenua Mayor Bernie Wanden.
Bernie Wanden is mayor of the Horowhenua district.
OPINION
Greetings from the mayoral office.
It is hard to believe another year is drawing to a close and in a couple of weeks we will be welcoming the New Year.
It has been a very busy and challenging year, and one that for many was just a matter of survival and getting through.
I hope that has been achieved and we can all look to 2025 with more positivity and confidence.
It won’t be easy, and I know that the announcement by NZME that 14 community newspapers would be closing before Christmas is going to make life very tough for those that have lost their jobs and the businesses and people impacted by this decision.
The reality that this is the last edition of the Chronicle is very sad news for the people concerned, but also for our community, who have relied on this newspaper over the last 130 years.
It has been a vital and critical link that ensures our community stays connected, informed and supported.
It always annoys me when decisions are made by looking at a line on a spreadsheet.
It has been tough throughout the country over the last few months with some significant losses of jobs through closures of factories and plants, and the impact that this will have on the economies of provincial NZ is going to be significant in the coming years.
On a positive note, there are conversations happening about the possibility of continuing, in some form, a print edition of local news. It is still early days in those conversations – however, I’m hopeful (fingers crossed) it will eventuate.
It has been a challenging year for the local government.
It has seemed that whatever we do, we get criticised by the Government or ratepayers, and yes, some of that is warranted, but for the most part, I know how incredibly hard the council has worked to provide a high standard of service under a very tough economic landscape.
There will always be decisions made which not everyone will agree with, but ensuring they are made in the overall best interests of the district is vital for its wellbeing.
I am continually amazed and inspired by the dedication, commitment and hard work of all our community leaders, volunteers and businesses that make Horowhenua a special place.
I want to thank you all most sincerely for everything that you do.
I am optimistic about the future of this district.
We are continuing to grow, and the Long Term Plan we delivered earlier this year recognised the challenges that we have in managing that growth but also ensures we will continue to provide the high level of service expected of us.
There are some exciting projects like the Ō2NL Expressway to look forward to in the coming years that will be transformational in providing opportunities in our district, and I am confident we are in a great position for these to be realised.
I hope you enjoy quality family time over the holiday season, and I wish you and your family a safe and relaxed summer in which you get to sample the best of the Horowhenua.
Wishing you all the very best for 2025.
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