Not all our local events escaped the weather, and I extend sympathies to the Manawatū-Orion Motorcycle Club for having to cancel the annual New Zealand Motocross Grand Prix at Woodville.
Saturday’s Lunar New Year celebrations at Te Marae o Hine-The Square for the Chinese Year of the Rabbit and Vietnamese Year of the Cat had to be moved to Sunday.
Fortunately, other events including Saturday’s thrilling A-League Football clash between Wellington Phoenix and Perth Glory and the UB40 concert, both at the Arena, were able to proceed.
We’ve also enjoyed Brit comedian Jimmy Carr at the Regent on Broadway, the UCI Gravel & Tar cycling classic based in Ashhurst, and the National Cycling Criterium at Massey University.
The council has worked hard to schedule varied and appealing events for summer and beyond.
These attract large numbers of people who then benefit our retail, hospo and accommodation sectors while adding to a great summer vibe. The yellow-shirted Phoenix supporters flooding the city on Saturday were a case in point.
There’re plenty more crowd-pleasers to come.
This weekend the Superstock Teams Championship will pack out the Arena stadium. On Waitangi Day, we have the annual community festivities in Te Marae o Hine-The Square with Rangitāne o Manawatū.
The annual Regional Theatre Awards for 2022 take place in the Conference & Function Centre on Friday, February 10.
On Sunday, February 12, there’s the perennially popular Explore Esplanade Day, with the Festival of Cultures Lantern Parade on Friday, February 24, and the award-winning World Food, Craft & Music Fair the next day.
The Festival of Cultures is a fantastic showcase, attracting many thousands to the city centre. We are expecting about 30 Wellington-based ambassadors, high commissioners and embassy representatives to attend.
At the end of February, City Library’s Local History Week starts its new annual timeslot. As part of its diverse programme, I have the privilege of presenting a lunch-hour talk on March 2 about the heritage and future of our historic and recently rescued Chief Post Office building, as it morphs into a new life as a luxury hotel.
City councillors are busy back on deck dealing with community events, committee work and preparing to face a large agenda at the first full council meeting of the year on Wednesday, February 15.
Much of this is associated with government reforms and requirements including the Resource Management Act and Three Waters.
The agenda will be published on pncc.govt.nz on February 13, with the meeting open to the public and livestreamed.
On Monday, February 20, I will deliver the annual Manawatū Business Chamber and Palmerston North Rotary State of the City address examining trends driving city growth and our prospects for the coming year.
Despite somewhat unpromising national economic projections, the local outlook contains plenty of reasons for optimism.
– Grant Smith is the mayor of Palmerston North.
