Not one of ours
I have received a very nice letter from the Honourable Simon Ten Bridges, together with his photo to remind me what a dashing, fresh-faced young man he really is.
"Good afternoon Derek," is Simon's friendly greeting as he reminds me that we are heading into the holiday season, which I assume means I'll hear nothing more from Simon or his colleagues for quite a long time as they frolic on some beaches in far away islands.
It's really nice of Simon to call me from Queenstown, where he was very busy "turning the first sod" of the new $22 million Kawarau Falls bridge. I hope his spade wasn't too heavy, because he doesn't look the brawniest of sods.
However, "this replacement bridge is just one of the roading projects we are fast-tracking in the regions", Simon tells me, raising excitement in me as I wonder which of our promised 10 bridges he will tell me will be started first. I can't wait as I read on.