KEY POINTS:
In local government we spend a lot of time and money making plans - the District Plan; the Long Term Council Community Plan; the Strategic Financial Plan.
In my view the best things that have happened in Invercargill are projects we didn't plan for. Oil; the Sting netball team; 'The World's Fastest Indian'; regional television; zero fee education and New Zealand's only indoor velodrome.
These were projects that came out of the blue. We simply seized upon every opportunity that came our way.
Spontaneous opportunism is considered the antithesis to careful, considered planning with lots of consultation and bucketfuls of sustainable development, but it has been the former theory that has worked for Invercargill.
Not all our projects have succeeded. We've had some major spontaneous crash landings.
We seized the opportunity to build an international airport and no planes arrived, but spending $10 million building the third longest runway in New Zealand wasn't a complete waste of money.
We are now able to receive numerous diversions from Queenstown and Dunedin when their international airports are closed by snow or fog. Perhaps it's been living with the ghost of my Father who was a pilot in the Fleet Air Arm, but for some reason I've spent a lot of my political life wrestling with airports.
I spent five years on the Auckland Regional Authority when we were developing Mangere, and as Mayor of Waitemata I fought a long, bitter campaign to stop the Whenuapai/Hobsonville Air Base being sold for housing.
It's great to see Mayor Bob Harvey of Waitakere City carrying on the struggle. Now the former Mayor of Christchurch, Vicki Buck, is developing carbon emission free aviation fuel from the algae in our sewage ponds.
I believe that despite all the hijackings, and 9/11, jet passenger airliners have helped create the global village and prospects of world peace more than any other single factor.
My brother flew down from Auckland last week. It's far cheaper to fly to Oz than Invercargill.
The global village is heavily subsidised by domestic travel. Out of guilt for the carbon footprint, I brought him a $20 bicycle from the recycling centre and we went on some long bike rides on Council's new award winning cycling/hiking trails.
As kids we rode all over West Auckland and it felt very nostalgic.
Our 92 year old Mum lives in Invercargill now and it was a great reunion. Fine weather, fine food and Steinlager Pure. What could be better?
