I've said it before, but Rotorua has a great community spirit.
During hard times there are no shortage of people willing to put their hands up to help. An example of this were the offers of help to those workers who lost their jobs when Tachikawa Forest Products went into receivership. Members of the public came forward with donations of food and clothing. Then there's the family on Wrigley Rd who lost most of their belongings in a house fire only to have the community rally around to donate stuff to them.
Now the businesses in the CBD are playing their part with a lot of business owners getting out and sprucing up their shop fronts to jazz up the place. Even members of the public jumped in and lent a hand planting flowers. It was a real carnival atmosphere at the City Focus with live music from local musicians and DJs.
Well done to all of those who participated. It was a great effort and it's the best the CBD has looked in ages. What's also great to see is the fantastic art work which has helped add an extra dimension to our city. We are well known as the cultural capital of New Zealand, perhaps we can start adding another string to our bow and become the art capital.
Although the spruce up won't fix all the problems within the CBD, it has certainly helped boost morale.
