Editorial: Year to tick off wishlist

Happy New Year!

Hopefully everyone welcomed 2015 in suitably grand (but safe) style last night, whether at home with loved ones or out and about in what was a very buzzy Rotorua.

With those celebrations over, invariably many of us now start taking stock and thinking about the year ahead.

What we'd like to do more or less of, do better, quit altogether or just do differently. So that hopefully in a year's time we can look back and see a positive difference those changes have made to our lives. Sometimes that means pushing ourselves outside our comfort zones, doing things a little "out there", or having the courage to take a deep breath and leap into the unknown.

You could argue that doesn't just apply to individuals. Rotorua, and those responsible for its running, can also always do things better, differently, more or less - so that as 2015 winds down our city is in a better place than it is now.

So this week we asked Rotorua's leaders and residents what they wanted for Rotorua in 2015.

Some of the answers made us laugh, including the Facebook reader who said "stop letting people shop in pyjamas".

Our readers' oft-repeated desire for a Kmart continues - if and when that ever happens there will be a lot of happy people.

But the common themes were more serious. More jobs, more growth, a more vibrant CBD. It's nothing new.

The good news is, unlike doomed resolutions to drop three dress sizes or give up chocolate for a year, these don't have to be just pipedreams.

Steve Chadwick and Todd McClay both believe progress has been made in 2014, and are looking forward to building on that momentum this year.

Like them or not, the last few months have certainly seen a flurry of decision making by our council which could have a significant impact on the look and feel of our city.

In Saturday's paper we'll look in more depth at some of those changes and the exciting events planned for Rotorua this year.

Who knows? Maybe 2015 will be the year Rotorua and in turn our readers, can start ticking things off their wishlists.