Sometimes it's nice to be surprised, and last week's visit by Prime Minister Ardern was one of those special surprises that the students of Stratford High School will never forget.
The PM dropped into the senior prizegiving to the elation of students, delivered a short speech, presented prizes and was then mobbed by students wanting selfies and she duly obliged.
Watching this play out, I asked myself where else in the world would this happen? Answer, only in New Zealand. How lucky we are to still maintain access to our political leaders in a way that would be unthinkable in most countries.
Later that day, myself and other regional leaders met with the PM. This was a great opportunity to share our thoughts on important issues. As the mayor of a rural district I took the opportunity to re-iterate the concerns of farmers particularly around fresh water reforms.
While there has been some government movement and compromise in recent months, the costs associated with compliance and monitoring of the fresh water reforms are significant and on going, and the rural community will bear the brunt of paying those costs.