To continue this theme ... Do we appreciate the work of local district councillors?
To take a seat at the council table requires a mix of chutzpah and self-delusion. To believe that you know better than others is an audacious place to begin an election campaign, while catching votes is like trapping daylight in a box - you never know how many are in there and when you lift the lid it all dissipates into thin air.
Then there is the trick of getting noticed amongst the hurly-burly of budding politicians pitching their rhetorical tent in the middle of a wide field of possibilities, and then picking the gap between outright outlandish and the rock that is most definitely a very hard place.
Whanganui has had great leadership under mayor Annette Main and the town has recovered from the disaster that was Michael Laws with its dignity intact.
The councillors themselves have had mixed reviews. Those who do and do not attend meetings, the sniping from the sidelines and the occasional attacks of hubris.
But things are looking up, as are the house prices as people recognise the secret of small-town living. As I have noted often before, Whanganui can match and even better big centres when it comes to the essentials of good coffee, restaurants, sunshine on the River Traders market, the wonder that is the Whanganui Musicians Club, the parks and playgrounds ... and, of course, the people.
Whanganui has been the first to introduce many initiatives that have then been replicated around the country. We had the first Youth One Stop Shop in the country. The Adolescent Health and Development Association was founded here. Our sports teams and schools have been home base for world-class athletes. The Musicians Club venue is considered one of New Zealand's best places to perform.
There is one other area where we could also show the country leadership - we could take a stand against violence by aspiring and working together to create a town-wide Violence-Free Zone. This could take the form of a declaration, a statement of intent around which could be built a series of projects that link the interests of commerce, sports groups, communities and neighbourhoods into working towards a real reduction in violence, whether that be domestic, on the street or the sports field.
Some readers will recall that I proposed this idea a few years ago, and even produced a poster. You can still see them in a few premises around town.
The idea went out and seemed to be smothered by Safer Communities, whose agenda at the time did not fit that kind of vision.
It is time to test the concept again and I welcome feedback on whether you think it can fly.
-Terry Sarten is a writer, musician and social (change) worker - feedback: tgs@inspire.net.nz
