From the CEO

Are you rushing towards the end of the year as fast as we are? 

It always feels like we at Council are always talking about how busy we are. Everybody is. However, there is a rhythm to Council’s year and one of our fixtures is the Annual Report. This swiftly follows our Annual Plan but unlike the plan  – which lays out our spending priorities and aspirations for the year – the report closes the loop on the year that has been. 

We pour a lot into this document – many of our officers are busily comparing our significant activities from Year One of the 2021-31 Long Term Plan against performance. We are sure that when the report is finished, many of you will want to take a look for yourself, only after it is audited, and the new Council approves it. 

Heavy rains since February this year have continued to make life difficult for our rural roads, and Council’s roading team have been very busy repairing roads as quickly as they can. The roads at Cape Palliser and Tuturumuri were quickly fixed, enabling residents to continue to go about their normal business.

And there is some good news for Hinekura. Residents have been granted $30,000 of Department of Internal Affairs funding to have their local hall upgraded. Always a big part of any community, the local hall is even more important to these residents while a section of Hinekura Road, their main access to Martinborough, is being rebuilt. This funding request was put through by Council on behalf of the Hinekura Hall committee and we want to thank the committee members and our community development co-ordinator Siv Fjaerestad for their hard work. Renovations such as painting and building repairs should be on the way soon.  

Finally, on a different note, congratulations to Colleen and Ken Paddon, who have been highly commended in Age Concern’s Senior of the Year awards. Collen and Ken are longstanding community members and supporters of the Martinborough Bowling Club, and have gone above and beyond to make people feel at home there. Colleen and Ken, we need more people like you!

Ngā mihi Harry Wilson Chief Executive Officer South Wairarapa District Council