Happy New Year to everyone.

As I wandered around our district over the holidays, I reflected on how lucky we are to live here. The cafes were bustling, swimming pools were full, picnics were being eaten in the Square, and the South Wairarapa seems to be the choice place to be over the summer.

Then looking over at the Waihinga playground, full of families and grandparents – literally hundreds of people – made me realise this:  there may have been controversy, there may have been naysayers, but the end result is perfect and a credit to the town. This seems often the way when change is proposed, but we sometimes need to consider the cost of doing nothing – what we may miss out on if we do nothing.

Some may have noticed the change of cars at Council – we now have had delivery of the first four Toyota Hybrid vehicles. My analysis shows a huge saving by moving to hybrid, and then replacing the cars every three years. This replacement process will continue this year, and when we have more electric charging stations in the South we can consider going to electric vehicles. I do miss my old clunker though.

You may have also noticed the fantastic lynch gate at the historic cemetery on Dublin. It is nearly complete, fully disabled- accessible and part of further enhancement of this piece of history. Well done the Amenities team at SWDC.

Kia kaha  Mayor Alex