Message from the Mayor
Published on February 16, 2024
Kia ora Horowhenua,
It’s been a busy fortnight since the last Community Connection and alongside productive workshops and meetings, I’ve also enjoyed time engaging with people across our district at various events.
It was wonderful to see people coming together to celebrate Waitangi Day to acknowledge and commemorate the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi at a number of community events. I enjoyed visiting the Muaūpoko Iwi and Community Waitangi Day event at Donnelly Park, Levin, where, like other events in Foxton and Shannon, large numbers of people from our diverse community came together to enjoy the sunshine and fun activities.
The Medieval Market was held last weekend which saw a record number of stallholders and visitors enjoying this hugely successful event. There were also events to mark the commencement of the Chinese New Year on Saturday at Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-pō and Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom which featured Tai Chi and Kung Fu demonstrations, traditional Chinese, dragon and lion dancing and Chinese cuisine. I’m looking forward to opening and judging at the Shannon Spectacular Car & Bike Show on Sunday 18 February which is predicted to be a popular event as well.
Outside of these larger events, it was wonderful to talk with people at Shannon Library during our February Cuppa with a Councillor. These monthly events are held every second Thursday of the month between 10.30am and 12.30pm at Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-pō, Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom and Shannon Library, giving you an opportunity to chat with one of your elected members face to face about things that are important to you.
The kōrero through these sessions has been extremely valuable, and we appreciate hearing your thoughts on how we can help Horowhenua grow and thrive, and how to tackle the big challenges in front of us.
These conversations are particularly appreciated as we prepare our Long Term Plan (LTP). Consultation will be open between Friday 15 March and Monday 15 April, giving you an opportunity to get involved and share your feedback. Council has been busy with a number of workshops and briefings exploring the challenging topics of which services we need and ultimately how we keep rates increases and service cuts to a minimum, how we should be funding kerbside recycling and how we share the costs.
I’d like to invite you to talk with me in person about any topic or issue that is important to you at ‘Catch up with the Mayor’ sessions. I’ll be available between 10.30am and 12.30pm on Friday 23 February at Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-pō, Friday 1 March at Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom and Friday 8 March at Shannon Library.
Ngā mihi
Mayor Bernie Wanden