Will our youngsters be proud of what we’ve achieved?

Will our youngsters be proud of what we’ve achieved?

As councillors we often have to remind ourselves that decisions we make today will have an impact many years ahead, and to never forget that those decisions aren’t just about today but the future.

I often reflect on how a child starting school this year will perceive our district upon leaving college in 12 or 13 years – will they be proud of what we have accomplished?

Will they see that previous councils had a vision for the future?

In the coming months, we face two significant decisions with generational impacts. The first is the Levin Town Centre development, particularly the proposal for the Levin Memorial Hall and the Village Green. This project has sparked much discussion as it presents a vision that differs from what one might expect in a provincial town centre. Next week, council will deliberate on whether to continue exploring this proposal. Regardless of the decision, it will shape Levin’s future development.

The second major issue in front of us is the Local Water Done Well implementation plan, which we have to develop before September 2025. This is probably the biggest decision that councils throughout the country will have to make in decades, as we grapple with central government direction, new compliance regimes and the challenges the country faces in catching up, maintaining and the future investment required for essential infrastructure.

It has been a frustrating journey as we have been talking for some years now about how water services should be delivered across the country.

Often that talk has been about asset ownership or governance frameworks, rather than getting on with the job of investing in those essential water services.

We are currently seeking your views on who and how those water services should be delivered and exploring the options that we have in front of us. It is complex as there are still unknown factors that will impact how the plan will look. Essentially, we know that we cannot continue to operate as we have in the past because of our financial constraints and future growth requirements.

I encourage you to give your feedback on the options we have signalled – consider the perspective of a child starting school in 2025 and what the delivery of water services would look like in 2040.

Your feedback will help shape the district’s future, ensuring we make decisions today that will stand the test of time.