This Saturday the Hastings District Council is hosting a Sustainability Forum at the Opera House. This follows an increasing awareness that our community is growing alarmed at changes occurring to our climate. People are worried about our planet and what it will be like for future generations.
Can I just make one thing clear, however. Sustainability is not just about the environment. It is about every corner of our lives including business, recreation and people’s ability to live. Sure environmental sustainability is on top of the mind for most people, but this cannot be looked at in isolation.
Throughout the world, communities are expecting leaders, councils and governments to take action to ensure we can continue as a race to live successfully on planet earth.
Saturday’s Forum is about listening to ideas and examples from other places, and then discussing how we can create a sustainable future using these and our own ideas. More importantly, it is about formulating practical actions that we can undertake – as individuals, as households and organisations, and as a community working together.
I am not really interested in debating if climate change is occurring, or if the sea level is rising. These topics are important but, despite your view, we cannot have any real impact on such debates. World leaders are trying to sort all of this.
What we can do, however, on an individual basis is collectively significant. If we all do our own little things to help, the net effect if substantial. It is my view that people feel good about doing things to help the planet. They are usually just a change in attitude and often cost very little, but can make a difference.
At the forum we will cover topics such as land use, recycling, water conservation, eco-friendly housing, urban development and social sustainability, to mention just a few. If you want to attend, please call the Council on 878 0500 to register.
Those are my thoughts for the week.
I’m Lawrence Yule.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Horse of the Year
Today I want to pay special attention to a family in Hawke’s Bay who have given their time, commitment and vision to achieve an outstanding regional result. I refer to the Hansen family who have taken a small horse event to the current international status as the Horse of the Year.
Last weekend we saw a spectacular extravaganza that any city would be proud to host. The five-day event saw thousands of horses and ten of thousands of spectators and riders. The weather was perfect and the people who went could not but be thrilled with what they saw.
This is in stark contrast to the fledgling beginnings where the Hansen family had a dream. Kevin and Warwick Hansen are icons associated with the event, but all other members of the wider family are equally involved. This family has managed to gather around it a core of dedicated and hardworking volunteers. These people are exactly the reason why the event has been secured in the region for the next 6 years. You can build the flashest arena with the newest of equipment but if you don’t have the volunteers and the passion, then all is for nothing.
So I want to salute the Hansen family and all of those involved in the Horse of the Year. Hastings and Hawke’s Bay have been put on the map and we have a small group of dedicated people and some major sponsors to thank.
This is no different from the Art Deco Celebrations or the Waitangi Day celebrations at Clive. This is what makes any community special. We all have busy work and family lives, yet some people go the extra mile for us all.
To those who do this, especially the hardworking folk at the Horse of the Year, I just want to thank you. Last weekend was special in Hawke's Bay and reinforced, for many, the reason we live here.
Those are my thoughts.
I’m Lawrence Yule.
Last weekend we saw a spectacular extravaganza that any city would be proud to host. The five-day event saw thousands of horses and ten of thousands of spectators and riders. The weather was perfect and the people who went could not but be thrilled with what they saw.
This is in stark contrast to the fledgling beginnings where the Hansen family had a dream. Kevin and Warwick Hansen are icons associated with the event, but all other members of the wider family are equally involved. This family has managed to gather around it a core of dedicated and hardworking volunteers. These people are exactly the reason why the event has been secured in the region for the next 6 years. You can build the flashest arena with the newest of equipment but if you don’t have the volunteers and the passion, then all is for nothing.
So I want to salute the Hansen family and all of those involved in the Horse of the Year. Hastings and Hawke’s Bay have been put on the map and we have a small group of dedicated people and some major sponsors to thank.
This is no different from the Art Deco Celebrations or the Waitangi Day celebrations at Clive. This is what makes any community special. We all have busy work and family lives, yet some people go the extra mile for us all.
To those who do this, especially the hardworking folk at the Horse of the Year, I just want to thank you. Last weekend was special in Hawke's Bay and reinforced, for many, the reason we live here.
Those are my thoughts.
I’m Lawrence Yule.
Welcome
Every fortnight on a Thursday I have a slot on Newstalk ZB, where I voice my thoughts on various issues confronting our District.
This blog is a chance to make those messages available to a wider audience, and to provide a lasting record of my position on those issues.
But the internet offers more than another way to broadcast; it makes direct communication and public discussion easier than ever before, so I welcome constructive comments and replies on this blog.
This blog is a chance to make those messages available to a wider audience, and to provide a lasting record of my position on those issues.
But the internet offers more than another way to broadcast; it makes direct communication and public discussion easier than ever before, so I welcome constructive comments and replies on this blog.
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