Kia ora koutou,
It is hard to believe that the end of 2021 is fast approaching, Christmas and New Year once again upon us. Another challenging time with changes that no one anticipated and an end of year where we prepare to live with Covid-19 in 2022 and beyond.
Living in a time of uncertainty and change is hard, it is even more important moving forward as a community that we remain connected and empathic. We have fantastic examples of this in action now, our community growers market is a wonderful expression of this, sharing local abundance from growers gardens, their expertise and knowledge shared out amongst our community.
Sharing resources and collaborating are Raglan’s Destination Management Organisation, which manages our local i-Hub and community-focused energy retailer, Raglan Local Energy (RLE), who have entered into an exciting partnership. This will see RLE in the new year operating out of the hub and they will be sponsors of the growers market.
Colin Chungs’ Raglan Community Christmas Picnic is another, spreading love to those in need with a little extra festive cheer on Christmas day; these initiatives have been created through collaboration, working together is good for our community wellbeing.
For many of us summer time is a wonderful time of year, the fresh tang of salted air, the warmth of the sunshine, watching the kids jetty jumping, walks along the beach and the long awaited opportunity for those who have been apart from loved ones, to finally plan for the holidays and being together.
If you are visiting us, please remember that we are a small community with limited resources, bring a little extra patience and understanding, relax and chill out. Hang out on one of our parklets downtown, take a blanket and sit on the grassed islands on Bow Street or take a streetside seat at one of our coffee shops, watch the world go by, talk, laugh and connect.
Take time to let traffic cross the one lane car bridge, from both sides! When you see cars backing up toward town or Raglan west, let them through, a couple of minutes waiting to let others go, won’t end the world. If you are freedom camping, check out www.waikatodistrict.govt.nz/recreation/camping for all you need to know.
Take care to love our backyard like we do, take your rubbish with you, where you can, use your reusables, if you have heard the saying ‘leave only footprints’?… think of that when you are here in our community.
I would like to take time to acknowledge community hero’s like Bob MacLeod, community extraordinaire, young at heart and passionate leader who sadly passed during lockdown. He was a strong advocate for the community and his years of service to Raglan in his many roles is sorely missed.
A big shout out thank you to all the people and organisations who contribute to making this community a ‘community’, 2021 has been another difficult one but it has also made me appreciate this place even more. Big thanks to the Raglan Community Board, who have put a lot of time and effort into various projects and issues.
Thank you to the Raglan Lions, who have made the tough decision not to host our annual Lions New Years Parade. It is the first time in the history of the parade, but given these challenging times it is understandable, thank you for taking care of our community and our visitors.
Enjoy this beautiful place that we are blessed to call home; relax, unwind, take some time to pause, breathe and rest. Take some time to think about the year ahead and how we can work together in the new year to support each other. If you aren’t able to be close to whanau or friends, reach out for support, there is a community waiting to help.
Merry Christmas everyone, best wishes for a safe, joyful Christmas and a prosperous New Year.
Ngaa mihi,
Lisa Thomson
Raglan Ward Councillor
