Jane Nees BOP Regional Councillor www.janenees.co.nz

This past week I have been listening to submissions on the Bay of Plenty Regional Council Policy Statement.

Many people have taken a lot of time to produce detailed submissions on this most important regional document and have given their time to come and present their submissions to the hearing panel.

Some of course are commercial entities who are seeking to protect their interests.

Others are public entities who have a particular interest in the RPS because it overlaps with work that they do in the community and the environment.

Others represent groups of people that have a particular interest in an activity or a place – or they just simply care about our region and its wellbeing.

I thoroughly enjoy these submission processes.

It does take a lot of resource and organisation, but it is a great way to connect with the community and is always a huge learning curve.

The challenge is to weigh up the differing viewpoints and make a decision on balance that is believed to be in the best interests of the region.

This is not always easy because you do not get input from a wide percentage of the population and judgment calls need to be made.

The next big opportunity for the wider public to have a say on the direction they want for their future in our region are the ten year plan processes of local authorities.

Work on possible content of ten year plans is underway at the various councils, and they should be out for consultation early next year. I urge you to look out for them.

In the interim, we have a general election coming up.

This is the ultimate time to have your say and be heard. It has been a challenging three years for our current government.

The earthquakes in Canterbury and the Rugby World Cup have taken the focus off what is the most important public decision that will be made in the next three years.

Once the rugby is over, the nation will be in full election mode.

I urge you to listen carefully to what is on offer, take the opportunity to tell politicians what is important to you, and most of all get out and vote. Your future depends on it!

If you have any views on this or any other issue, please contact me on neesj@xtra.co.nz or ring me on 07 579-5150. Or you can check out my website at www.janenees.co.nz