Andrew von Dadelszen Former Regional Councillor

Christmas is nearly upon us and it is time to reflect on the past year.

The aftermath of Rena has probably been the biggest positive for our region. Isn't it funny that such a calamitous disaster can also bring some cheer. The Rena, more than any other event, galvanised the people of the Bay of Plenty in a world first for volunteering - and 15 months on we still have our magnificent beaches. Thanks to the good science of the likes of Waikato University Chair of Coastal Science Professor Chris Battershill, who is leading the research team monitoring the Bay's sea life (including more than 30,000 samples from tuatua, pipi, paua, kina, crabs and cockles). Science is reassuring us that the recovery process is showing virtually no long-term effects. The Rena recovery has also acted as a spring board to build the capacity of this really valuable research centre, and the Bay will be a winner for many years to come.

The continued and consistent performance of our port is another rainbow in a year that has been incredibly tough for many of the Bay's biggest exporters in the kiwifruit industry. Psa is a $300m hit on this industry, but the Port's record $73.5m profit reported by Mark Cairns and his team deserves huge accolades as another outstanding achievement. The Port has returned a 24 per cent compounding return consistently over a 20-year period, and its share price has risen 134 per cent under Mark's stewardship. The nice thing is that with Bay of Plenty ratepayers owning 55 per cent of the Port company, we are all benefiting from this excellence.

If you have a view on these or any other local government issues, email andrew@vond.co.nz or visit www.vond.co.nz