Dear Puhoi residents and community forum members,
This has been a year of fairly phenomenal progress for our small
community in the form of events such as the community photo, 145th
anniversary celebrations, concerts and library functions; building
developments and enhancements including the wharves and library;
public facilities and their upgrading, for example the national walkway
addition and church parking and progress of organisations including
Puhoi River Park planning, fencing and planting, followed by the
encouraging news of its society’s incorporation.
The Puhoi Rural Fire Force has its second trainee intake, there are new
ways to socialize such as the fireside book club and the women’s dinners,
ongoing ventures such as the farmers market and Neighbourhood Support
have commenced and there has been progress with Civil Defence
organisation, not to mention completion of the first stage of structure
planning, the start of its implementation and translating people’s wishes
into funding through the RDC budgeting round.
Meantime, there has been ongoing progress with earlier initiatives,
especially the fostering of exceptionally good relations with the RDC,
and, following the rallying of support for the recent Landcare AGM, that
very precious community asset is able to continue, with hopes that it will thrive.
Miraculously, even the RDC’s long-deferred Puhoi reserves management plan is underway.
A few little things need tweaking or kicking along, for example the village traffic safety plan, and my 10-bush riverbank gorse problem could do with some help, but, on the whole, I feel progress is being made in Puhoi.
And, to adapt the saying, “we need to save this planet –it is the only one where you can get organic chocolates and wine,” we need to save Puhoi – it is one of the places you can still pluck enough spray-free gorse petals to make flower wine all year round.