Councillor Comment by Phill Hooper

Those who ticked the Phill Hooper box at election time will be happy to hear that I am still very much enjoying my time around the Council table.

The past six months have been a steep learning curve, but I am loving the challenge that presents.

I am also very much enjoying turning up to Council without a mad rush having taken place and thinking about my next nana nap (no more pre-dawn starts like my old job).

Amongst the many things I have learnt is to never presume how things will turn out.

One of my tasks has been to help to try and revive the Youth Council. Attendance had dropped well away last term and it looked like a death roll was on the way in the near future. I must confess, initially I didn’t hold out a lot of hope for the continuation of it.

I am thrilled to say though, that with guidance and enthusiasm from Cr Ellis and Rachel Carr from the Council team (and the lure of pizza) we have had an amazing response to the recruitment drive.

The Youth Council is very much alive and well. I am looking forward to watching this group of young adults flourish and grow into their roles.

I was lucky enough to attend the Local Government New Zealand South Island conference in Queenstown recently. Yeah, I know, what an awful spot for a conference eh?

Our two days were jam packed with top quality speakers including Ministers Parker and McAnulty, National's Simon Watts and economist Brad Olsen.

I particularly enjoyed the round the table segment, where a representative from each Council had five minutes to talk about their issues and success stories from their region. Our issues and concerns were shared by many.

We also went on a walking tour of the CBD in Queenstown to check out their regeneration project. It is much the same as the CBD upgrade in Ashburton but with more of an emphasis on pedestrian-friendly areas.

Parking is a major issue for the town and they are working on a better public transport system, although they are finding it challenging to recruit the likes of bus drivers. It sounds like staffing issues are shared by many businesses in Queenstown as well.