The little wins make you smile as much as the big ones.

That’s how it felt when I was whizzing down the new flying fox at the Ashburton Domain earlier this month. It was great to finally have the new adventure equipment up and running for our community, and every time I drive past I can see it in use.

Other projects that have also come to fruition this year have been equally satisfying for different reasons.

The former Government and the new one both agree that a second urban bridge over the Ashburton River is crucial and the bridge is now on their transport infrastructure priority list to be built in the next three years.

Methven’s new water treatment plant is up and running, with the town’s residents no longer holding their breath about a boil water notice every time it rains hard.

The new library and civic building, Te Whare Whakatere, is almost there and the new library space will be a 100 per cent improvement on the leaky old building that residents and staff have had to endure in the past few years.

Our community honours in September recognised the outstanding voluntary efforts of eight people and two organisations who have helped the Ashburton District shine – we are blessed with a community that wants to invest time and energy in our place.

The Fairton Freight Hub has made great strides and should be operational by April. This is a project that involves a private company, council, central government and agencies all working well together to get things done and move traffic jams caused by trains out of Ashburton’s town centre.

In the events space, Council has put on four free and fun occasions – there was the hugely successful Glow in the Park, the noodle market, and lately our two Light up the Night Christmas events, all of which spread a lot of good cheer.

On the core business front, Council continues to renew water and wastewater pipes, and keep our roads well maintained. Our budget is much like yours and we continue to find that the dollars collected in rates don’t go as far as they used to.

It’s good to reflect on the wins at this time of year because much of council work is the daily task of keeping essential services running smoothly, from collecting rubbish at the kerbside to processing building consents. It is constant and sometimes unseen.

We also do a lot of business as usual - like toilet cleaning and maintenance, mowing reserve grounds, emptying the rubbish bins, collecting the rubbish etc.

We take a lot of this work for granted but we have a dedicated team of people who do this day in and day out and they need to be commended.

As 2023 winds up, Council has begun to look at its work priorities for the next 10 years and has the roading network in its sights, so expect to hear more about this in the new year. When the draft Long Term Plan goes out for public comment, I hope you’ll tell us what you think so  that we can balance needs and wants.

It is the season though to enjoy family, friends and freedoms. If you are travelling afar, take care on the roads and come back to the Ashburton District safe.

Merry Christmas to you all.