I ENJOYED the innovation and obvious enthusiasm of drone operator Toby Mills, who demonstrated his remote-controlled drone for me on Friday, providing us with our stunning front page Saturday image.
Mr Mills spoke of the freedoms in New Zealand regarding use of drones - apparently it's a bit more restrictive overseas - but he could have also been speaking of the unregulated activities that Wairarapa sometimes enjoys as a matter of practicality.
The subject he was photographing, the island in the middle of Henley Lake, is being altered with fervour and enthusiasm without any tiresome nod to ecological niceties - if there are any. I know we've received a number of letters accusing the council of not being mindful of nesting birds but, as the workers discovered, nothing could have survived the rats that ruled the island. God forbid you can tamper with a wetland, or even the coastline, but a slightly scruffy un-native lake and rat-run island doesn't have much defence.
But there are times when unregulation can cause problems. In a classic case of familiarity breeding contempt, the casual billboard advertising in South Wairarapa went a step too far. It was breaking the rules and, once somebody complained, it all had to come down. I didn't mind them so much, and it spoke to the casual freedom of the country, but rules are rules.
It is my job, and any newspaper's job, to hold councils to account when they use ratepayers' money for the work they do. Generally speaking, I believe a council doesn't set out to do bad things. The councillors vote on a course of action, guided by professionals and consultants, and the council sets out to do worthy things.