Siesta over, back to work for most . . .

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

The peak summer holiday season is behind us and most of the country’s workers have their heads down once again for the year ahead.

New Zealand’s official holiday period ended last Wednesday morning but many people managed to stretch it out for those last three days, so yesterday was the day they actually had to get back to the grindstone.

There is a small consolation in the weather forecast for this week being so good — moving towards some high temperatures in the latter stages — as with daylight saving, many workers will be able to get some leisure time later in the day.

Gisborne city seemed to go into something of a siesta after the Fire in the Sky event, but everyone realised this was not going to last.

As has been repeatedly stated, 2024 is going to be the year where recovery from cyclone damage really kicks into gear. Drivers will have to factor in some extra time for trips outside the district as there will inevitably be stoppages for roadworks.

Gisborne’s horticultural industry will be hoping to make progress after a wet spring and early summer, while farmers will have their fingers crossed that the forecast drought conditions do not actually arrive.

One of the real downsides of the holiday period was the high number of road accidents causing multiple deaths and injuries, while drownings also remain too high. Nineteen people were killed on our roads over the official holiday period from December 22 to January 3, while seven people (all males) drowned.

The year has started on a bleak note globally with several major wars showing no sign of coming to any sort of a conclusion.

Ukraine’s battle against Russia remains at a stalemate with some signs that Western support is dwindling and fears that Vladimir Putin has played a long game which might actually pay off for him and the kleptocratic regime around him.

The national political scene will be unlikely to match the drama of 2023, but it will be interesting to see how successful the new Government will be with its planned major changes.

The sporting year has started on a high note with an exciting finish to the ASB women’s tennis tournament which saw Coco Gauff win a tight three-set final against Elina Svitolina. It’s up to the men this week to match that.

After the disappointment of losing the Rugby World Cup final at the end of last year, New Zealand rugby goes into a new era, the Razor one.

Athletes are busy either preparing for, or trying to qualify for, the Paris Olympics.

For many of us, however, it is going to be enough to sit back and enjoy the rest of the summer — we deserve a really good run.