Every once in a while this newspaper puts on its cheerleader hat and unashamedly gives praise where praise is due.
In the year that I have lived in Hawke's Bay, I have seen and lived through some of the positive things that people do here and I am always amazedat the calibre of local events.
There are many events held in Auckland and I attended quite a few when I lived there for 10 years, but I cannot remember being totally enthralled by them. There seems to be an energy and a buzz around Hawke's Bay events and you don't get more energised or buzzier than the Horse of the Year Show this year.
I arrived in Hawke's Bay to start this job in the middle of last year's show, so I did not spend too much time there. This year was different and I was able to get an idea of what a mammoth undertaking it is and also how it benefits our economy. Show organiser Kevin Hansen and his team, and the different local councils and people who played a role in the organisation of the event deserve all the praise due to them.
From what I could see the show proceeded without a hitch. The first thing that hit me when I arrived at the showgrounds on Saturday was how many people and horses were there. It was also very apparent that it was not just locals there, but people from all over the country and, indeed, the world.
The fact that this world class event is also confirmed for Hastings for the next 15 years is fantastic and means that some solid planning can go into the future development of the event.
Mr Hansen already has some big plans and I am sure they will come off in a big way.
Coming on the back of Napier"s excellent hosting of Art Deco weekend recently, this effort makes one proud to live in the Bay.
