Japan's players celebrate beating Spain 4-0 at the Fifa Women's World Cup on Monday in Wellington. Photo / AP
Japan's players celebrate beating Spain 4-0 at the Fifa Women's World Cup on Monday in Wellington. Photo / AP
Opinion by Grant Smith
Opinion
Palmerston North certainly copped a great deal of media attention over the weekend, and again we came in for an undeserved reputational pasting.
The ESPN reporter who broke the original story about La Roja, the Spanish women’s football team, leaving the city early before the group round of theFifa Women’s World Cup was completed, has issued an apologetic-sounding tweet for the way the story gained a life of its own.
I can only surmise the story’s “boring Palmy” angle suited the usual lazy Palmy-bashing narrative.
In response, Spanish team management said they couldn’t have been happier with us, our hospitality and the training facilities Massey University provided.
Coach Jorge Vida said we treated the team “like family”.
“It was a very favourable setting for good performance, and we took away some great memories.”
I can understand if a team is playing the remainder of its games in Wellington, a four-hour round-trip bus journey to and from a venue is not always ideal.
As a city though, we have absolutely nothing to apologise for. We are not trying to pose as a metro centre. We are who we are and have our own distinct vibe.
Palmerston North has flown under the radar for a long time, and as a city of nearly 100,000 people, we’re used to making our own way without much interest or attention being paid to us from elsewhere.
Comfortable in our own skin, we have our own things going on, and many award-winning events and recreational amenities we can rightfully take pride in.
The irony is, we are more noted and respected as a city by our overseas associates and partners than we are by media at home.
So, thank you for being here, La Roja, and all the best for the rest of the tournament, though the heavy 4-0 loss to Japan on Monday will have been hard for the team to take.
Thanks also to Fifa for our opportunity to have a share in this historic sporting event.
When the media kerfuffle blew up, I had just come home from the Local Government New Zealand conference in Christchurch, where the Victoria Esplanade was a winner in the SuperCollab Award category - the subject of my column last month.
It’s unfortunate the Spanish team brouhaha detracted from the magnificent input by our combined community and council teams in achieving a highly commended award in this new category, beating out entries from Hamilton and Christchurch.
One of the judges said the diversity and number of Esplanade user groups were best-in-class for New Zealand public gardens, and in her eyes “the real winner!” High praise indeed.
Former city and regional councillor Roni Fitzmaurice launched her autobiography in Palmerston North last November.
Finally, my condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of former city councillor and well-known community activist Roni Fitzmaurice, who died last month in Wellington aged 90.
Roni was elected for the former Papaiōea Ward in 1992 spending one term under former mayor Paul Rieger before serving on the Manawatū Whanganui Regional Council from 1997 to 2007.
She was a recipient of the New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal 1993 – one of 544 nationwide, and in 2008 received a city council Civic Honour Award for her services to the community.
Housing was always among her chief concerns. A founding member of Habitat for Humanity, she joined the New Zealand Housing Network becoming the regional co-ordinator and then, in 1991, the organisation’s national co-ordinator.
Roni’s autobiography Don’t Follow Me Vera Girl was published last year, with copies available on City Library shelves.
