Tony Collins: Did I mention I love living here?

I am sorry to say that I have a confession to make.

I love living in Whangarei and I am proud to call Northland home. Having lived here for 12 years now I have very few regrets about moving here from Christchurch and at this stage in my life I could not see myself wanting to live anywhere else.

While not an internationally well-travelled person I have lived in several locations throughout New Zealand and have worked in many towns and cities in both Islands and based on those observations I love it here.

In some ways moving here was a bit of an impulse based on my experiences here during holidays over a number of summers so to shift our family was not without risk. The regrets relate to leaving long-time friends and old and established networks but as my wife would attest, generally I'm quite antisocial so this might just be a case of rose-coloured nostalgia.

This is not to say that there are not aspects of life here that frustrate me, because there are. I cannot imagine how anyone could live in a community of several thousand people of diverse values and world views without being frustrated or possibly angry from time-to-time yet these same diverse values and world views are what also give richness to our communities and life.

I can be as cynical as the next person and I not so naive as to think that the place is perfect, however if I can be a cheerleader for a minute - albeit an aged and balding one - I love it here.

It's not the beaches, the fantastic landscape, warm climate, low risk of earthquakes or the close proximity to New Zealand's largest city for when you need a big city fix. It is the potential that exists here to create a really vibrant positive and diverse community that while being a work in progress is one of our real strengths.

It is the people who live here who,by and large, are fantastic and welcoming.

Our family have made many great acquaintances since coming here and it is these people who have made our transition so smooth.

In some ways the fact that we are still a work-in-progress is a good thing in that it means we all have the opportunity to contribute in shaping Whangarei into the place we want it to be.

Did I mention I love it here?