It is easy for a drought to sneak up on us - a wolf dressed in summer clothing.
One minute, we were reflecting on a warm 2013 summer that repaired the local economy, after a disastrously wet January in 2012.
The next, we are realising that the wet January in2012 was actually a boon for dairy farmers, and that long term, a hot January is not good economic news for the region in 2013.
It does all of us good to consider others' plight from time to time.
For instance, non-Kaipara residents should consider the drastic water restrictions looming for our west coast neighbours. If they do not get rain soon, their water may be turned off intermittently.
For critics of Kaipara District Council, that water-saving action, if it occurs, may as well be volatile fuel thrown on the anti-council fire. Remember though, that the council can't make it rain.
Although it could build a dam.
In Whangarei, town residents are experiencing the guilty irony of no water restrictions, despite the rural drought. Mainly because the city's civic infrastructure includes a well-stocked dam in Whau Valley.
Yes, that's right - we're in the middle of a drought but we don't have to save water.
I would suggest though, that in deference to our rural counterparts in the Whangarei district, that we don't wait for official restrictions to be placed upon us.
Let's start conserving water now - it seems wasteful and reckless to splash it about when our farmers need it so badly. A little community solidarity in tough times goes a long way.
