Former Whanganui Mayor Annette Main chairing a council meeting in 2015. Photo Stuart Munro
Former Whanganui Mayor Annette Main chairing a council meeting in 2015. Photo Stuart Munro
Former Whanganui mayor Annette Main has been named an Officer of the said Order (ONZM) in the 2017 New Year Honours list.
She has received the honour for her services to local government after serving two terms as Mayor of Whanganui from 2010 until standing down from re-election in 2016.
She made history as the first woman to hold the position.
Ms Main is also recognised for the 12 years she served as a councillor on the Manawatu-Whanganui Regional Council before being elected mayor.
"But circumstances changed and while I am proud of the role I played, it is the way Whanganui has changed that I am most proud of."
While working to increase tourism and improve environmental sustainability in Whanganui, she has been involved in numerous committees, organisations and advisory groups focusing on sustainability and business while holding a number of council appointments, including chairing the Environment Committee.
Ms Main said ensuring care for the precious environment while making sure there are economic returns for those managing that land is a huge responsibility for regional councils.
She has worked with local iwi to provide visitors with authentic Māori experiences on the Whanganui River.
Until last year, she owned visitor accommodation business The Flying Fox, which she set up with her late husband John Blythe more than 25 years ago.
The riverside retreat has been seen as setting an eco-tourism benchmark.
Ms Main was instrumental in the establishment of the Whanganui River Traders Trust in 2005, which oversees the operation of the successful markets every Saturday.
"When I joined the Regional Council 19 years ago, I did not expect to be part of local government for the length of time I was.
"I was not aware of how involved I would become in seeing our region prosper."
The mayor demonstrated that civic duty can provide light moments by appearing as The Cat in the Hat in the 2014 Christmas Parade. Photo/Lewis Gardiner
It makes her feel proud, she says, to hear local people talk so positively about their city and region.
"To see the positive changes, to hear people talk proudly of who we are and where we live, to see relationships healed, and the economy prospering and to have been a part of that change is hugely rewarding.
"To be recognised in this way, I guess, acknowledges the public roles I have held, and I thank those who put my name forward."
Ms Main says if people want change, they have to be prepared to be part of the change.
"We need to make time in our busy lives to be part of the community in which we live and to do what we can to make it work for us.
"Whanganui has become known for the way our people get out there and make things happen and I honour and am proud of every single person who is doing just that."
Ms Main is one of 196 New Zealanders to receive an award in the New Year Honours list and one 48 recipients of the ONZM title.
