Editorial: Into the dragon's lair

UNITED States presidential wannabe Donald Trump's wife may have taken things too far with a speech at this week's Republican convention that bore more than a passing resemblance to Michelle Obama's oration of 2008 supporting her husband's bid for the Oval office.

But there are times when plagiarism can take a more positive turn.

Take Whanganui's events promotion Den of Dragons.

Sure, it's loosely based on the television series Dragon's Den, where would-be entrepreneurs pitch their product before getting the thumbs up or not from the judges - but the six projects that have made it through to the River City's inaugural Den of Dragons final have huge potential.

The ideas that people have come up with cover a broad range of activities, involving the arts, gardens, transport (of all types), visual media and sports.

All the finalists are ready to have their events up and running next year, and the more than $15,000 worth of help and mentoring up for grabs at next Wednesday's showdown will go a long way to help them realise their ambitions.

The event is the brainchild of Whanganui and Partners marketing manager Lyn Cheyne and Whanganui Events Trust chief executive Kathy Cunningham, and they are to be applauded for their foresight. They were looking for smart ideas, and the fact they got plenty of them is a sign that there are creative minds among us.

Den of Dragons fits with event creation which is a core part of Whanganui District Council's economic development and visitor strategy. The proposed events had to show they would occur between March and October; would attract visitors from outside the district; would support Whanganui's reputation in arts, culture and heritage; and would utilise its venues and sportsgrounds - and there's no doubt the six finalists fit that bill.

All that's left is facing the judges in a "live" final in the War Memorial Centre on July 27.
So to them all we say "Best of luck" - regardless of the outcome, it's our community which will be the winner.