Editorial: River City in good shape for new year

Mark Dawson, Editor of Wanganui Chronicle

ANOTHER one bites the dust ...
The curtain falls on 2015 today, only to rise on the hopes and expectations of 2016.
Gee - the years simply fly by. Is the Earth really spinning faster on its axis, or is it the pace of modern life that makes the days and weeks flash by? It'll soon be Easter ...
For Whanganui, it has not been a bad 12 months.
Despite being told by a few people "in the know" that she was destined for the knacker's yard, the old River City has shown remarkable resilience - even in the face of horrendous flooding.
Central to the district's progress has been the consistent increase in the number of visitors coming here.
From being the place that everyone wanted to avoid, we have slowly but surely become quite popular.
It seems that negative reputation has been shrugged off, and people actually like us. Prince Harry loved it, and even Dame Kiri Te Kanawa is paying a visit.
The Cemetery Circuit packed them in again and we have the Vintage Weekend coming up in January which is certain to pull people in from far and wide.
That's good news for the local economy, and it's been a good year for some of our major industries with the expansion of the Open Country Dairy operation a significant plus. Also, the record spending in the run-up to Christmas suggests we are not on the bones of our backsides after all.
The festering "H" debate was put to bed, and while the outcome could never please everyone, it will have delighted those who think there are more important matters at hand.
The coming year will see the passing of the Whanganui River settlement bill in Parliament and the progress of the newly empowered iwi will hopefully provide plenty of positives.
We start the new year celebrating four Whanganui-ites being recognised for their efforts in the Queen's New Year Honours - and, as we all know, there are plenty more here like them.
So we can look forward with some optimism ... Opera Week, the Artists Open Studios, the Meads Cup to retain and - please - some progress on the wastewater treatment plant.
It just remains to wish you all a happy, peaceful and prosperous new year.