Although it makes me seem like an old fogey, I have to admit that getting the 2012 horse stopped so I can climb on the 2013 is not an easy trick.
This computer technology that was supposed to save us so much work time and generate so much leisure time
is really working a treat. Yeah, right!
Having sent out over 800 Christmas cards and, in the middle, attending the round of end-of-year dos, I am finding that each occasion reminds me of how much is left undone. Not so much a "bah humbug" but like my old school reports, "could do better".
It has been an interesting year getting my head around new portfolios which have more national than local responsibilities, and then attending to matters within the electorate has been furiously crammed into two days a week when I used to have four days. The reconfiguration of courts services, more teeth to benefit crime investigations, and rewriting the protocols around the way we investigate, monitor and respond to youth crime have been my ministerial priorities.
On the local scene, the biggest issue was the integration of Wanganui Collegiate School, and landing that brought a lot of satisfaction, bearing in mind the effect on Wanganui City if that had not happened. The flow-on effects on business, jobs, health and other services, as well as education would have been huge.
