While there are many professional organisations, companies and individuals who provide the backbone of the economic and social well-being of a community, it is those who are unpaid, the volunteers, that are the glue that holds it all together.
Every week in our community there are thousands of people who
volunteer in a wide variety ways to ensure that the rest of us can
live the life we want. Some get acknowledged publicly, but
many simply go about their business with little fanfare and often
little thanks for the contribution they make.
There are a couple of things the Council does to acknowledge the
work of these people, and the work they do in our community.
The first is our annual Civic awards. These awards are a
little like our local version of the Queen's honours. Every
year we honour a small number of Palmerstonians who have made a
significant voluntary commitment over a long period of time.
Often these people are the "unsung heroes" of community
organisations, or simply people who have tirelessly and selflessly
served the city in a voluntary capacity.
The second way we acknowledge voluntary input is through the
partnership we have with Trustpower for the Community Group
awards. Each year we give awards to community groups who have
made a significant contribution in the last 12 months.
Sometimes these awards are for the on-going work of an organisation
while others have been given for a specific project that has
recently been achieved through voluntary effort. These awards
are a part of a National structure of Community awards.
Nominations for both awards open this week, so if you know
someone who has made an outstanding contribution to the city, or
know of a group that is doing something amazing in our community,
why not take a few minutes to nominate them for an award. The
process is easy, you simply need to visit the Council website;
www.palmerstonnorth.com or call the customer service centre on 356
8199 to have the forms sent to you. Alternatively you can
pick up forms from the Council Customer service Centre in the
square.
Finally, we are in the final stages of completing the Councils
Long term Plan. We had over 350 submissions and over 100
people also made oral submissions. Thank you to all of you
who did this, we really appreciate you taking the time to give us
your thoughts. In the next few days we will be meeting to
consider all of the submissions and what changes we need to make to
our draft plan as a result of your feedback. It has been a
long process but one that I believe will ultimately deliver a plan
that best meets the needs of the city in the coming years.