Lively vibes only

My motivation in creating the publication you’re reading right now, its website and the radio station came from wanting to raise awareness of all the good things and good people in our community, and the incredible volume of positive energy that is propelling this region into the future.

It’s easy to get caught up in negative commentary. As humans, that’s our disposition and it canbecome a bad habit. I’ve noticed this in relation to any kind of commentary criticising our region – but the negativity is, in my opinion, disproportionate. I’m not immune to it. The temporary demise of downtown Tauranga, in which we had invested heavily in a business, was a huge frustration. Poor forward planning, socially naivety, greedy landlords, a central government requirement for earthquake strengthening, the evolution of alternative retail precincts, and no inner-city living were some of the contributing factors. No one reason.

But we got over ourselves and took control of our destiny – and are now better off. Downtown will be back and will be amazing. Why hide change when we can own it?! There’s no silver bullet to anything in life and creating anything great requires a common vision. Deciding what we want to be as a region and community is step one. From there, we elect a team to activate our vision. From the first-hand dealing I’ve had with the team of elected officials and their executive, I’m optimistic and excited.

These last couple of weeks I’ve enjoyed two of our mainstream civic facilities that I’d not previously attended, when I went to see Cold Chisel and the Black Caps vs India One Day International. Understated, practical and awesome, Wharepai Domain and Bay Oval respectively have had modest investment to enable more usage and it’s working, evolving organically season to season.

No drama, relative traffic and parking ease, and chilled audiences enjoying themselves. These venues are a sign of a city growing up without breaking the bank. We did it with the Port, so why not the rest of our infrastructure?

As for us, we’ve chosen the Historic Village as our new home and believe it is low-hanging fruit for council and community to create something thriving and unique. It’s already here – time to finish the job. Our role with bayofplenty.live is to connect all these goings on to those who will enjoy it, to heighten our communal success and keep the positive vibes alive.