It's been a great week.

Yesterday our Napier Grey Power committee met to organise the third of our candidates' meetings to meet those running for office in the upcoming Local Body Elections. 

The first was held early in August, when we hosted all six mayoral candidates and questioned them in the All Saints Church hall, filled with well over 100 people. 

With the awesome Grey Power committee
From left, Lillian, Laurie, me, Jim, June and John

Although all six had their strengths, the difference between incumbent councillors (Cocking, Dalton, Lutter and Pyke) and newcomers Sye and Trim was most clearly noticeable on the question of amalgamation, with the former opposed and the latter ranging from "wait and see" (Sye) to "it's going to happen anyway" (Trim). 

The second meeting was even larger, same Mayoral candidates, but it was in the evening rather than the afternoon, at Princess Alexandra Retirement complex.  A different audience but similar questions and responses.  There's a lot of interest out there, particularly from our generation! 

In just under two weeks we are holding another - an all candidates meeting for the six candidates contesting the three Napier seats in the Regional Council, and in this picture we had just finished our meeting organising the questions, format and publicity.  

Apart from amalgamation, the issues are quite different - the dam, gas and oil exploration (including fracking) and privatisation.  The closure of the Napier-Gisborne railway is another of their issues.  

Mayoral candidates speaking at the All-Saints meeting. 
From left David Trim, John Cocking, 
Bill Dalton, Roy Sye, Michelle Pyke, 
timekeeper Laurie Jenkin,  chair Robin Gwynn, 
and candidate Rob Lutter (standing)

To be honest, most people don't know what the Regional Council does so this will give our members the chance to learn a bit more about their work.  Come along if you can - it's on Tuesday, 17th September, 1:30 pm at the Tamatea Community Church, 1 York Avenue.

So our little committe of us "over 50's", ranging in our political views from left to right, in religious beliefs from staunch to none, all have one thing in common: the desire to better the lot of the older generation through advocacy, education and fellowship.  

We hold monthly meetings with interesting speakers, produce a quarterly newsletter, make submissions to Council on issues of concern. 

However, our real success lies in what underpins everything we do: we work as a team. Respect, affection, division of labour and a commitment that we will all do "our bit" is a winning formula.  I'd love to see our new councils - local and regional - operating the same way; then we could really make things happen!