It was a pleasure to be at the Methven Community Board's meeting this week, when they adopted a strategic plan for their community.

The board and the people of Methven have been working on this plan since last November, and it's a shared vision for their town - and they are all passionate about it.

There's been a lot of good work done to this point and, as board chair Kelvin Holmes said, it is over to them to ensure it is implemented.

Methven is a leader in this district's tourism space and it's clear that the local community has goals to promote their patch, with the support of well-informed and engaged residents.

Council has also supported the plan, by providing staff and resources, but it's been great to see the community board driving the conversation with the residents who live in their town.

A couple of other big pieces of work also came to fruition last week.

Council adopted a Stand Alone Business Unit to deliver water services in the future and that is a milestone in Central Government's three waters reforms of the past few years. This means water services will be delivered by an inhouse business unit, with a sole focus on drinking water, wastewater and stormwater.

Council also adopted its Annual Plan for 2025-26 and you can read more about the key, core work that is planned in this week's Council Brief (on our website).

If you think this work sounds rewarding, then a future in Local Government might be for you!

Council is hosting a candidates information session on Wednesday 18 June and anyone thinking about standing for Council or the community board can come along.

The session will be at Te Whare Whakatere, Council's offices, at Baring Square East, at 5.30pm, and potential candidates can learn all about the election process and ask questions.