Social media was unhappy with the Waitaki District Council not organising a celebratory send-off for 2025. Most of these events are handled by willing teams of volunteers, sometimes co-ordinated by a commercial event planner, sometimes with a formal committee. But what defines a community event? The council needs to examine carefully why the public purse should be opened to significantly prop up any said event. These events relevant to a small section of the community are better dealt with by committees of like-minded volunteers and should not use council resources, neither monetary nor personnel.

Source: Otago Daily Times January 24, 2026 15:03 UTC