Taking the pulse with Colin
Colin Johnston will be familiar to many people across Taranaki, whether as a North Ward councillor in the New Plymouth District Council or as sales manager at Mason Appliances. Here, Colin shares some of his insights about what his home town of Waitara means to him, and what the future holds for the town and region.
Colin, you’re a Waitara man through and through.
Yes, I’ve lived in Waitara almost my entire life. I went to Waitara Central and Waitara High schools. I’ve been associated with the Waitara Community Board and the council since 2000.
Waitara has come back to life in the past several years. What do you think is the reason for that?
The reason is the calibre of the people we have living in Waitara, basically. We’ve been through some hard times, there’s no doubt about it, but Waitara’s an up and coming area now, because, well, the locals are resilient. And not only that, they love the place, we all do. As well as that, to see why Waitara’s revived you have to look at the whole district, what’s happening not just there but in Stratford and Hawera. Optimism is high. Businesses in Waitara have to be resilient to keep their customers in town rather than going up the road to New Plymouth and they’ve succeeded, I think.
Any other reasons?
I think a lot of people like Waitara because it’s a different lifestyle to, say, New Plymouth. It even comes down to things like the climate. Waitara has a bit of a micro-climate, which many people love. And the town is naturally beautiful - the beaches, the river, the valley.
You are especially passionate about the walkway projects out in Waitara.
Yes, it’s all planned. We are on track to get the walkways out there linked up, initially from the West Quay Gardens along the river to the Marine Park, and from there eventually this river walkway will hook up to the Coastal Walkway. So one day someone can cycle or walk or whatever all the way from Port Taranaki out to Waitara Bridge. That’s going to be huge for the town and a real drawcard. Tourism and business alike will benefit. Imagine cycling safely to work from Waitara to Bell Block and back every day.
Anything you would change about Waitara, Colin?
Oooh, no, not really. For me, it’s just a question of pushing ahead with what we’ve got. There are projects that Waitara could definitely benefit from, like a new swimming pool. And after years of waiting, work should finally be starting on the new sporting complex at Clifton Park in January. That’s been on the cards now since 2002. Really looking forward to that.
❚ ‘Taking The Pulse’ will return soon with another Waitara local giving his or her views on our great town.