This week's winner is Liz Benny, of Dunedin, for her whimsical analysis of a Dunedin ratepayer. She receives a copy of The 20th Century In Poetry (Random House), by Michael Hulse and Simon Rae.
Liz's letter, which is published today, can be viewed on the ODT website, www.odt.co.nz/opinion.
A ratepayer's lot: striving for better in the routine of life
What is a ratepayer? It's someone who struggles out into the half morning light with their rubbish, after tumbling the "which bin?" rotation in their sleepy brain.
It's someone who picks up their dog's poos without fail, and bins it.
Someone who uses Dunedin's buses and thanks the driver. A ratepayer is someone who lives with the ever-present load of their own personal financial commitments, then sees an artist's image of a multi-storey hotel on the front page of Saturday's paper.
A ratepayer is someone who doesn't often stay in hotels, but is open to change and development.
A ratepayer is someone, who despite their instinctive misgivings, proudly points out the new stadium to visitors and then reads the "bill" has climbed to $224.4 million.
A ratepayer is someone who is living their life in a smallish city at the bottom on New Zealand, brought up to strive for better things, to be realistic and fair.
Something's not right, but it's rubbish day again and there's a bus to catch.
Liz Benny
