A crowd of about 70 people nearly filled the ODT Inkbox at the Oamaru Opera House for a 90-minute ''meet the candidates'' opportunity for those contesting the Oamaru ward.
Allan Dick moderated the night and covered a range of topics including council loans, a possible indoor recreation centre and tourism growth.
He put the question: ''What has driven the last five years of change?'' to all 10 candidates present.
Cr Hugh Perkins said the financial stability and business confidence provided by irrigation had underpinned the change.
''I actually do scratch my head a bit about why we are so confident, but we do have a spring in our step,'' he said.
Cr Jim Hopkins said the change began with the council's first irrigation loan, which added ''400-plus jobs'' to the area.
Cr Peter Garvan said the leadership from the town's young business people was a key factor.
Cr Colin Wollstein said irrigation and council-facilitated business development were keys to the town's growth, but he was surprised to see the numbers of people going to the Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony and the amount they were willing to pay.
Glen Perham said the town benefited from offering a good quality of life and from new residents after the Christchurch earthquakes.
Cr Melanie Tavendale said she left Oamaru after high school never expecting to return, but, like others, she had ''started realising what we actually had''.
Lucianne White said people were making the difference. She recalled the ''boring'' ''walks of appreciation'' she was forced to take through the town's Historic Precinct as a child at a time when ''there was no-one there''.
Sophia Leon De La Barra said the town catered to a ''wide variety of interests'' and, like her, people were making the choice to live in Oamaru.
Richard Vinbrux said the dairy boom and tourism growth were big contributors, but he said there were good things waiting to happen in Oamaru that needed that little push the economic drivers provided.
Jeremy Holding said ''people are realising that we're bouncing off each other''.
Jock Howie and Barry Monks sent apologies.
