New Year's Meeting 2026

New Year's speech / 100-day speech

Ladies and gentlemen,
Dear residents of Nuenen, Gerwen, and Nederwetten.
Welcome to this New Year's reception.
It is wonderful to meet you here at the start of a new year:
talking together, looking ahead together,
wishing each other the best.

We celebrated a very pleasant and enjoyable New Year's Eve in our villages.

Over the past few days, our municipality has been enveloped in winter weather and lots of snow. This created beautiful scenes and the children in particular had lots of fun playing outside. For older people, it may have been more difficult to walk on the streets due to the slippery conditions. Still, these winter scenes have something special about them. They make time stand still for a moment and allow us to slow down. Time for reflection and contemplation.

Harry Terwisse

On December 27, former mayor Harry Terwisse passed away in the presence of his beloved wife and children. In recent days, when the snow was at its heaviest, Harry Terwisse was given a very dignified send-off, with guild honors. He was a committed, amiable, and beloved former mayor who served our municipality for almost 20 years. May he rest in peace.

Looking back: 100 days

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It would be rather inauthentic if I were to look back with you today at 2025 in our municipality, a year in which you were all fully present and I was only partially so.

My look back at 2025 begins on September 23, the day I was inaugurated as mayor of Nuenen, Gerwen, and Nederwetten.
Until January 1, that was exactly 100 days.
These 100 days really flew by.

Because those were 100 wonderful days. I would like to take you along with me for a moment. 

100 days of getting acquainted, discovering, and marveling: every day anew.

Busy days filled with all kinds of different consultations and discussions at the town hall, college meetings, council meetings. 

But also the discussions in the region, often with fellow mayors, within the framework of the Southeast Brabant Safety Region, the Eindhoven Urban Area, or the Eindhoven Metropolitan Region. Because there is a lot going on in our region.

100 days in which I have already had the opportunity to meet many people.

I went out with various council members.
We had open and productive conversations: about what motivates them to be politically active, about their ideals, about what they are proud of in our municipality. And it was through them that I also got to know people, places, and organizations that are important to them.

I took a tour of the municipality to discuss road safety.
I met the volunteers from the LEV group and also the museum volunteers.
I visited the seniors at the Jo van Dijkhof.
I took walks through Gerwen and Nederwetten. 
I walked through the Broek, with my black polished shoes in soggy soil.
Through the Kernkwartier, and past the photo exhibition of one of the photo clubs.

But there were also encounters with our residents.
Casual chats with random passersby.
Conversations about life with sixty-year-old married couples. 

The special moments when awards are presented: people and associations who make a distinctive contribution to our community. And then it is important to recognize and appreciate this. We did this in 2025 with 12 municipal and 11 royal awards. 
In Nuenen, Gerwen, and Nederwetten, the commitment of volunteers is visible every day. That is something to be proud of. Because volunteer work holds our society together.

I also got to know our police officers, firefighters, field staff, and civil servants. Professionals who work hard for us all, day in, day out. To ensure that we can live together happily here, in a clean and safe environment, and to actually implement plans. 

Another special moment was the tribute to top athletes from our municipality:
Paulien Sweers, European judo champion in the under-23 category,
and Vera Sneijders, world rowing champion with the Women's Eight.

With the Fietsmaatjes foundation, I cycled a long way through our municipality. I visited the Van Gogh Village Museum, the reopening of the Dorpswerkplaats, the theater performance "Even Centraal" by the young people of Lindespelers, and events such as Dwers op het IJs.

I was also given a tour of Nuenens College. During the various Sinterklaas parades in our communities, I got to know our youngest residents, their parents, and grandparents.

And I could go on and on: there's too much to mention. So much is happening here. And so much is being organized and done here. It's really something to be proud of as a community.

Nuenen Crossroads

I have often asked what exactly Nuenen Dwèrs is. Not where it comes from, but what it still means today. I have heard many different descriptions. But the common denominator is: pride, individuality, working together, putting your shoulder to the wheel. Or gritting your teeth and not letting go until the desired joint result is achieved. A positive force with which much is achieved. Developing new initiatives in a self-assured manner. And this happens where people with ideas meet. 
Everyone you talk to is proud of Nuenen, Gerwen, and Nederwetten. Whether people were born here or moved here later in life, they all say: we don't want to leave here. That expresses great satisfaction. And that is something to be grateful for.

Preview

Ladies and gentlemen,
January 1 is the first day of the new year.
Even before midnight, wishes start pouring in on the phone. We wish each other happiness, health, and prosperity.

What is perhaps less well known is that January 1 is also World Peace Day. And current events make its importance greater than ever.
The ongoing war in Ukraine.
The tensions in Israel and Palestine.
The situation in Venezuela.
And in so many other places around the world.

We wonder about global alliances and international stability. These are big questions. But they do not discourage us.

Listen and keep talking

At the same time, we are also experiencing polarization in the Netherlands. Contrasts are sometimes exaggerated more than necessary.

I believe that by truly listening to what the other person is trying to say, to the concerns they carry with them, we can become more receptive to each other.

Yes, we may disagree. But the relationship is essential: only if we continue to find common ground can we continue to build the future of our municipality and our communities together.

Regional cooperation

In our region, we know what cooperation means. We have big ambitions and big challenges ahead of us. Some are within our control, others are beyond it. As a local government, we cannot tackle these issues alone. That is why we actively participate in regional cooperation—fruitful and necessary. Only by working together and, in particular, by sharing the benefits and burdens equally can we create a stronger region. What does this leap in scale require from our municipality and what do we have to offer? We must continue to discuss this with each other and within the region.

The municipal council is entering the final months of this council term. A period in which the council and the executive committee—at least that is my impression of the past 100 days—have worked together harmoniously and achieved great results for residents, entrepreneurs, and visitors.

The elections are coming up. On March 18, you will once again be able to cast your vote. I sincerely hope that you will do so in large numbers. By doing so, you will be casting a vote for the future and giving representatives of the people a mandate to guide our municipality for the next four years.

Let us continue to work together to build attractive and livable communities in Nuenen, Gerwen, and Nederwetten, where it is pleasant to live, good to do business, and worthwhile to visit. This is a task for all of us. Let us do it together. As the King said in his Christmas message: community spirit is the key. 

This is abundantly evident in Nuenen: with the power of togetherness. Headstrong, self-willed, self-aware, decisive, and persistent. Or, as they say in Nuenen, Dwers; and let's get to work.

I wish you all a happy, healthy New Year filled with mutual solidarity and connection with one another. I would like to raise a toast to you all, to our beautiful municipality, and to a prosperous 2026. Happy New Year! Thank you very much.