I enjoyed celebrating the opening of Satisfy Food’s new premises in Southbrook. Their new warehouse is an impressive step up from where they have come from and I know they will be able to function even more efficiently in their new space. It was great to see so many different community groups join them for the celebration and a good reminder of how lucky we are to have such a dedicated and comprehensive social services in Waimakariri. These groups all do incredibly valuable work in our community – thank you all.
Canterbury is one of New Zealand’s strongest economies thanks to our local producers and exporters which is resulting in growth, more jobs and better wages, which is why it was great to host Todd McClay, Minister for Primary Industries and Trade, in Waimakariri to meet with our hard-working farmers and exporters.
A big thanks to the teams at Sutton Tools and Scottville Farm for their hospitality and for sharing insight into their respective sectors – it’s always valuable for Government Ministers to hear from people directly involved on the ground locally about what they think is working well, and of course what could be improved.
Thanks also to Sean Horgan, MainPower’s new CE, for inviting me to meet the team and hear about some of the background of MainPower’s success story. We are very fortunate in North Canterbury to have such a community-focused company investing almost $100,000 a year into our young sporting hopefuls and not-for-profit organisations.
A number of people have asked me recently about the Government’s plan to bring in move-on orders to address antisocial and disorderly behaviour in town centres and CBDs, and it is reassuring to know that a lot of business owners and residents in Waimakariri are very supportive of this initiative.
I have met with several shop owners in Rangiora High St and I am coordinating a meeting between them and the council to discuss the need for a bylaw to protect our town centres, which are vital to our local economy for jobs and incomes. Both Rangiora and Kaiapoi are fast becoming a destination of choice for visitors coming out from Christchurch and we want to keep our town centres safe, vibrant and welcoming.
Lastly, I had the honour of laying a wreath on behalf of the Government on Sunday to remember the 51 lives we lost in the March 15 terror attack in 2019. It is also important to remember those who were injured during the two terrible attacks, as well as the families still struggling with the aftershock from this tragic event.