THE INFLUENCERS

LIANNE DALZIEL CHRISTCHURCH CITY COUNCIL | MAYOR

Lest we forget

The slow, beautiful changing colours of the leaves on the trees around the city are a sure sign that autumn is upon us.

April this year brings us two long weekends – Easter and Anzac - to enjoy the delights of autumn in Ōtautahi Christchurch. I hope you can all enjoy some restful time over these weekends, as well as supporting our local businesses who have been doing it tough.

Anzac Day normally brings thousands of people out early for a special dawn service in the centre of Christchurch. This year the RSA has made the call there will be no mass gathering because they want to protect the health of their veterans and the public.

There are other ways to commemorate the day - laying a poppy at your local war memorial – there are several around Christchurch and Banks Peninsula. Or standing in silence at the end of your driveway at dawn, as many of us did in 2020 when the whole country was in lockdown.

A virus can’t stand in the way of each of us holding fast to the tradition of remembering our veterans, and calling upon leaders across the world to commit to the peaceful resolution of confl ict. The cost is too high, and the pain is too great. We must never forget.

ROSS STEELE TE PAE CHRISTCHURCH | GENERAL MANAGER

Warm welcome back

A few weeks ago, I was delighted to join with colleagues from across the world for the Asia-Pacifi c Incentives and Meetings Event (AIME), held in Melbourne.

One of the business event industry’s largest trade events, AIME is a proven and valuable tool for connecting with clients, and sharing knowledge, insights and best practice with the best and brightest in business events. This year was no exception.

While we’ve been fortunate to maintain a presence at AIME for the past few years, this trip marked the fi rst time since 2020 that our Christchurchbased team has been able to travel to Melbourne and meet with clients in person.

That the trip was prefaced by the announcement of New Zealand’s border opening to Australia in April and the rest of the world from 1 May was timely.

With numerous Australasian conferences and events planned at Te Pae Christchurch this year, the announcement was welcome news for our team, industry and the wider tourism sector in Ōtautahi.

For our industry to survive and thrive, borders must be open. There is pent-up demand for our city and all the wonderful things it has to o er, but with the uncertainty around travel and quarantine restrictions, the confi dence needed by many to take that next step and book has been missing.

If anything was evident at AIME, it is that confi dence is now returning to the market.

We were absolutely blown away by the level of interest in Christchurch as a business events destination, and we can’t wait to welcome those guests to Te Pae Christchurch, Australasia’s newest convention centre.

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ALISON ADAMS CHRISTCHURCHNZ | CEO

A bright future

Watching Kiwi Jane Campion win a best directing Oscar for The Power of the Dog demonstrated the power of screen stories to move and inspire people.

Think of the Lord of the Rings e ect, where about 1 percent of visitors to New Zealand said they came because of those movies, six percent said LOTR was one of the reasons they visited, and 80 percent said they knew the movie trilogy was fi lmed here. Screen stories put a region on the global map.

Now think of the stunning, diverse landscapes of Waitaha Canterbury. They served as the backdrop for parts of LOTR and many more movies: Mulan, A Wrinkle in Time, Z is for Zachariah, The Hobbit, even Murder on the Orient Express.

The screen industry, including gaming and special e ects, is worth about $3.5 billion a year to New Zealand, but Canterbury attracts only 2.5 percent of that. So there is huge upside for this industry and its potential is quickly being realised. The region’s screen o ce, Screen CanterburyNZ, has worked to unite the local industry, adopt a regional strategy, make fi lming easier by developing permitting protocols and launch a fi rstin-New Zealand $1.5 million regional screen incentive grant. The University of Canterbury’s recently announced $97 million Digital Screen Campus is a big vote of confi dence in this opportunity.

A thriving screen sector is the backbone of a strong creative economy, attracting a younger generation into future-proofed jobs, and Canterbury’s screen future is looking bright.

LEEANN WATSON CANTERBURY EMPLOYERS’ CHAMBER OF COMMERCE | CHIEF EXECUTIVE

Migrant workers needed

A er a bumpy few months for the Canterbury Business Community, a return to normality is fi nally on the horizon.

With confi dence levels at an all time low, and with many Cantabrians isolating at home, it has certainly been challenging for business.

By and large our economy has performed well, with the notable exception of the hospitality and events sector which has borne the brunt of restrictive measures. Fortunately, the light at the end of tunnel is becoming more visible.

The recent eradication of vaccine passes, easing capacity limits and removing them altogether for outside gatherings has immediately had a positive impact throughout the city. The buzz from the Women’s Cricket World Cup was palpable. With Hagley Park near capacity for the fi nal match, Cantabrians and Christchurch did us proud on the world stage with an international audience of over 180 million.

We are eager to see a shift down to the orange tra c light setting as soon as possible. Public health evidence suggests we have passed the peak of Covid-19 infections, so removing the burdensome restrictions that have in many cases placed a handbrake on business is the right thing to do.

As the borders reopen, we expect to hear more about what this will mean for immigration. The critical worker shortage remains the single largest barrier to business in New Zealand at present.

Combine that shortage with the current brain drain and the urgent need for a pragmatic immigration policy becomes even more abundantly clear.