Back to the future for Methven ihub?
From local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
There will be an investigation into Methven’s ihub returning to booking agency services, the same activity that wasn't working and had the town's i-site shut three years ago.
The Ashburton District Council has accepted a request from the the Mt Hutt Memorial Board, where the ihub is situated, to investigate the Methven ihub becoming a booking agent, with the council to weigh up the economic benefit.
Chief executive Hamish Riach reminded councillors that the i-site in Ashburton was closed and Methven’s restructured in 2017 due a decline in revenue for bookings before the Methven i-site then closed in 2020, only to be reborn as the Methven ihub, an information centre without online booking services.
“The i-site lost money and was closed to form the ihub,” Riach said.
There may have been a shift in demand which was worth investigating he said, and there will be upfront costs in setting up as a booking agent to consider, as part of the investigation.
Deputy mayor Liz McMillan, who attended the board meeting, said the request had come from the people working at the ihub who were receiving a number of booking inquiries, particularly for the Ōpuke Thermal Pools.
Currently, the ihub is only able to pass on information to visitors.
“They still feel there is an element of visitors that would benefit from using a service where they could call up a motel and make the booking on their behalf for example,” democracy and engagement group manager Toni Durham, said.
“They don’t have that ability at this stage, they just pass on contact details.”
As a booking agent they would receive income from making the bookings.
“There would be a little bit of income but there would be a cost as well so we would need to go away and understand what those numbers look like before we decided to go that way or not.”
Once the investigation is complete, a report will go before the council for a decision.
*Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ on Air
Best way to use leftovers?
I'm sure you've got some excess ham at home or cold roast potatoes.
What are some of your favourite ways to use leftover food from Christmas day? Share below.
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
Poll: Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?
Just a bit of a fun poll to get you thinking.
If you had to live out your Christmas days, would you prefer it was a summer Christmas or a winter Christmas?
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61.9% Summer
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36.6% Winter
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1.5% Other - I'll share below
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