Hurunui celebrates Welcoming Communities accreditation
By David Hill, local democracy reporter
Becoming an accredited Welcoming Community is "a big step forward", Hurunui mayor Marie Black says.
The Hurunui District Council celebrated achieving Welcoming Communities accreditation with a signing ceremony last week.
Immigration New Zealand’s (INZ) Welcoming Communities Programme - Te Waharoa ki ngā Hapori is designed to support local councils in welcoming recent migrants, former refugees and international students.
Hurunui is one of 26 councils around the country to have joined the initiative.
Black said the initiative was about "making people feel welcome".
"It is a big step forward for us as a district.
"It is important for us as we have such a diversity of ethnic groups who now live in the district."
Hurunui Welcoming Communities facilitator Natalie Paterson said gaining accreditation was the first milestone in a four stage process.
She said the Welcoming Communities advisory group would now begin a stocktake of support available for different ethnic groups and newcomers to determine what was working and to identify any gaps.
"We will take that information and develop a three-year plan of how Hurunui can be the most welcoming place for all newcomers."
She said the term "newcomers" was used rather than migrants, as it included New Zealanders moving to the district from other parts of the country as well as those arriving from overseas.
"With the recent natural disasters we may find people looking for a change and we want to ensure Hurunui is a place people are thinking about."
Poll: Should we ditch daylight saving? 🕰️
First introduced in New Zealand in 1927 with the passing of the Summer Time Act, it's what we know as 'Daylight Saving' and this year it ends on the first Sunday in April.
While we do get to sleep in this time around, some people would like to scrap the clock tinkering for good.
And why? Some evidence suggests the time changes are bad for our health as they mess with sleep patterns leading to short-term fatigue and affecting mood. Meanwhile the hour change is frustrating for farmers and a nightmare for getting the littlies to sleep. But what's your take?
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39.3% Yes - get rid of the clock changes
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58.7% No, I enjoy it
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2% Other - I'll share below
Alan and Hazel Kerr share Senior New Zealander of the Year Award 2026
Dr Alan and Hazel Kerr describe themselves as ‘just ordinary old Kiwis’, despite being named as the 2026 Ryman Healthcare Senior New Zealanders of the Year Te Mātāpuputu o te Tau.
The amazing couple prompted a standing ovation at a star-studded Auckland event which recognised their tireless efforts, with Alan travelling to and from Gaza and the West Bank 40 times to help children over 20 years, and Hazel travelling 20 times.
Click read more to find out more.
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