1108 days ago

We Say/You Say: trans-Tasman bubble

Reporter Northern Outlook

Hi Canterbury!

After more than a year of closed borders, Australians and New Zealanders will soon be able to jet-hop between countries after the government announced that the trans-Tasman travel bubble will be operational from April 19.

With quarantine-free travel now possible, are you more likely to head across the Tasman or travel domestically?

Fronting Australian media yesterday, Jacinda Ardern not only spoke of the excitement of families being able to be reunited, but also pitched New Zealand tourist activities to Australian viewers.

"If there is a hot spot in one of the states of Australia we may just act in the same way that another state would ... Just prepare that there may be disruptions, but what better place in the world to be stuck. Am I right?," she said.

The trans-Tasman bubble will operate on a three tier basis: Continue, Pause and Suspend. If there are a few cases in Australia linked to the border, quarantine-free travel will continue. Travel may be paused for 72 hours if there are rogue community cases and in the instance of a state or nationwide lockdown, travel will be suspended.

Share your thoughts below and don't forget to type NFP if you don't want your comment featured in the Conversations page of the Northern Outlook.

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3 hours ago

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8 hours ago

Supermarket plans remain on the shelf

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from The Press

By local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:

Plans for another supermarket in Ashburton remain shelved after more than 10 years.

Foodstuffs purchased the property at 407 West St/State Highway 1 in October 2012 and planned to develop the site into a Pak’nSave.

When the Ashburton District Council consulted on plan change 4 in 2020, which aimed to strengthen the role of the CBD as the primary commercial, retail, recreation, cultural and entertainment centre for the district, Foodstuffs submitted, citing it would impact its plans to establish the supermarket outside the CBD boundary.

Plan change 4 became operative in July 2021, with the West St site zoned business C which ‘provides for limited commercial activities, service and community activities, as well as a range of light industrial activities’.

A provision was included to allow for the supermarket on the specific site.

Three years later there is still no indication when the plans will progress.

A Foodstuffs spokesperson said the company “don’t have any updates to share about the site at this stage”.

The closest alternative Pak’nSave stores are Hornby (Christchurch), and Timaru, with a new store under construction in Rolleston.

The West St site was the former historic Canterbury Flour Mill that was the scene of a major fire in February 2011.

The building, built in 1872, was gutted by the fire.

As well as the two Woolworths and a New World the town has some smaller grocery stores such as SuperValue in Tinwald, and Four Square Netherby, while The Warehouse has recently added produce to its supermarket offerings.

While Foodstuff’s plans for Pak’nSave in Ashburton remain shelved, Savemore has announced it is set to open a new grocery clearance store in the town in May.

The store will be in the Ashburton Central retail centre off Tancred St.

Savemore is New Zealand-owned and operated and offers ‘clearance groceries at bargain prices’.

It opened two stores in Christchurch in the last six months, with Ashburton being its third location.

19 hours ago

Potted colour

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