Enterprise North Canterbury celebrates 20 years
From local democracy reporter David Hill:
Enterprise North Canterbury (ENC) is celebrating 20 years of supporting local business.
Launched in 2002 by the Waimakariri and Hurunui district councils, ENC was established to promote economic development in the region.
‘‘Right from the get-go, ENC has been all about supporting local,’’ says chief executive Heather Warwick, who has been with the agency since 2003.
‘‘We have stuck to this across the board over the past two decades, supporting new and existing local businesses with our economic development team.’’
ENC also supports tourism in the Waimakariri district through Visit Waimakariri and more recently created the Made North Canterbury brand to support local food and beverage producers.
Warwick said the earthquakes and Covid-19 had kept the agency busy.
The first of the quakes, in September 2010, had a significant impact on Kaiapoi with some redevelopment work going today.
‘‘The past 20 years have thrown a significant number of challenges our way,’’ she said.
‘‘So many of our local businesses needed support to rebuild and recover (from the 2010 quake), which was of course followed by aftershocks and more major earthquakes in 2011 and then again in 2016.’’
By partnering with the Ministry of Social Development, ENC was able to assist hundreds of businesses affected by the earthquakes with support, advice, information and funding.
Covid-19 presented a new set of challenges as the country went into lockdown, Warwick said.
The small ENC team supported more than 900 local businesses through the lockdown and in the aftermath.
ENC’s business development team received a commendation at the 2021 Economic Development New Zealand Awards for its efforts to support businesses during this period.
Aside from these challenges, ENC has supported and developed a number of projects and partnerships to support local businesses, Warwick said.
These included supporting the Hurunui Water Project to get off the ground in 2004, the North Canterbury Business Awards held every two years since 2008, establishing the ENC Business Centre in Kaiapoi and creating the Made North Canterbury brand.
Poll: Do you think banning gang patches is reasonable?
With the government cracking down on gangs, it is now illegal for gang members to display their insignia in public places whether through clothing or their property.
This means arrests can be made if these patches are worn in places like restaurants, shops, on public transport or ferries, and on airplanes. Arrests were made recently at a funeral.
Do you think this ban is reasonable?
-
77.1% Yes
-
22% No
-
0.9% Other - I'll share below
What's your favourite recipe for courgettes?
Kia ora neighbours. If you've got a family recipe for courgettes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our January 2025 issue.
Think You’ve Got the Answer? Today’s Riddle Says ‘Prove It’!
If eleven plus two equals one, what does nine plus five equal?
Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.
Want to stop seeing riddles in your newsfeed?
Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.
Loading…
