The Star: May 06, 2021

The Star Thursday May 6 2021
22
OPINION
Hospital board
CDHB MEMBERS Gough and
Keown are rightly concerned
over the centralisation of our
medical system, and among other
things how it will impact smaller
towns and the rural sector, as
outlined in The Star (April 22).
There have also been plans
to centralise school boards and
polytechs, including those that
are very successful, like SIT.
Even farming regulations are
becoming ‘one size fits all’, which
will only fit a few as we live
in a very complex and diverse
landscape.
– D Downward
David McPhail
May I thank Kurt Bayer for his
interesting article about his visit
to David McPhail. Easy to read,
most informative, and it brought
back memories.
Many skits of Kiwi life, especially
of Sir Robert Muldoon,
We want to hear your views
on the issues affecting life
in Canterbury
Send emails to:
barry@starmedia.kiwi
were funny with a capital F.
Much appreciated journalism.
– Bevan Phillipson
Trust in Govt
I wonder why people still trust
this Government? The minister
told us this evening that the biggest
number of people had gone
off the jobseekers benefit since I
think it was 1996.
I also wonder why it is telling
us they are ramping up vaccines
when last week we were told
that there were only approximately
400,000 doses left in the
country.
As usual it is spending large
sums of money setting up vaccine
centres when in the US chemists
can do the same job and I know
our local chemist is qualified to
do it and for a lot less money.
Imagine how much taxpayers
money could be saved? But hey,
it’s not their money so easy come
easy go, and we can always print
more. – R Lucas
Letters may be edited or rejected at Star Media’s
discretion. Letters should be about 200 words.
A name, postal address and phone number should be
provided.
Please use your real name, not a nickname, alias, pen
name or abbreviation.
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
Tourism hui brings
hundreds to city
THIS WEEK I had the
opportunity to welcome more
than 750 delegates to our city
for TRENZ Hui 2021, the largest
business event in New Zealand
for over a year.
THis year it will be a different
format from the normal TRENZ
event. Each year, TRENZ brings
hundreds of international travel
buyers together to meet with
New Zealand’s leading tourism
operators, to build or renew
relationships and negotiate
business deals for the coming
seasons.
We were due to host
TRENZ 2020, which was
cancelled for the first time,
when borders were forced to
close by Covid-19.
Given that these borders
are still closed, and buyers
cannot attend, the format was
redesigned to help the industry
prepare for the return of
international visitors.
The three themes were: Revive
– Reconnect – Revitalise.
After everything our city
has been through over the past
decade, I said there was no
better place to come for TRENZ
Hui 2021 than Ōtautahi,
Christchurch.
We describe ourselves as a city
of opportunity for all – a place
that is open to new ideas, new
people and new ways of doing
things – a place where anything
is possible.
The genesis for this thinking
has been the belief that times of
crisis always offer opportunities.
I expressed hope that the
industry would explore the
opportunities to reimagine
the future of tourism in a
post-Covid world in partnership
with mana whenua and the
destinations that together
create a unique offering in the
world.
I invited them to seize that
opportunity with real optimism
based on the unique experience
of a city that has been given the
chance to reimagine its future
and respond to new challenges
in a way we would never have
thought possible.
Mayor
Lianne Dalziel