Message From the Mayor - 10 Jan 22

Mayoral Column 10 Jan 2022

A big welcome back to everyone this new year, it has been great to see town pumping with visitors over the break and here’s hoping it will continue for the rest of the school holidays!

Congratulations to community members Ailsa McGilvary-Howard and Ted Howard who were both awarded a Queen's Service Medal for their selfless work towards saving native species in the Kaikōura peninsula. It is great to see these guys acknowledged as they never seek any recognition or ask for anything in return for their work and it can often go unnoticed.

Gut-wrenching and devastating are the few words that best describe the situation on the pāua right now and I know that’s how the whole community is feeling too. After 5 years of careful preservation, when I last entered the water with my son it sure felt like most of it has been undone. It is obvious we need to work with MPI to find a more sustainable solution going forward.

On a more positive note, I’d still like to thank the fishery officers, they have been out patrolling and doing their best with the absolute overwhelming number of people in the water taking this summer.
Kaikōura overall has had a safe summer so far however there was both a very high number of road deaths and drownings across the country. So just as a reminder as summer is not over and there will be lots more boating and swimming to be done, enjoy the great weather but stay safe in the water, watch out for your young ones and other community members.

Craig Mackle