It’s great to see the volunteers in our community being acknowledged recently for their tremendous good work – it’s a bit like an iceberg though, with the huge majority happily flying under the radar.

A small district like ours relies heavily on the hours being put in by volunteers – we have volunteers driving people to hospital appointments in Christchurch as no adequate publicly-funded system is available, we have volunteers helping people buy their groceries, others fundraising for scholarships to give to our youth, and still others supporting the development of public infrastructure.

Two projects that fit the last category are in the news at the moment, as the Staveley ice staking and curling rink opened to the public after a big refit and a new walkway to Sharplin Falls re-opened. The hours of volunteer labour were in the many thousands.

The ice rink now has a refrigerated surface meaning having sufficient natural ice is no longer a problem, thanks to the terrific fundraising efforts of a small but dedicated team; and the new Sharplin Falls track is the work of years of planning and collaboration, and fundraising too. Now a whole new generation can enjoy these special outdoor locations unique to our patch.

Our volunteers are also busy delivering meals on wheels for some of our most vulnerable community members, they coach sports, pick up rubbish and support young readers in schools.

Yet another group of volunteers is helping our former refugee families settle into life in Ashburton, and that role is as much about friendship and welcoming as it is about helping these newcomers start a new life.

So many people support our community and these people all need recognition and support, so when it is time for our local community honours awards later this month, look around and nominate those you see doing great work.

Council financially supports many volunteer groups and as part of the recent Annual Plan process, we allocated nearly $250,000 to community groups for operations and special projects. These grants ranged from money to help fun rural libraries, to a rugby club putting in a public drinking fountain and new group helping young people to manage their digital safety.

It is a pleasure to be able to support them through the grants and funding process.

While we have only just ticked off the Annual Plan, work is already under way for the next major piece of planning, the Long Term Plan 2024-34. Early engagement is about to start and this will be like a litmus test of general issues the community sees most important.

This feedback is important and will help us ask some specific questions during the consultation stage for the Long Term Plan in the early part of 2024.
Your opinions matter and help us set our priorities, so please speak up.