Ashburton District Council has been recognised as an Advanced Welcoming Community, one of the first councils in New Zealand to achieve the status.

Ashburton joined the Government’s Welcoming Communities programme in 2017 as a pilot Council and has progressed to stage three accreditation, with each of the four stages requiring increased levels of commitment.

The accreditation from Immigration New Zealand comes as Council is preparing to adopt a new Welcoming Communities Plan.

Group Manager for Democracy and Engagement Toni Durham said an updated 2024 plan would be considered at Council’s meeting on Wednesday and it laid out a work programme for the next three years.

“We’ve been talking with the different parts of our community for a while now so we could update the plan to reflect the current community and its needs.

“We’re absolutely thrilled to receive advanced accreditation and our whole mission is to make sure newcomers feel welcomed and included when they come to live in the Ashburton District.”

She said accreditation was an advantage for Ashburton in attracting, supporting and retaining newcomers, who played an important part in the district’s economy by working and using their skills.

“But being a welcoming community is about more than a job, it’s Council and the community welcoming new people and building relationships to create positive social benefits for us all.”

In the past 10 years, Ashburton’s population grew by 11.26%, with 27% of people who took part in the census identifying themselves as an ethnicity other than European.

The population growth has been driven primarily by the strong local rural economy, which has created a demand for labour in the agricultural and manufacturing sectors.

Mrs Durham said Council’s Welcoming Communities advisor Mercedes Walkham would ensure activities in the plan provided ways for the community to get involved and work together.

“A good deal of welcoming activity already happens in our district and we want to build on that to foster a strong, resilient and inclusive district.”

Thirty-five councils are part of the Welcoming Communities programme and Ashburton is seen as a role model.