The response by people in the Ashburton District to Super Saturday was great to see - almost nine out of every 10 people eligible for the vaccine in our district have had their first dose and more than half are now fully vaccinated with two doses.

As the country waits for further details of vaccination targets and how those will impact our daily lives, the push continues to have as many people as possible protected from Covid-19.

Ashburton District was among the top five local territorial authorities to improve vaccination rates last weekend: 577 people received their first dose and 1316 their second.

We know it’s hard to take time off work or the farm to attend a vaccination clinic, so thank you to all who did. The work continues for those in the primary health sector, with clinics still operational for booked and drop-in people.

As a region, the Canterbury District Health Board is hoping to have 90 per cent of the eligible population vaccinated with one dose by this Labour weekend. Now is a good time to talk with friends and family, and help them get over the line too.

People are encouraged to book online at BookMyVaccine.nz to find a clinic nearest to them; walk-ins (with no appointment) are available at Life Pharmacy on East Street, Ashburton.

Covid has impacted several Council events and uncertainties have forced the cancellations of Bite Nite and Christmas-themed nights, but we are determined to pop up smaller events and activities where we can, or support community groups with great ideas.

Our Business of the Year Awards are continuing and it’s good to see people voting for their favourite retailer. There have been 10 nominations in the People's Choice for retail category, which is decided by public text vote – keep a lookout on shop windows in town for voting codes and don’t be shy about sending us your vote, it won’t cost you a cent but it will help our retailers.

The awards have other categories, including excellence in primary industries, export and not-for-profit, and an award for a future business leader. Nomination forms and criteria are available on Council’s website until 30 November and finalists will be announced in December.

Let’s hope the big gala night to announce winners in February will be free of most of the current covid restrictions.