I’m often asked where our big industries are heading and what impact they have on our city and region. The new player coming is aquaculture.

I recently had a meeting with one of Fonterra’s managers to discuss the new project at the Edendale plant and the wider impact for the region.

It’s no secret that dairying has some environmental impacts as many large industries do.

But I was also provided with some interesting non-environmental impacts as well.

■One in five (19%) jobs in Southland are in the dairying sector. These jobs are on farm and at the factory.

■If we add other services to the farming sector, the industry is a major employer.

■The direct jobs make up 28% of the Southland region’s wage bill, which implies a good income for many.

■The industry makes up 37.4% ($760m) of our regional GDP.

So, the industry has much to deliver in our community and enhances our results as one of the highest ranking areas in the country.

It also sustains our prosperity and resilience.

CCTV

The council has started installing the CCTV network with phase 1 covering the CBD, South City and Stirling Point, Bluff.

If you look at the cameras on the corner of Gala St and Queens Dr in Invercargill, you will notice a number of cameras installed on a single pole on the northwest corner of the intersection.

The cameras also allow for vehicle plate recognition, which will assist police in their work.

I was interested in the comments of the retiring Police Commissioner, who said that while most crime classes had reduced numbers, there was still a sense in communities of not feeling safe. That in part is due to the proliferation of instant online posts of incidents and a reduction in foot patrols in some areas.

I hope these cameras will enhance that feeling of safety within our community as the overall project is a significant financial commitment.

Te Unua — the new museum

Well, the build has commenced and soon you will be able to see the new museum come to life.

A real credit to councillor Grant Dermody (the project lead) and Lee Butcher (in our project management office and his team) for keeping this on time to be completed in December next year.

Who said it couldn’t be done in that short time frame.

The next period after that will be the fitout inside the building, referred to as the experience. We have a specialist team designing that experience. It will be informative and futuristic.

There has been some confusion over the digital focus that will attract young people to want to come time after time.

Digital is not just flat screen displays but includes many features such as technology-based interactive experiences, with less of a focus on static items with wall-mounted descriptions.

— Invercargill Mayor Nobby Clark

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