Aero Club Eyes I-SITE Building FULL STORY P3
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????,Saturday, ????, May ????? 23, 2020 SinceSince Sept Sept 1879 27, 1879 RetailRetail $2.70 $2.20Home deliveredHome delivered from $1.40 from $1.40THE INDEPENDENTTHE INDEPENDENT VOICE VOICE OF OF MID MID CANTERBURY CANTERBURY Mid Canterbury is for business! MidCanOpenforBiz.nz open ASSAULT ENQUIRIES WEEKEND ONGOING FULL STORY P5 Bridge too far P2 Aero club eyes i-SITE building FULL STORY P3 Country strong P6 Ph 03 307 7900 to subscribe! News 2 Ashburton Guardian Saturday, May 23, 2020 www.guardianonline.co.nz ■ POLITICS Falloon sings new leader’s praises BY SUSAN SANDYS due to potential contamination. [email protected] Falloon worked for Minister Rangitata MP Andrew Falloon is Steven Joyce at the time, so had to singing the praises of his former work closely with senior Fonterra business associate Todd Muller executives. as the Bay of Plenty MP takes the While not saying whether he reins as National Party leader. voted for Bridges or Muller in the Muller has wide name recogni- caucus meeting, Falloon is sing- tion in the agri-business commu- ing his new leader’s praises. nity and has been a regular visi- While wishing Bridges and his tor to Mid Canterbury, although wife Natalie well, and acknowl- he has been far from a household edging the hard work and sac- name until this week. rifice the former leader had put The 51-year-old family man into the leadership, Falloon said rolled incumbent Simon Bridges Todd came with “an excellent in an emergency caucus meet- business pedigree and an ex- ing held yesterday, following two traordinary work ethic”. devastating poll results. “In times of crisis he is cool, Muller is a former executive calm and collected, exactly what assistant to then-Prime Minis- we need as we move to a longer ter Jim Bolger in the 1990s. He term recovery and look to mend moved into the private sector and a shattered economy. joined Fonterra in 2011 where “With Todd at the helm we can he worked his way up to group articulate that to all New Zea- director of co-operative affairs, landers,” Falloon said. leaving to become an MP in 2014. “He’s been a regular visitor to Falloon said he had known Mid Canterbury and has a strong Muller since the new leader’s affinity with our local urban and Fonterra days, when Falloon was rural communities. involved in the Government’s re- “I’ve told Todd I’m willing to sponse to the Whey Protein Con- serve in any role he and our cau- centrate incident. cus determine, as well as contin- The incident in 2013 saw the uing in my most important job Ministry for Primary Industries of working hard for the people in recall products sold by Fonterra Mid and South Canterbury.” Right – MPs Andrew Falloon and Todd Muller at Tekapo during one of Muller’s visits last year. PHOTO SUPPLIED New leader will ‘turn polls around’ – John Hunt BY SUSAN SANDYS a very long time on Simon and Todd as well, it’s just politics.” work with now, and happy for SUSAN.S quite unjustified in my opin- Muller had been incredibly Muller in that he had Falloon as Mid Canterbury National Party ion,” Hunt said. good as environment spokes- a committed MP in the Rangita- members have their hopes set “To be blunt, if the media don’t person and then more recently ta electorate. on new leader Todd Muller for like you, you are in trouble.” agriculture spokesperson, win- Under Bridges, Falloon had taking the party to victory in the Hunt said Bridges had been ning admiration for his work on already been valued for his hard 2020 General Election. incredibly hard working and the Zero Carbon Bill. work and ability, and was being Member John Hunt of Ash- very committed to a better New “He will focus on what will be lined up for a Minister’s role if burton, a former Rangitata elec- Zealand. the benefit for the country as National got into government. torate executive member, said “But look, it’s politics, and if opposed to ‘I’m in the National He expected this would be the as good as Simon Bridges had the people of the day can’t reso- Party’,” Hunt said. same under Muller. been, the times had called for nate with him then the party has Hunt was happy for Rangitata “I believe it (the new leader change. to do what the party has to do, MP Andrew Falloon in that he appointment) will turn the polls John Hunt “It’s been quite an attack for and that same rule will apply to would have a new dynamic to around,” Hunt said. 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ASHBURTONBedding WEBSITE WWW.BEDSRUS.CO.NZ FURNISHINGS | FLOORING | CURTAINS [email protected] PRICE | www.redmonds.co.nz Discount offers apply to selected beds and bedding only, prices as marked. Bedding Discount offers apply to selected beds and bedding only, prices as marked. News www.guardianonline.co.nz Saturday, May 23, 2020 Ashburton Guardian 3 Aero club chasing i-SITE as new HQ BY SUE NEWMAN said. “Pilots and their passengers [email protected] in transit use our clubrooms to What was once an information refresh, check forward weather hub for the Ashburton District and gain area knowledge from could have a new life as a hub of a our professional instructing staff. very different kind. To be able to host them in a com- The Mid Canterbury Aero Club fortable, presentable environ- has made a bid to win ownership ment would be very nice.” of Ashburton’s i-SITE and if they’re The idea of bidding for the successful, the building will be building came from club mem- relocated from its East Street site ber Peter McQuarters who said to the Ashburton Airport where it with the council owning the air- will become the aero club’s head- field, it made absolute sense for quarters. the airport to become the i-SITE It’s the perfect use for a building building’s new home. that has always had a high public “Once I had come to terms profile, club president Ian Begbie with the fact that the old i-SITE said. was emphatically finished on its The building’s owner, the Ash- current location, the penny just burton District Council called dropped one day and I thought tenders for the building earlier this would make an excellent re- this year but the Covid-19 pan- placement for the aero club’s an- demic meant a decision on its cient clubrooms which are really new owner was delayed. Begbie is decades past their best use date,” now waiting for a phone call with he said. what he hopes will be positive “The relocation of this great news. CBD building to the airport With the club’s rooms well would really set the tone for the past their use-by date, the i-SITE whole place.” building would be a perfect re- When club members walked placement, he said. through the i-SITE it was ap- If the aero club wins the ten- parent that the building was the der, Begbie said the existing clu- The beleaguered I-SITE building in its current state on East Street. PHOTO ASHBURTON GUARDIAN perfect design for clubrooms that brooms would be demolished and had to do double duty as flying the new building located on the the building from its East Street recently completed its new hang- the airfield was a popular stop- instructors’ offices and briefing same site. The location was crit- site might come with a few chal- ar facility and that meant funds over and refuelling point for and lecture rooms, McQuarters ical as a clear view of the airfield lenges, he said. were a little depleted, securing the cross-country aviators. The addi- said. was needed from the building and If the aero club wins the i-SITE i-SITE building was an opportuni- tion of a new refuelling facility in- Ashburton District Council that could only be provided from building, the old clubrooms and ty that could not be passed up, he cluding the provision of Jet A1 fuel chief executive Hamish Riach one site, he said. its store of memories, will be fare- said. would only add to air traffic. said the council was in discus- It would be a relatively quick job welled in style with a short service. “We either pick it up and run Over the past 40 years the air- sions with two parties on the to demolish the building, clear the “It’s certainly got a lot of memo- with it or walk away.” field had undergone huge devel- i-SITE’s future but could not in- site and prepare foundations for ries,” Begbie said.