Ashburton District Council is congratulating the Canterbury Mayoral Forum on the release of its updated wellbeing overview, a document that will be a valuable resource over the next three years.

The wellbeing overview includes high-level information on the current state of the region and trends. The document paints a picture for the Canterbury/Waitaha community about what’s going on across the region.

The wellbeing overview was first published in 2019 and has been updated in recent months and published this week. There has been some change in the past three years – a mixture of both positive and negative depending on what areas you’re looking at.

Chief Executive Hamish Riach said the overview looked at the four wellbeings that local authorities promoted under the Local Government Act (environmental, economic, social and cultural), and living standards.

“We know the Covid-19 pandemic has had a big impact, and will have a long tail. We also know that the impact on regional economies has varied.

“In the Ashburton District our agricultural sector provided some protection against those impacts, though across the district hospitality and tourism, particularly Methven, have suffered.”

The overview looks at water, air and biodiversity, as well as climate change. Summer rainfall is expected to increase up to 20 per cent in the inland plains, while winter rainfall is expected to increase up to 40 per cent in the eastern part of the region.

Mr Riach said that while warmer temperatures, a longer growing season and fewer frosts would provide potential opportunities to grow new crops, the changing climate also meant land and infrastructure had to be able to withstand or survive natural hazards like flooding.

“Agriculture plays a significantly more important role in Canterbury’s economy than in the economies of Auckland and Wellington regions and this contributes to our economic wellbeing.

“Our own surveys and consultation help us keep connected to how people in the Ashburton district are feeling, and coping, and this wellbeing overview adds to our own data collection.”

The overview also talks about housing, education, and health, as well as cultural diversity. Ashburton district has the highest percentage of people in Canterbury who identify as Pacific (3.4%).

The 2022 wellbeing overview can be found at Canterbury Mayoral Forum (canterburymayors.org.nz).