Christchurch city mayor Phil Mauger: Front and centre

As the weather warms up, so does our events season. The city is full of people, and we have a lot to look forward to.

It was great to be a part of the Antarctic season opening to welcome back scientists and supporters from all across the world before they head to the ice.

The Antarctic community supports over 3000 full-time jobs in Canterbury, and last year activities contributed about $158.3 million to Canterbury’s economy which is just fantastic.

The Diwali Festival is underway until 2 November and there’s always plenty to get involved in around this celebration period.

Last week there was the fantastic Indian Social and Cultural Club Diwali Event at Hagley Park which had a whole variety of entertainment like trade and food stalls. Seeing people from different cultures getting together to celebrate life in Christchurch is terrific.

I’m really glad that the A&P Show is going ahead this year, even if it’s a bit smaller than usual. It’s so important that the show continues for our city – it’s part of our history. I encourage everyone to get behind it to support this iconic event.

Finally the jewel in the crown of our events calendar is coming up with Cup and Show Week kicking off mid-November. You can’t deny this puts Christchurch in the spotlight. Our city is front and centre of the action this spring, so let’s get out and about and celebrate what makes our region so special.