Ashburton Courier: August 13, 2020

NEWS
6 Ashburton Courier, August 13, 2020
www.ashburtoncourier.co.nz
Mask mission for sock­makers
LINDA.CLARKE
@ashburtoncourier.co.nz
NZ SockCoisboosting
production of its merinomasks
and can’t currently keepup
with demand.
Owner of the Ashburton
company, Euan Sparrow, said
he hadordered three maskmaking
machines from Italy
and had committed to meeting
abigmonthly overseas orderof
covid masks by theend of
October.
The specialist sock­maker is
using itsinnovative technology
to makemasks with antibacterial
inners from wool, a
natural fibregrown at its back
door.
Euan said nearly 1000 masks
were ordered onlinewithin a
14­hour window last week after
ministerofhealthChris
Hipkins said all Kiwisshould
have amaskonhand in case of
communitytransmission and
an escalation up to Alert Level
2.
NZ Sock Co is known for its
sock science ­socks produced
at theAshburton factory are
worn by soldiers, outdoor
adventurers andocean racers
in extreme conditions all over
the world. Its biggest customer
is Kathmandu.
The masks aremerinowool
and the company did aspecial
run of redmasks and socks for
local Labour MP Jo Luxton and
agriculture minister Damien
O’Connorlast week.
The ministerresponded by
taking off hisshoes and
showing that he was already a
fan of the local socks.The
freebies will make their way to
the Beehive’s top office.
NZ Sock Co owner Euan Sparrow (right) with agriculture minister Damien O’Connor, local Labour
MP Jo Luxton and Ashburton mayor Neil Brown.
The sock company had other
messagestoo ­they wanted
government to know that two of
its specialist workforce were
anxiousabout their work visas.
Euan has had trouble finding
staff forthe sock factoryin
NewZealandand thetwo
migrant workers areacrucial
part of the team; he needs to
know they willbeabletostay.
He said he advertised
regularly in New Zealand and
currently had up to 10 casual
jobs going, working anightshift
to help produce andfinish the
masksbeingmade.
Nearly 160,000masks have
beenmanufactured since
lockdown, most sold around
New Zealand and Australia.
TheLabour MPs and visiting
Ashburton District councillors
werealso shown the
company’s latest sock
technology, which turns strong
woolusually usedincarpet
into soft wool for socks.It’s a
secretprocess that Euan and
hisfamily have beenworking
on for three years.
Woolfrom NewZealandis
currently sent overseasfor
processing into yarn that is
sent backtoAshburtonand
made into socks.
There is no processing
facility in NewZealandthat
could handle the volume
needed.
The sock company started40
years ago withsix staff making
school and rugby socks.
Now it caters for the
specialist outdoor market and
wants to be able to trace its
yarntothe sheep farmer.
The ministersaid woolwas a
naturaland sustainable fibre
with many uses, which was
goodnews for the planet.
Bin checks for recycling offenders
Ashburton District Council
staff will check every yellowlidded
wheelie bin to make
sure people are complying
with new recycling rules and
offending households will be
offered more ‘‘education‘‘.
Since August 1, only plastics
1, 2and 5can now be collected
for recycling.
Solid waste manager Craig
Goodwin said not one truck
had been accepted for
recycling in Christchurch in
the first three days of the new
regime ­the kerbside
collection had been too
contaminated with nonrecyclables.
The changes followed a
month of advertising and
communication from council
to ratepayers.
Mr Goodwin said members
of his team would be on the
street with collection trucks
for the next four to six weeks,
walking ahead of the truck and
checking every single bin.
They would do as much
education as they could, he
said.
Information, including
stickers detailing what could
and couldn’t be recycled, had
been sent to households in the
past week.
Mr Goodwin said the stickers
were designed to be fixed on
the lid of the wheelie bin so
people would think about what
they were putting in.
Further work would be
needed to ensure
contaminations levels were
kept to aminimum and there
would be kerbside audits of
bins in problem areas.
Cr Carolyn Cameron said she
had fielded alot of calls about
recycling and the stickers
would be useful.
Soft plastics (that can be
scrunched in the hand) are
now going to landfill with
other waste. The tonnage of
rubbish being sent to Kate
Valley by the Ashburton
council has increased but that
is because more recycling is
being rejected because of
contamination.
Ratepayers were allowed to
mix waste and recycling
during lockdown but many
have not returned to good
recycling habits ­97.74 tonnes
was rejected in June because
of contamination, way up from
21.60 tonnes in March.
District councillors hearing
about the recycling changes
said there was abigger issue of
rubbish around town, with
many people discarding fast
food wrappers and plastic
drink containers on roadsides.
IN BRIEF
BOOK SALE
Downonreading material? Pop into
the Ashburton Library as they have
atable sale goingon.
Books that have been pruned
from the library’s collection are
beingdisposed of andmany are for
sale or otherwise beingrecycled.
LONG­DROPS OUT
Twonew pre-fabricated toilets,
costing $193,000, havebeen
orderedtoreplace public long-drop
toilets at Bowyers Stream and
WakanuiBeach. These willbe
installed in March.
Public toilets in the Ashburton
Domain are alsogetting attention
afterone of the cubicleswas set
alight by vandals.One cubicle
needs complete refittingand
relining.
AG ADVISOR
Richard Fitzgerald is theAshburton
District Council’snew agricultural
portfolio advisor; he started this
week.
TheMethven man hasextensive
knowledge of working in andwith
the agricultural sector and brings a
wealth of knowledge and contacts.
He will supportfarmingand agribusiness
industrieswith an
overarching aim of building
resilience andhelpingfuture proof
the Mid Canterbury economy.
APPRENTICE
FUNDING
Up to 30 Mid Canterbury
apprenticescouldbefunded
through agovernmentregional
apprentice initiative. TheAshburton
District Council is workingwith
Timaru and North Otagocouncils on
the project, whichisfacilitated
through the Provincial Growth Fund.
Moneyisavailable to train
apprenticesand assistemployers to
attractnew and retainexisting
apprenticeswhile dealingwith
covid; 44 potential apprentices
attended ameeting in Ashburton
recently to hear about it.
XMAS WELCOME
The Office of Ethnic Communities
has givenAshburton$13,000to
makeits annual Christmas
celebrations more inviting and
inclusive to newcomers in the
district.
Welcoming Communitiesadvisor
Janice McKaysaid this Christmas
could be difficult this year for many
with overseas family and theywould
needsupport.
SPORTS CENTRE
EA Networks Centre users will
notice tapemarking and barriers up
around the facilitytodayaspartof
alertlevel2socialdistancing
measures. Theswim school is
operating as scheduled.
171ALFORD FOREST ROAD,ASHBURTON
0800 86 22 44
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