15 August 2018

Marlborough Mayor John Leggett says Marlborough’s first grant from the Provincial Growth Fund has been won through good working partnerships developed within the aquaculture sector and fostered by Council.

“I’m thrilled Marlborough is going to be one of the earliest beneficiaries of the government’s fund for the provinces thanks to the great work that has been going on within one of our most important primary producer groups - aquaculture.”

Mr Leggett says the need to find a purpose for unwanted blue mussels emerged from a forum organised by Council in late 2016 for the Smart & Connected Aquaculture Group.

He said one of the first questions the industry, science and marketing representatives had decided to focus on was the need to find a purpose for the large quantities of unwanted blue mussels, a by-product of green-lipped mussel production in the Marlborough Sounds.

By working together, science and industry has come up with a new opportunity in Marlborough, he said.

It was a direct result of the Smart & Connected approach aimed at promoting collaboration, he said.

“It’s exactly what we hoped could be achieved by helping the various businesses within a sector group to work together with their wider community of interest through our Smart & Connected programme; by facilitating partnerships and communication we’re now seeing genuine economic development.”

“I hope this is just the beginning for the mussel industry; finding a purpose for waste product and creating new business which has the potential to be another winner for Marlborough.”

The Government’s statement is here

ENDS.

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