Akaroa Hosts Seaweek Events 28th February to 8th March 2015

Akaroa Hosts Seaweek Events (28th February to 8th March 2015)

The coast has been a great determiner of Akaroa’s economy, heritage and culture and in June the Akaroa marine reserve was opened. In celebration of all things coastal, Akaroa will host renowned marine expert, Professor Chris Battershill, as part of Seaweek celebrations in March.

“Akaroa’s economy and cultural heritage is hugely influenced by the sea, so it’s great that we’ve been able to attract such a high calibre speaker to inform and inspire us about the coastal treasures that surround our town” said Akaroa District Promotions Executive Officer, Hollie Hollander. “In June 2014 the new marine reserve was gazetted, so it’s timely for us to celebrate Seaweek and acknowledge the significance of our coast.”

Professor Battershill’s presentation on 2 March is titled ‘Marine Reserve biodiversity - more than you bargain for: Baselines, Resilience and the Blue Economy’. He will focus on Akaroa Harbour and the establishment of marine reserves in general.

Other Akaroa Seaweek events include a school debate. On 4 March Akaroa Area School and Ao Tawhiti Unlimited School in Christchurch will be battling it out on the debating floor. The topic is ‘The Land is More Important than the Sea’ and Ao Tawhiti Unlimited will argue in the negative and Akaroa Area School in the positive. The debate is promising to be both informative and entertaining.

On 5 March an Akaroa Area School Fundraising Seafood Dinner & Harbour Cruise on Black Cat Cruises will take place. The event will feature a seafood gourmet feast, live music and Harbour cruise to the new Akaroa Marine Reserve. The seafood will be provided by local fishing companies and will all be from sustainable fishing methods.

The Akaroa Orion Powerhouse Gallery will be getting into the theme of Seaweek with a Seaweek Art Exhibition and there are a number of discounted Akaroa Harbour Cruises during the week.

Also during Seaweek a new brochure is being launched titled ‘Why is Akaroa Harbour so special’ which highlights the internationally significant and unique geological, ecological, archaeological and historic sites of Akaroa Harbour.

Akaroa’s Seaweek Guest Speaker is Professor Chris Battershill, Chair Coastal Science, University of Waikato.

This event will be held at 7.30pm on Monday 2 March 2015 at the Akaroa Bowling Club. Entry is free.

ENDS

© Scoop Media