Porirua pride on show at mayoral showcase
Plenty of pride was on show among the hundreds of business owners and thousands of visitors who flocked to Porirua’s Mayoral Showcase on April 28.
The business expo, a partnership between Porirua Chamber of Commerce and Porirua City Council, was a key step to building pride and a flourishing business network, said chamber of commerce executive director Holly Thompson.
‘‘There has been a pride issue in Porirua but I think the tide’s turning and I think this event really shows how proud people are to be here,’’ Ms Thompson said.
April’s expo was the second the chamber had organised within a year.
The Mayoral Showcase is a stepping stone for Porirua businesses to expos in Wellington and beyond, she said. ‘‘People want to know the person they’re dealing with, not just the business. That’s what makes events like this so important.’’
One newbie to the expo scene was Rachel Thwaites, who was offered a free stall by Ms Thompson to promote her foodcollecting initiative, Feed with Love.
Ms Thwaites is aiming to fill food banks’ shelves by this week, after she read the charities were struggling.
‘‘Her attitude is fantastic,’’ Ms Thompson said.
‘‘What she’s done is look at a problem in the community and said, ‘This is what I can do’, rather than put it in the toohard basket.’’
Now that the Mayoral Showcase is moving into an annual autumn slot, plenty more businesses and community groups are keen to get on board, Ms Thompson said.
Artists and musicians are even enquiring how they can contribute next year.
‘‘The message is, ‘This is our city’, and so the more people who are proud and really keen to be part of that message is really great for us.’’