Plans to make Renwick a ‘wine village’

A rebranding of Renwick as a ‘‘wine village’’ with an abundance of green space will be assisted by a $50,000 boost to beautify the town.

Renwick Smart and Connected worked alongside the Marlborough District Council to craft a range of improvement ideas.

Renwick Smart and Connected vice-chairman Nigel Taylor earmarked High St for special attention.

‘‘This really can have quite an impact - it is the centre of Renwick,’’ he said.

‘‘The space is very open and pretty spartan at the moment.

‘‘It’s about making it a comfortable space that people can come out and sit, and have a coffee, and maybe in the future have a glass of wine.’’

Taylor said another working group in Renwick was seeking to ‘‘get the influence of wineries and vineyards into the town’’.

The $50,000 funding approval was passed as part of the Marlborough District Council’s Small Township Programme in late June.

Council community advisor Adi James said the programme would deliver $5 million over nine years for ‘‘important infrastructure in outdoor public spaces’’.

James said funding towards new plants, banners and additional seating throughout Renwick had been pitched.

‘‘There is also the development of a number of pocket parks around Renwick,’’ she said.

‘‘What we’ve been trying to do at council is approach the com- munity and ask: ‘Who are you? What do you see yourself as?’

James said Renwick could not escape its wine association and could take advantage of the label to attract more visitors.

‘‘They are in the heart of plonk,’’ she said.

‘‘Wine country is where they are, the heart of the place is who they are.’’

Renwick Smart and Connected was expected to hold a meeting on Wednesday night to continue discussions on how to stage the upgrades.

A public workshop would be held in the coming months to canvas ideas on the beautification project. The Havelock i-Site is re-opening on Thursday for its second season. Destination Marlborough general manager Tracy Johnston said the ultimate goal was to have the visitor information service open all year. This season, the i-Site is opening a month earlier and closing at the end of next May, a month later than the previous season. It would originally open on reduced hours, between 930am and 230pm.

Season closed

The blue cod fishing season in the Marlborough Sounds area will close today and will reopen on December 20. Fishing for blue cod in the Challenger Area has a limit of two fish, over 33 centimetres in length, for each angler. Ministry for Primary Industries fishery officers say fish must be landed whole or gutted. Blue cod can be taken from the Challenger Area to the Marlborough Sounds if it can be proved where it was caught.