News a $100 million dairy plant has been approved for Glenavy was well received yesterday in the small South Canterbury township best known as a destination for anglers fishing the nearby Waitaki River.
Dairy farm worker Graham Devine, who was enjoying a beer at the Glenavy Hotel during a day off, said the plant had to be good for both the district and the dairy industry.
Mr Devine, who has lived in the Waimate and Glenavy area since 1983, used to work in shearing gangs on farms throughout the area.
Now, there were few sheep grazing in the district and it had become a "huge" dairying area.
Irrigation, utilising water from the Waitaki River, had turned the area into a "goldmine" and dairying was now the backbone of the economy, he said.
There had been a lot of talk in the area about the plant, particularly when the plans were first announced, with no negative comments.
It would also give dairy farmers another option, he said.
At nearby Fields Glenavy Store, owner Kevin Field said it could "only be a plus" for his business.
He had only heard positive comments about the plant.
"Anything that creates business in a small town must be beneficial to the region as a whole," he said.
More people were coming to the area, settling and looking at business opportunities because of the dairy industry, he said.
Accommodation seemed to "be at a maximum" and, as properties came on the market, they were quickly snapped up.
Mr Field and his wife shifted to Glenavy from Te Anau three and a-half years ago and business was brisk.
He had no regrets about making the move, saying it was a "lovely community" and very supportive"
