Former Auckland couple who moved their business to Oamaru's historic area have stepped up to support the Oamaru Whitestone Civic Trust after the help it gave them.
Tyla and Phillip Scott said they would not have packed up their Scott's Brewery from its Auckland base and come to Oamaru had it not been for the support of the trust and other people in the community.
The former railways goods shed the brewery occupies is on the boundary of the Harbour-Tyne Sts historic area, and was open in time for last year's Victorian Fete.
The trust has received criticism lately for its handling of issues, including the sale of the Oamaru railway station and its relationship with its tenants.
Mrs Scott said they wanted to outline their positive experience with the trust and congratulate it on building a valuable asset for the community.
Mr and Mrs Scott were originally approached by electrician and heritage precinct enthusiast Graeme Clark to move to Oamaru, where Mr Scott was born.
His pleas were joined by those of Whitestone Civic trustees Peter Garvan and Phil Hope and secretary Faye Ormandy, and their ''studious and high-level professional'' support convinced them.
''It worked out better than we ever imagined. We're over the moon,'' Mrs Scott said.
The brewery, at 1000sq m, has four times the space it had in Auckland, with potential to expand.
Production has doubled in a year and is expected to increase again. While instrumental in attracting the brewery to Oamaru, the trust continued to be a driving force in the development of the historic area.
''It's now well on its way to becoming a diverse, thriving tourism mecca,'' Mrs Scott said.
