Southland Party in capital backs Hawthorndale Care Village
“It was great to see so many Southlanders and friends of Southland getting together to highlight all the great things the region has to offer, while enjoying some of its finest produce.”
The best of the south was on the menu as around 200 people gathered at Parliament to celebrate the 2023 edition of The Southland Party.
Those enjoying the event in Parliament’s Grand Hall on June 23 included Wellington-based Southlanders, visitors from the deep south and guests from further afield with proud connections to the province.
A donation of $1,500 was made to the Hawthorndale Care Village in Invercargill, the Southland Party’s 2023 official charity. Hawthorndale is pioneering a new model of community-based aged and dementia care that will redefine how we care for the elderly in New Zealand.
Partygoers enjoyed a wide range of the region’s produce, including Bluff oysters, blue cod and crayfish as well as Pure South lamb, beef and venison from Alliance Group.
Other major sponsors of the event included brewers Lion, NZAS, Great South, Invercargill Licensing Trust, Fonterra, Air New Zealand and Southland Chamber of Commerce while goods and prizes were supplied by Fat Bastard Pies, Hokonui Moonshine, Auld Farm Distillery, The Highlanders, Rugby Southland, Southern Steel and Hokonui Rūnanga.
Southland Party organising committee chair Brian Finn says the event was an opportunity to celebrate the province, get together with friends and whanau, all while raising funds for an important cause.
“It was great to see so many Southlanders and friends of Southland getting together to highlight all the great things the region has to offer, while enjoying some of its finest produce.”
Sam Halstead, organising committee member, added: “The organising committee would like to thank all the businesses and individuals who came together to fly the flag for our province in the capital and make for such an enjoyable and thoroughly Southland evening.
“It’s always special to be able to gather in our nation’s Parliament so we are grateful for the support of the Speaker’s Office and our Southland-based MPs for that opportunity.”
The Southland Party was first established in the 1990s and re-launched in 2012. The 2023 event was the first held since 2018, due to the COVID disruptions.