Now we’re back at Alert Level 1, it’s full steam ahead for the Love Local Expo, offering residents and visitors a chance to support Porirua businesses and check out the best the region has to offer.

The expo, postponed when we went back up alert levels, will now be held on Saturday 17 October at Te Rauparaha Arena, from 10am to 4pm.

There will be stalls and exhibits from about 130 Porirua-based businesses and organisations, and a wide array of Porirua’s goods and services will be showcased. As an added bonus, a year’s supply of Whittaker’s chocolate is up for grabs for one lucky expo visitor.

Love Local coincides with election day when people will be out and about voting, so we encourage everyone to pop in and check it out. Handily, there will be a voting place located just across the way at Pātaka.

Porirua Mayor Anita Baker says the expo aims to support businesses, who have been doing it tough, in their post-Covid recovery.

"The fact an expo designed to help local businesses recover from Covid was itself disrupted by a Covid resurgence really sums up the difficult year this has been," she says.

"Now that we’ve returned to Alert Level 1, we’re excited to be able to give our local businesses this chance to connect with the community and grow their customer base."

To support this, the expo is free for visitors and exhibitors.

As well as business stalls there will be entertainment and children’s activities.

Mayor Baker says it’s heartening to see Porirua people come together, and supporting the expo is a chance to show local business owners that we are all in this together.

"So come along to the Love Local and enjoy the best of Porirua."

For a full list of exhibitors check out poriruacity.govt.nz/lovelocalexpo

Where: Te Rauparaha Arena

When: 10am to 4pm, 17 October.

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