Ag 14 march, 2014

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KiwiRail ty r e p refuses a p s ’ y to upgrade a d o t notorious with crossing GUAR DIAN

March

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Friday, Mar 14, 2014

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Ashburton in global limelight Court case exposure priceless for district BY MYLES HUME Chris Pine’s court appearance has made headlines all over the world, including the US, the UK, France, Canada, Spain, Germany, India and the Netherlands.

MYLES.H@THEGUARDIAN.CO.NZ

Hollywood star Chris Pine’s drink driving charge is creating international exposure that money just can’t buy for Mid Canterbury. The names Methven, Ashburton District Court and the Blue Pub have appeared on hundreds of news media websites across the world, all fascinated by the news the 33-yearold actor was caught drink driving near Methven while filming the movie Z for Zachariah on March 1. From large media outlets such as The Huffington Post, The Guardian and Daily Mail to the gossip sites including E! and PerezHilton.com – the “scandal” has been a feeding frenzy as they await his scheduled Ashburton District Court appearance on Monday. Experience Mid Canterbury general manager Nigel Birt said the media spotlight cast over the district was priceless. “With social media and online media we are seeing around this subject you are getting some real exposure,” he said. “For example there was a picture of him in the Blue Pub in Methven on the Stuff website, that then

gets a global reach ... so the brand of Blue Pub is reaching millions and millions of people you couldn’t achieve for free – in fact it would cost a lot of money.” He said although it was at short notice for many of the tourism operators in the district, it would be an ideal time to capitalise for some businesses. “Now it’s about looking at any cheeky potential to expand on that appearance next week without crossing any dangerous lines, obviously the world is watching and there will be a fair bit of media here on Monday.” The Ashburton Guardian understands many media outlets are poised to gather at the Ashburton District Court on Monday to get a glimpse of the film star. However, accommodation providers around Ashburton are yet to see the fruits of the attention. Some the Guardian spoke with were already full with events over the weekend, while others said they would welcome camera crews and reporters with open arms. “I think he should plead not guilty so we can have this attention another week longer,” one operator joked.

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