5 August 2020

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Nelson Weekly

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Wednesday 5 August 2020

Jim's big birthday

Waimea Women dominate

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Desperate travel agents plead for help Charles Anderson

spend on the project. The companies have a vision to achieve the first world’s first unmanned flight certification which would allow it to operate commercially.

Nelson’s travel agents are asking for more help to see through the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic as they fear their industry has been forgotten about. While other associated industries, like regional tourism and international schools, have been given Government packages, those in the local travel industry say they have been left behind. Some have even resorted to working processing fish or taking up cleaning jobs to get by. “We are dying a slow and painful death, and no one wants to hear or tell our story,” says Tracey Lynch of Hello World Nelson. She says many travel shops have closed, agents have been made redundant and are on the brink of being without a job – especially when the Covid wage subsidy runs out next week. “No business can keep their doors open without an income and only giving money back – all the money we have earned in the last 12 months.” Agents are obligated to look after their customers, even if they are no longer being paid, as they are paid on commission at the time of sale from airlines or suppliers. “We are working our butts off to get refunds back and have nothing to sell, so no income at all since mid-March.” She says the whole industry is in limbo as to what happens next. Manager of World Travellers, Alex Chisnall, managed to get out of her lease of her Trafalgar St location, “hibernated” her business and is now working from home.

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John Chisolm is part of a consortium that is trying to develop an unmanned aircraft company in Nelson, which could fly purely using artificial intelligence. Photo: Charles Anderson.

No pilots, no problem Nelson to be centre of unmanned flight

Charles Anderson A Boston-based startup and the founder of a Middle Eastern air freight company are planning to make Nelson the world’s centre of unmanned aircraft flight -

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powered entirely by artificial intelligence. And now they have New Zealand Government backing to the tune of $3 million. However, that number represents at tiny portion of what Apollo Flight Research and Hawke Eye plan to

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