Dannevirke needs to continue to diversify and grasp opportunities, Canon Tim Delaney says.
Mr Delaney is standing for the Dannevirke Community Board in October's local body elections and said he sees tremendous potential for the town.
"The community board has the big responsibility of helping set the tone for the
challenges ahead.
"The fragility of our economy is one of the big challenges we face, especially with the loss of 50 jobs at Godfrey Hirst's Canterbury Spinning mill. So we need to continue to diversify and seize other opportunities.
"The implementation of Horizons Regional Council's One Plan is going to have a huge economic impact too, but oil exploration and the development of windfarms could help to balance things."