Press Release – Start Me Up Launched earlier this year, the programme is a part of ChristchurchNZs and Ministry of Social Developments (MSD) effort to give residents of Greater Christchurch, Selwyn and Ashburton whose employment was impacted by COVID-19 a fresh kickstart … Launched earlier this year, the programme is a part of ChristchurchNZ’s and Ministry of Social Development’s (MSD) effort to give residents of Greater Christchurch, Selwyn and Ashburton whose employment was impacted by COVID-19 a fresh kickstart in their career through starting a business. The region-wide call to action resulted in the participation of over 120 residents in the online course. 25 participants were then selected into the next phase which was a deep-dive seven-week accelerator programme designed to take their ideas to the next stage.