West Coast Regional Council busy with environmental complaints
From local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
Everything from coal dust at Stillwater to rubbish being burned in 44-gallon drums has attracted complaints to the West Coast Regional Council over summer.
Compliance staff undertook 85 site visits in the two months to the end of January, staff reported to the Resource Management Committee today.
Seven related to public complaints, 16 were for mining compliance and bond release checks, five for resource consent monitoring, and 57 dairy farm checks.
Compliance staff found several drums with rubbish burning at a Franz Josef site and they offered some guidance to the offender.
A tyre fire on Caribou Rd at Ikamatua is also under the council's gaze following a request from Fire and Emergency New Zealand, which extinguished the blaze.
A complaint about excess coal dust entering houses near the coal transfer station adjoining the Stillwater railway yard was upheld.
Staff found a lot of dust had settled on the windowsills of the complainant, resulting in the site manager agreeing to move water sprinklers at the coal loadout site to dampen the dust.
An associated transport company was also directed to ensure all trailers are covered when transporting coal in the area.
An old house being demolished near Franz Josef and illegally buried is under investigation.
"It was found that the house was buried on farmland without the appropriate consent."
The contractor had been asked to remove it to a consented dump but they had since applied "for a retrospective consent" to keep the remains on site.
Meanwhile, the council is keeping watch on stock in waterways on farms.
A Rotomanu farm pinged during a routine visit by council for three unbridged stock crossings had previously been reported and the farmer had yet to comply.
No further action was being taken about cows allegedly being in the Haast River early this month but the leaseholder had agreed to fence an area where cows were alleged to have been.
A complaint "by another agency" about earthworks at the old Seaview Hospital site was not upheld.
An allegation a Kaniere landowner was taking scrap metal to a mine site and burying it was not upheld.
Staff found the land being cleared was contaminated with scrap metal, which had been separated and was being loaded on to a truck by a scrap metal dealer.
Another compliant of a bad smell from a Hokitika transport firm yard over the new year break was found to be from the stock truck discharge sump; action was taken to mitigate that in future.
*Public interest journalism funded through NZ On Air
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A reminder this hunting season
As thousands of hunters are making their plans for autumn – the Roar – recreational firearms groups are urging hunters to always be 100% sure of their targets.
Te Tari Pureke - Firearms Safety Authority NZ, which chairs the Recreational Firearms Users Group, has begun a public information campaign reminding hunters everywhere of Rule #4 of the Firearms Safety Code: to identify their target beyond all doubt.
Director Communities and Corporate, Mike McIlraith, says there is an estimated 50,000-60,000 New Zealanders involved in big game animal hunting each year, and the Roar is the key event for many hunters each year.
“The Roar is a fantastic time of year for hunters to get out into the hills after a trophy animal but hunting safely and making sure everyone gets home in one piece, still must be the most important goal of every trip,” says Mike McIlraith.
“The consequences of not fully identifying your target beyond all doubt can be catastrophic. Our message to hunters is a really simple one: If you are not sure, then don’t shoot.”
Mike McIlraith says while hunting fatalities are thankfully rare, research has shown that misidentification of the target is the largest firearms related risk to New Zealand deer hunters, and 80% of the time this involves members of the same hunting group.
The Authority says hunters should not feel pressured to take a shot: “Instead, hunters should take the time to analyse their target, wait and see if it is a hind or stag, how old is the animal, how many points does its antlers have? Identifying your target means never firing at sound, shape, colour or movement alone.”
Mike McIlraith says good hunters will slow down, and run through some simple mental checks:
- Can I see the whole animal, or could this be another hunter?
- Where are my hunting companions – could this be them or someone else?
- How much of the animal can you see, if it is a hind or stag, how old is the animal, how - many points does its antlers have?
“Taking a little extra time to identify your target and check the firing zone is the key to safer hunting. No meat or no trophy is better than no mate,” he says.
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