Consent application for Hokitika beach access rejected
From local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
Application for consent to build new beach access to the Hokitika beachfront has been rejected by the West Coast Regional Council at this stage.
And the dispute over a $90,000 claim the Westland District Council believes it has with the regional council to contribute to the access project has not been settled.
The proposal to improve access over the rock seawall off the end of Weld Lane was put forward in the Westland District Council's 2020-21 annual plan.
But it has been bogged down after the regional council baulked at a $90,000 invoice it received from the Westland council for its 'share'.
Westland's chief executive Simon Bastion told his council in December the bill was still under discussion.
Westland's district assets group manager Scott Baxendale said this week there was still no start date for the work, after the council had earlier indicated it would be under way by now.
However, they would soon be engaging with the regional council as consent holders for the wall.
"We are still working through the consenting requirements regarding the beach access," Baxendale said.
The district council was commissioning a project manager to move the project on, including gaining the appropriate consents.
Meanwhile, the disputed invoice was "not resolved", he said.
Regional council acting consents and compliance manager Rachel Clark said the Westland council had lodged a consent application late last year relating to ramp access at the beach.
But it had been rejected by the regional council's consultant due to a lack of supporting information with the application.
Clark said they had not received anything further yet from Westland.
Chief executive Heather Mabin said Westland had still been "unable to produce evidence" that the regional council had agreed to partially fund the district council's beach access project.
A forensic search by the regional council of files for any evidence of an agreement about the $90,000 had turned up nought last year.
"[Westland chief executive] Simon Bastion has been unable to produce any evidence or any agreement," she said.
"I have let Simon know we will not be paying an invoice for $90,000."
Mabin said it would simply be "not prudent" to cough up, noting that the Westland bill equated to a $4.50 cost per rating unit, "to build a beach access we haven't officially agreed to".
*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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