New war memorial planned for Culverden
By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter
The Culverden community is hoping to have a new war memorial in place for the town’s Anzac Day service next year.
Fundraising is under way and a memorial design has been approved with the support of the Hurunui District Council, Culverden Community Committee chairperson David Croft said.
The new design is based on a corten steel memorial at Leyland in England, with the shape of a soldier cut out and standing 9 metres high.
The Culverden version will be 6 metres high, with a poppy and the words 'Lest We Forget' on the front. A memorial on the other side would light up at night.
It will be placed in the Rutherford Reserve, next to Amuri Area School.
"It is going to be very unique, there won’t be anything quite like it in New Zealand," Croft said.
The project was expected to cost $150,000.
The Hurunui District Council’s Amuri Community Committee, also chaired by Croft, has approved the use of $56,000 in funds held in trust from the sale of the town’s Drill Hall in the 1980s.
More than $20,000 of community support has also been secured.
The Drill Hall was built by the late Duncan Rutherford in 1902 to train mounted rifleman and was gifted to the community. The Amuri mounted rifles had to buy their own uniforms, so Rutherford paid for those who could not afford it, Croft said.
Anzac Day services alternated between Waiau, Rotherham and Culverden. Culverden services were previously held in the Amuri Area School grounds, next to a tree planted in memory of a former pupil who was killed in World War I. But the tree blew over during a storm and had to be removed.
Culverden last hosted the Anzac Day service in 2021, with the community gathering at the Culverden Volunteer Fire Brigade rooms, before crossing the busy Mountainview Rd to a set of memorial gates.
"It was just not the right place for the ceremony because it is such a busy road," Croft said. "And we had the fire alarm go off in the middle of the service."
Culverden is due to host the Anzac Day service again next year. Croft hoped the foundations would be laid before Christmas.
The Culverden Community Committee needed to raise another $70,00 and has approached the Royal New Zealand RSA and the Lotteries Commission, with support from the council.
A leaflet drop in the community is also planned.
"What we plan on building is reasonably simple, but I think it will be really poignant," Mr Croft said.
■ Public interest journalism funded through New Zealand on Air.
knife sharpening offer
Does anyone remember a post from someone offering knife sharpening? Please message me if so.
Hurunui cash plea rejected by transport agency
By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter
A North Canterbury council’s bid for road funding has been rejected as too costly by the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA).
The Hurunui District Council requested to almost double its funding for the next three years, compared to the period 2021-24, NZTA director regional relationships director James Caygill said.
He said the council’s funding bid sought an increase of 184% from the 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme.
‘‘This increase was amongst the highest sought nationally.’’
About the country, councils put in bids totalling $6.5 billion for the 2024-27 period, up 42% on the previous three year period, Caygill said.
‘‘The total bid put forward nationally was unaffordable to the National Land Transport Programme, making it difficult to honour everyone’s bid.’’
Caygill said the agency had approved Hurunui’s request for an increase of nearly 50% in its funding for road resealing, and it ‘‘should be adequate to maintain and renew its network’’.
But at a council meeting on June 25, council chief executive Hamish Dobbie described NZTA's response as ‘‘under-whelming’’.
‘‘It is extremely disappointing given the amount of work we put into getting our roading programme together and it looks like they (NZTA) didn’t even look at it.’’
NZTA’s overall funding had increased, but Hurunui’s allocation was not enough to fund the upgrades needed to ensure the resilience of the district’s roading network, he said.
But funding for increased resilience works and other improvements were assessed separately under the ‘‘Local Road Improvements Activity Class’’, and funding information had yet to be released.
The council has deferred the adoption of its long-term plan until July 15.
■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Happy Friday y'all! Here's the last riddle of the week!
I am an instrument through which sounds are made, and yet, I am not something that can be played. What am I?
Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.
Want to stop seeing riddles in your newsfeed?
Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.
Loading…
