Hurunui council seeks funding for storm repair bills
By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter
Hurunui District councillors voted Tuesday to debt fund road repairs caused by storms in July and October.
It will seek funding from Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency to meet a bill of $520,000.
Chief operations officer Dan Harris said the damage caused by heavy rain in July and the October 14 wind storm was beyond the capacity of the council’s emergency works fund.
If the criteria can be met, the council would seek $314,000 from Waka Kotahi to help meet costs.
‘‘Many slips and slumps occurred, and remedial action is now required to ensure repeat occurrences are prevented,’’ Harris said.
July’s heavy rain and snow caused widespread disruption, with multiple slips and drainage overflowing,
October’s election day winds caused widespread damage, particular in the southern part of the district around Amberley, including power outages.
Harris said repair works would be completed by the end of May next year.
The council has responded to five major events in the last 18 months, leading to total repair bill of $1.65 million.
Waka Kotahi had agreed to fund $223,000 towards a $430,000 repair bill following a heavy rain event at Lake Sumner in July 2022.
Funding was also being sought for other weather events in February and July last year.
Heavy rain in February incurred a repair bill of $200,000, while erosion at Claverley Road, north of Cheviot, led to a repair bill of $500,000.
Harris said repair bills from weather events were a growing headache throughout the region.
‘‘Roading costs in Canterbury have effectively doubled, so it means we need to find twice the amount of money.
‘‘Costs for road repairs far outweigh anything we have seen before.’’
■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Live Q&A: Garden maintenance with Crewcut
This Wednesday, we are having another Neighbourly Q&A session. This time with John Bracewell from Crewcut.
John Bracewell, former Black Caps coach turned Franchisee Development Manager and currently the face of Crewcut’s #Movember campaign, knows a thing or two about keeping the grass looking sharp—whether it’s on a cricket pitch or in your backyard!
As a seasoned Crewcut franchisee, John is excited to answer your lawn and gardening questions. After years of perfecting the greens on the field, he's ready to share tips on how to knock your garden out of the park. Let's just say he’s as passionate about lush lawns as he is about a good game of cricket!
John is happy to answer questions about lawn mowing, tree/hedge trimming, tidying your garden, ride on mowing, you name it! He'll be online on Wednesday, 27th of November to answer them all.
Share your question below now ⬇️
Poll: Should all neighbours have to contribute to improvements?
An Auckland court has ruled a woman doesn’t have to contribute towards the cost of fixing a driveway she shares with 10 neighbours.
When thinking about fences, driveways or tree felling, for example, do you think all neighbours should have to pay if the improvements directly benefit them?
-
82.3% Yes
-
15.1% No
-
2.6% Other - I'll share below
Test Your Wits! Today's Riddle Will Keep You Guessing!
Only one colour, but not one size,
Stuck at the bottom, yet easily flies.
Present in the sun, but not in rain,
Doing no harm, and feeling no pain.
What is it?
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…
