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By local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Vanessa Wright is hoping the council listens to the pleas of the community to take action at Lake Camp before it’s too late.
Ashburton councillors will meet on Tuesday (August 20) to discuss the future of the shrinking Canterbury lake and whether … View moreBy local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Vanessa Wright is hoping the council listens to the pleas of the community to take action at Lake Camp before it’s too late.
Ashburton councillors will meet on Tuesday (August 20) to discuss the future of the shrinking Canterbury lake and whether any action will be taken.
Lake Camp’s water level has dropped considerably, sparking a community campaign to restore its historic water source – a diversion of the Balmacaan Stream, which had a resource consent up until 2020.
Wright, a hutholder at the Lake Clearwater Village, acknowledges the expert opinion of Environment Canterbury (ECan) and DOC that the Lake Camp’s lowering levels are due to the drought conditions - the same conditions affecting other local lakes.
However, unlike the other lakes, Wright said Lake Camp has a small catchment area and can’t fill back up without the Balmacaan Stream diversion.
“With spring just around the corner, something needs to happen to get the snow melt into the lake or it will just keep draining away.
“Without the water coming out of that diversion, the lake will not fill up – unless we have another flood event.”
The fear is that when there is no inflow, it will stagnate, she said.
Wright and other community members believe the district council should lead the action to restore the stream diversion – with almost 1900 people signing a petition to save Lake Camp.
Lake Camp is a recreation reserve owned by the Department of Conservation but vested in the Ashburton District Council to administer.
The council adopted a 30-year Lake Camp and Lake Clearwater plan in 2022, which discusses how it will protect the area’s environment.
The goals include avoiding further degradation and restoring the mauri (life force) of the natural environment, protecting the special character of the area, and valuing the social importance of the area.
According to the plan, the council will monitor the recreational use and “undertake action as necessary to ensure use is sustainable and values are protected”.
“The over-arching purpose of this plan is to ensure appropriate action is taken in a timely manner," the document says.
Wright said the council must take action in step with its plan.
The councillors will discuss what, if any, actions could be taken, at Tuesday's council meeting.
It comes on the back of a council workshop last week, where experts spoke about the natural fluctuations of the lake's levels over time.
The recommendation to be tabled is: “council, should it decide to pursue an application for consent to divert Balmacaan Stream into Lake Camp, call for an officer’s report to understand the costs and implications”.
If the council chose to act, Wright said the community had offered to donate time or money to help.
According to DOC and ECan reinstating a diversion will require a new resource consent, and Fish and Game advised it would most likely need to be for a new diversion at a different location on the stream.
In the workshop last week, ECan surface water science manager Elaine Moriarty said the region is dry, which was impacting the lake’s levels.
Even with a diversion in place, there wasn't sufficient water to flow down it, she said.
“It’s sad to see it but it’s not an unnatural event."
Meanwhile, Mt Somers farmer Duncan Humm continues to question the need for a resource consent to restore the diversion at Lake Camp.
Humm sat in public gallery at the Ashburton District Council’s workshop last week and feels the resource consent will to see people waste thousands of dollars.
“Imagine if everyone could just agree on a course of action and then the money could be better spent on actual conservation work.
“With the swipe of a pen and the will to be proactive, they could benefit the environment.
“It shouldn’t need a resource consent as the works required to reinstate the existing intake are minor, the water isn’t fundamentally taken – just diverted in the catchment.
“From what I could tell, there are no tangible negatives whatsoever only positive environmental benefits.”
The stream had been diverted for over 50 years, and should be allowed to be restored, quickly, without expensive and time-consuming red tape, he said.
ECan and DOC were adamant that under the RMA, reinstating a diversion would require a new resource consent.
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To prevent further youth crime, the government has proposed stays at military-style camps for up to 12 months for young offenders. Do you think the camps will be successful in rehabilitating youth who commit crimes?
Vote in our poll and share your thoughts below.
By local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Extending livestreaming to more meetings is being considered by the Ashburton District Council in a bid to enhance public accessibility and transparency.
Environment Canterbury voted to make all of its briefings and workshops public by default at a … View moreBy local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Extending livestreaming to more meetings is being considered by the Ashburton District Council in a bid to enhance public accessibility and transparency.
Environment Canterbury voted to make all of its briefings and workshops public by default at a council meeting in July.
The regional council is rolling out plans to have all its meetings, and some briefings and workshops, livestreamed from September.
The decision followed recommendations from the Ombudsman’s 2023 report into the way councils conduct their business.
In that report, Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier said he was pleased that the majority of councils he investigated livestream meetings as it "greatly" improved transparency.
In Ashburton, the council has been livestreaming its meetings since 2019.
Democracy and engagement group manager Toni Durham said the Ombudsman's meeting recommendations relate mostly to full council and standing committee meetings, which the council already livestreams.
“His recommendations also apply to workshops and briefings, which we don’t currently livestream, but we are considering how we make more of them publicly accessible.”
The full council meetings, audit and risk, and public hearings are livestreamed.
The six-weekly activity briefing meetings, where each department provides an update on work programmes and budgets, are considered workshops where no decisions are made and are not livestreamed.
It’s unlikely the resources are available to livestream meetings for groups such as the Biodiversity Advisory Group and the Road Safety Co-ordinating Committee, Durham said.
The Ombudsman had investigated eight councils (Ashburton was not one of them) over concerns local government was using closed-door workshops to make decisions free from public scrutiny.
The findings, published at the end of October, confirmed that some councils had been closing all workshops to the public by default.
It highlighted Local Government Act requirements that councils should conduct business in an “open, transparent, and democratically accountable manner”.
Chief executive Hamish Riach had said this was the case in Ashburton.
The Ombudsman report made 25 recommendations that the council was reviewing, Durham said.
“To give effect to many of the recommendations there will be resourcing implications which we are working through,” Durham said.
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When we are stuck inside, it can be a time to get creative. And we think Neighbourly members are quite a creative bunch. So, let's fill the Neighbourly newsfeed with crafty creations from across the country.
Share a photo below of your craft projects, recent DIY, or your hobby. You may … View moreWhen we are stuck inside, it can be a time to get creative. And we think Neighbourly members are quite a creative bunch. So, let's fill the Neighbourly newsfeed with crafty creations from across the country.
Share a photo below of your craft projects, recent DIY, or your hobby. You may just inspire someone else!
Win one of three $5,000 grants to support your community’s love of dance!
Whether it’s pre-schoolers or seniors, Scottish dancing or salsa, kapa haka or Kathak, breakdance or ballet – if you’re encouraging people of all ages and abilities to keep moving through dance, we want to hear … View moreWin one of three $5,000 grants to support your community’s love of dance!
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Know someone who could use our support? Click read more to apply!
By local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Any effort to replenish a shrinking Canterbury Lake would require a costly new resource consent - and there's no guarantee it be approved.
The Ashburton District Council heard expert advice at a workshop on Lake Camp on Wednesday.
Locals … View moreBy local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Any effort to replenish a shrinking Canterbury Lake would require a costly new resource consent - and there's no guarantee it be approved.
The Ashburton District Council heard expert advice at a workshop on Lake Camp on Wednesday.
Locals have been pleading for help to top up the lake with a diversion from the nearby Balmacaan Stream.
But this action requires a resource consent - which the council will discuss next week.
Speaking in front of a packed public gallery, Ashburton mayor Neil Brown described the workshop as a fact-finding mission for the council with different experts gathered.
Environment Canterbury surface water science manager Elaine Moriarty said the region is dry, which was impacting the lake’s levels.
Even with a diversion in place, there wasn't sufficient water to flow down it, she said.
“It’s sad to see it but it’s not an unnatural event”.
When asked if the lake could completely dry out, Moriarty said "it was not an imminent event” as the lake has a deep centre.
DOC’s Geraldine operations manager, Tony Preston, said the situation was just natural fluctuations and lake levels should eventually return to normal through natural processes, he said.
“Nature is taking its course."
The workshop covered the consenting requirements to reinstate a diversion – the cost of which was unknown.
It would require ecological, hydrology, wildlife and environmental impact reports, as well as a seperate process of getting apporval for an easement from DOC.
When Fish and Game surrendered the consent in 2020 it was facing a $50,000 cost to make the diversion compliant.
Fish & Game Central South Island chief executive Steve McKnight said restoring a diversion would require a new structure at a new location because of how the stream was scoured out after 2021 flooding.
“Don’t put it where the old one was.
"That diversion point is no longer fit for purpose."
After almost two hours, Brown said a report would come to the council meeting on Tuesday where the next steps would be discussed.
Brown had visited the site and said “it would take some engineering to get that water lifted back up again to flow [into the diversion]”.
The council have plenty to ponder from the workshop, and also the knowledge that the community is calling for action, ahead of their discussion on Tuesday.
A petition, calling for action ‘to save Lake Camp from draining away’, has received 1635 signatures.
The land around Lake Camp is a recreation reserve owned by the Department of Conservation but vested in the Ashburton District Council to administer.
The expert panel at the workshop included representatives from Environment Canterbury, the Department of Conservation and Fish and Game. ECan chairperson Peter Scott also attended.
16 & 17 August, 10am - 2pm
Our villages are open and you’re invited to explore them. Discover our living and care options, tour our show homes, and see the amenities on offer.
Come along and experience why New Zealanders have voted us most trusted brand, for the tenth time.
We look … View more16 & 17 August, 10am - 2pm
Our villages are open and you’re invited to explore them. Discover our living and care options, tour our show homes, and see the amenities on offer.
Come along and experience why New Zealanders have voted us most trusted brand, for the tenth time.
We look forward to seeing you.
Click read more to find a list of all our villages and dates for our open days.
By local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Cars could once again be able to drive up to a popular Canterbury picnic spot and lookout - at least for now.
Bollards will be removed from the upper Hakatere reserve on a trial basis in a compromise everyone “can live with”.
Hakatere Huts is… View moreBy local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Cars could once again be able to drive up to a popular Canterbury picnic spot and lookout - at least for now.
Bollards will be removed from the upper Hakatere reserve on a trial basis in a compromise everyone “can live with”.
Hakatere Huts is a coastal settlement at the Ashburton/Hakatere River mouth, which splits into two parts - upper and lower.
Locals were shocked when wooden bollards were installed in February 2023 to block vehicle access and the upper camping area was closed.
A working group - made up of three Ashburton councillors and three Hakatere Huts residents - reached an agreement last week to recommend the bollards be removed on a trial basis. The camping ban would remain.
Working group chairperson Russell Ellis said their recommendations would go to council, which would make a final decision on August 20.
“We reached a compromise that we think the Hakatere community and council can live with.
“We all agreed the bollards, that currently stop vehicles driving onto the upper picnic area, should be removed on a trial basis."
Ellis said while not everyone agreed that camping should be prohibited in the upper picnic reserve, there was a majority support for it to be banned.
Camping is available at Lower Hakatere.
One of the community representatives, Gary Clancy, said the recommendation was a step in the right direction.
“It’s not the preferred option, but we are someway to getting got one of the two things we had asked for,” he said.
It was the first meeting of the working group since a kerfuffle over the council releasing a working group decision in June, which hadn't actually been agreed on.
Council chief executive Hamish Riach issued an apology at the time, accepting a report to the council “contained a misstatement” and that the decision would be revoked with the working group to meet again.
Council representatives set to visit the reserve this week to mark which bollards are proposed to be removed.
If the working group’s recommendation is adopted by the council, the upper reserve would be monitored over the summer for illegal camping and the situation reviewed.
By local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
A late funding request from an online safety educator has sparked division among Ashburton's councillors.
The request caused controversy as concerns were raised about maintaining a fair process and setting a precedent for late applications.
… View moreBy local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
A late funding request from an online safety educator has sparked division among Ashburton's councillors.
The request caused controversy as concerns were raised about maintaining a fair process and setting a precedent for late applications.
Digital Waitaha, a charitable trust that provides digital safety education, asked for $18,000 to put towards the $36,400 cost of a part-time coordinator dedicated to Ashburton because of the high demand for the programmes across Canterbury.
The staff recommendation was to grant $14,900, the remaining balance of the discretionary grant fund.
After some debate between the councillors the grant ended up being $10,000 on a 5-4 vote on Wednesday.
The request had been received after the usual funding allocation process, with the council distributing $308,000 to 87 community groups and sports at the end of June, including $77,750 to 17 community agencies.
The application was accepted as discretionary funding was still available.
During the deliberation, councillor Carolyn Cameron said the recommended amount was “the highest one of all the grants we have given out” because it benefited from being late and suggested $5000 – a motion that failed to pass.
Councillor Richard Wilson said he had nothing against the applicant and the work they are doing, but the process needed to be robust.
Funding was oversubscribed, with community agency requests totalling $241,000, and the council approved $77,750, Wilson said.
“We need to have a process where they all apply at the same time so we get a balanced view of each one.”
Councillor Tony Todd said most other agencies had received around $5000 and felt “if we processed this application at the same time it probably would have been in a similar ballpark”.
Councillor Lynette Lovett was concerned that approving the request could set a precedent and like many other groups, they will come back every year expecting a similar level of funding.
“We can’t keep funding group after group after group.
“There is good in these initiatives but we are not a money tree”.
Democracy and engagement group manager Toni Durham said that any grant funding is at the discretion of councillors and is used to support “good groups in our community to do work that otherwise, the community might turn to us to do as a council and we simply don’t have the resource to do that”.
Deputy mayor Liz McMillan said Digital Waitaha do a lot of good work with youth around digital safety but also with older people “who are getting scammed out of thousands”.
She supported the $10,000 grant, a motion that passed with a 5-4 margin.
By local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Farmer David Douglas says he is fed up with too many layers of governance.
He is leading a group campaigning for the southern councils, from Waitaki to Selwyn, to break away from regional council Environment Canterbury and amalgamate into some form … View moreBy local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Farmer David Douglas says he is fed up with too many layers of governance.
He is leading a group campaigning for the southern councils, from Waitaki to Selwyn, to break away from regional council Environment Canterbury and amalgamate into some form of unitary council.
"We have lost control," he said.
"These areas we are talking about have so much in common and we think it would work well with the proper governance.”
Douglas’ Dome Hills farm in the Kakanui Mountains is split by the Otago and Canterbury regional council boundary. As part of the Waitaki District Council, he answers to three different authorities on the same property.
Douglas is visiting all the councils from Waitaki up to Selwyn to pitch the idea of a new breakaway organisation, which would be a combination of a territorial and regional council, fronting the Ashburton District Council last week.
Joining Douglas was Andrew Simpson (both pictured), a high country farmer at Balmoral Station and a property developer in the Mackenzie District.
He said three layers of Government control - local, regional and central - was one too many.
"We need to get rid of that extra tier of governance that is complicating good decision-making.”
Douglas and Simpson say amalgamation would push back against the growing urban influence on rural-based issues, consent costs and processes.
The pair also said regional councils were too political and overstaffed.
Ashburton mayor Neil Brown asked if they thought it was best for the six councils to become "one super council” or to create a South Canterbury regional council to cover those areas.
Despite using the term unitary council, there are several models to consider, and the councils needed to workshop what that could look like, Douglas said.
Whatever form it takes, the biggest question was how the representation would work, Douglas said.
"The mayors are telling me the present model is unsustainable.’’
He said there was a unique opportunity for the districts to come together "to control our destiny in our region”.
The sales pitch intrigued Ashburton’s council, but the members didn't indicate whether it supported the idea.
Brown said he would raise it at the next Canterbury Mayoral forum later this month by which time Douglas would have completed visits to all six councils.
The presentation in Ashburton came hot on the heels of Environment Canterbury’s Mid Canterbury councillor, Ian Mackenzie, suggesting the proposed shake-up of the representative borders could be the catalyst for such a breakaway.
An Environment Canterbury spokesman said the regional council is aware of the discussions, “but it would be a matter for Central Government to decide”.
By local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
The Methven Community Board has successfully argued to remain at five elected members.
Board members Alan Lock, Megan Fitzgerald, and Robin Jenkinson faced the Ashburton District Council at a representation review hearing on Wednesday to challenge … View moreBy local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
The Methven Community Board has successfully argued to remain at five elected members.
Board members Alan Lock, Megan Fitzgerald, and Robin Jenkinson faced the Ashburton District Council at a representation review hearing on Wednesday to challenge the council’s proposal to reduce the board by one member from five to four.
“The towns growing and we need to make sure we represent that, and future-proof it for the next six years,” Fitzgerald said.
“Five members bring very differing skills and experiences through the board, and more touch points into the community.”
Having an odd number at the table, even including the two councillors that sit on the board, provides a balance and reduces the need for a chairperson to use a casting vote, Jenkinson said.
Mayor Neil Brown said submissions had made a good case to retain the status quo and the councillors decided to retain the five elected board members.
There had been a submission calling for a reduction of Ashburton Ward councillors from five to four but it was discounted as it doesn’t the population-member ratio legislative requirements.
That means the only changes in the representation review are that the community board area will be redrawn to cater for the town’s growth and the Ashburton boundary will be extended to cater for urban expansion around the Trevors Rd area.
The final proposal will come to the council on September 4 to be adopted for public notification until October 12.
If any appeals or objections are received, the proposal will go to the Local Government Commission to make a final determination.
It might not be making quite so many headlines these days, but unfortunately, Covid is still here. If you’re 65 or over, taking care of yourself is just as important as ever.
The good news is, the Covid vaccine can help protect you from serious illness. It’s free, and recommended for you and… View moreIt might not be making quite so many headlines these days, but unfortunately, Covid is still here. If you’re 65 or over, taking care of yourself is just as important as ever.
The good news is, the Covid vaccine can help protect you from serious illness. It’s free, and recommended for you and many others as long as you haven’t had the vaccine, or Covid, in the last 6 months.
To book your vaccination, go to BookMyVaccine.nz or talk to your healthcare provider.
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