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It's NZ Volunteer Week (16-22 June) and we know there are real good sorts in your community.
Often these kind acts and regular volunteering efforts go unnoticed but let's put a stop to that.
Let us know below who is making a difference in your neighbourhood so we can all … View moreIt's NZ Volunteer Week (16-22 June) and we know there are real good sorts in your community.
Often these kind acts and regular volunteering efforts go unnoticed but let's put a stop to that.
Let us know below who is making a difference in your neighbourhood so we can all appreciate them for the great work that they do!
By local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Ocean Farm sounds like a picturesque slice of typical Canterbury Plains farmland.
The 300 hectares near the coast features grass pasture and a wetland.
It is actually the end of the line for the wastewater treatment for Ashburton, and where the … View moreBy local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Ocean Farm sounds like a picturesque slice of typical Canterbury Plains farmland.
The 300 hectares near the coast features grass pasture and a wetland.
It is actually the end of the line for the wastewater treatment for Ashburton, and where the waste is turned to gold.
The town’s wastewater is piped to the Wilkins Rd treatment plant outside Tinwald where it is filtered and treated through an oxidation pond and two maturation ponds, and then piped nearly 11km by gravity to Ocean Farm.
The farm runs parallel to the southern bank of the Ashburton/Hakatere River and near the coast at Ashton Beach.
A nine-hectare constructed wetland provides the final stage of treatment, and the treated wastewater is then irrigated onto 265ha of pasture.
The farm is managed as a grass harvest operation by local contractors, who cut and sell the grass as feed which returns an income to meet some operating and maintenance costs of the system - offsetting rates for Ashburton residents.
Council infrastructure and open spaces general manager Neil McCann said that in the 2022-23 financial year, the farm yielded 2,473,557kg of dry matter providing $272,000 in revenue.
Ashburton’s entire wastewater network services about 19,000 people and there are about 165km of wastewater pipes, with Ocean Farm being the endpoint.
The network typically carries about 10,000 cubic metres (m3) a day, the equivalent of about 115 litres per second, McCann said.
Up until 1975, all the town’s wastewater had been discharged untreated directly into the Ashburton River.
Concerns over the impact on the river environment and other river users resulted in the construction of the oxidation ponds at Wilkins Rd, on the eastern edge of Tinwald, and then treated effluent began being discharged into the Ashburton River.
That still wasn’t good enough, and as the consent expired in 2002, the council investigated and consulted with the community on better options.
The investigative work into options had started as far back as 1993, McCann said.
Initially “everything was on the table” including discharging to the river, land, ocean, or a combination.
“Ultimately, once the decision was made for land-only discharge, then there was a process covering the short-listing of potential sites.
“Site shortlisting considered soil suitability, proximity to existing infrastructure and ease of expansion if necessary.”
The wastewater disposal facility at Ocean Farm was granted consent in 2004 and completed in 2007.
The consent has since been renewed in 2012 and will expire in 2039.
With an increasingly rigorous focus on water quality and environmental outcomes, the council is aware Ocean Farm will face compliance issues in the countdown to renewing the consent.
“It is generally accepted that additional upgrades will be required to the existing systems when it becomes necessary to renew consents.
“The consenting environment has changed significantly since the original consents were secured and in general the public’s expectations have also increased.”
Most of the treatment occurs at Wilkins Rd, long before it gets to Ocean Farm, McCann said.
“The wetland provides some further treatment, notwithstanding the bird influences. The act of disposing of wastewater to land is a large part of the improved environmental solution.
“There are options to improve the quality of treated effluent discharged to land which includes providing additional treatment systems at Wilkins Rd, and there is an option to add a UV disinfection step at Ocean Farm prior to irrigation to land.”
Ocean Farm has had issues since day one, mainly around the irrigation system and the wetland.
The irrigation system is a big concern and the council is investigating the potential upgrades or replacement of the irrigation system.
From 11km of pressurised control pipeline, there is a network of irrigation laterals over 60km in length.
These end in 1400 pop-up sprinklers, which are computer controlled to irrigate over 280 hectares of farmland.
The system has poor coverage, reducing the amount of grass grown which impacts the amount of nitrogen removed through the cut-and-carry operation.
The irrigation upgrade is in the council’s infrastructure strategy, but has not been included in the long-term plan due to the uncertainty around the best option and the cost, McCann said.
The infrastructure strategy indicates that around 2026, in time for inclusion in the next long-term plan, a decision is expected to be required on the future irrigation system for Ocean Farm.
“Work is ongoing at present to refine our view on the future direction and develop more realistic costs for the options.
“We need to spread the treated wastewater as evenly as possible over as large an area as possible.”
There is 280ha of farmland available but the sprinklers end up irrigating smaller circles that don’t overlap, leaving unirrigated gaps, “so we’re not using all of the available land area”.
“The main reason for the low coverage is pressure loss as the water goes from the pump station to the actual sprinklers.
“This is a combination of normal losses along the pipe network, blockages and restrictions in the smaller lateral pipes and joints, and blockage and restriction in the sprinkler heads themselves.
“An operator is based on site and spends a lot of their time cleaning blockages from sprinkler heads.”
The blockages are caused by algae and small particles in the treated wastewater, he said.
The operation is required to be below a certain maximum nitrogen loading rate, measured as kg of nitrogen per hectare.
Irrigating the same amount of wastewater over a smaller area means the nitrogen loading rate is higher than it could be, which affects compliance, McCann said.
Another factor to consider is that because wastewater is irrigated on the pasture it is not eligible for some markets.
There are three options under consideration, and because of the shape and form of the farm it is likely a combination is probably going to be needed, McCann said.
The options are;
• Subsurface drip irrigation would require the wastewater to be filtered or screened before irrigation, but would provide very even coverage, increase the area irrigated, and would allow the grass to be sold to wider markets because the wastewater was only applied to the root zone.
• Centre-pivot or lateral irrigation would allow very even irrigation coverage and could be more tolerant of blockages, which increases the area effectively irrigated.
• Impact sprinklers are more resistant to blockage and could provide more consistent coverage. The trade-off is that fixed sprinklers complicate the harvesting process.
An additional 33 hectares have been purchased to extend the irrigation area.
Then there is the wetland system, made up of a series of 16 filtration ponds that have been planted with native reeds to optimise the filtering and matter breakdown process of the effluent.
The vegetation has established inconsistently, leading to excessively slow flows in parts, and channels have been cut to relieve the impediment.
“There was high variability in the success of the establishment of the wetland planting. Upper reaches of the wetland established successfully whereas lower reaches did not.
“This has created hydraulic issues in the management of wetland flows.
“Also, the wetlands have attracted a very large bird population which has impacted water quality from the wetlands and compliance.”
It has its issues, but Ocean Farm is an environmental solution that has the wastewater treated to a higher standard than ever before and has the potential to improve in the future.
*******
Wastewater investment
The Ashburton District Council has been actively investing in upgrading its wastewater network to keep up with the progressively stringent compliance regimes coming from central Government.
In 2008, the treatment plant at Wilkins Rd, the largest in the district that is capable of pumping up to 800 litres per second, was upgraded and more treatment stages were added to the process.
In 2020, a $7.7m upgrade had about 1100m of new wastewater pipe installed across the Ashburton/Hakatere River and connected to the newly constructed pump station built 10m underground at the end of Wilkins Road.
Then in 2021, the council connected the Ashburton River crossing pipe at the end of Milton Rd South to a new 5.1km of pipe to Bridge St in Netherby, a $10m project that received $7.98m from the Government’s three waters reform stimulus package.
There is a further $22.6m to be spent on wastewater infrastructure in the long-term plan.
As well as ongoing renewals and maintenance it includes work earmarked at Wilkins Rd for de-sludging as the level of sludge (the residual, semi-solid material that is produced as a by-product during sewage treatment) is beginning to reach levels that are beginning to risk causing problems for the treatment.
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By local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Ashburton’s mayor and councillors will receive an average 3.7% pay increase from July 1.
The mayor’s pay packet is set to increase by $4910 after the Remuneration Authority this week determined that mayors and councillors across the country will… View moreBy local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Ashburton’s mayor and councillors will receive an average 3.7% pay increase from July 1.
The mayor’s pay packet is set to increase by $4910 after the Remuneration Authority this week determined that mayors and councillors across the country will receive an average pay rise of 3.7% from July 1.
Local government pay is set by the independent body, which dictates the mayor and deputy salaries and the councillor remuneration pools that are funded by rates. Each council determines how that pool is distributed.
Ashburton mayor Neil Brown’s salary will increase from $132,690 to $137,600, which equates to $2646 per week or a $66 an-hour wage for a 40-hour week.
Brown said it is a full-time job that has no set hours - and wherever he goes he is the mayor.
“You are always the mayor, you are on 24 hours, seven days a week.
“You may not be working but you are always on call.”
The other mayor Brown, Auckland mayor Wayne Brown, is the top-paid mayor with a $306,952 a year salary ($147.50 an hour) and the lowest rate for any Auckland councillor was $111,782.
Ashburton’s deputy mayor Liz McMillan’s salary increases from $80,003 to $82,963.
Ashburton has usually opted to have the eight councillors on the same salary, evenly dividing the remuneration pool.
Their salary will increase from $46,274 to $47,986 – which works out to $23 per hour.
First-term councillor Richard Wilson said the pay rise was outside of council control, but an increased rate encouraged more people to stand for council.
“I don’t do the job for the money, I do it for the community.
“And I am fortunate I can afford to because my company can continue without me being there, but some others may not be in that position.”
Councillors don't work 40 hours in a regular week in Ashburton, but they do a lot more than just attend a council meeting every fortnight, he said.
Remuneration Authority chairperson Geoff Summers said the authority devised a sizing system for councils' remuneration after a full review in 2018 that considers four factors: population, total assets, total expenditure and socioeconomic deprivation.
By local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Ashburton’s war memorial needs a clean after wreaths stained the stonework base.
The wreaths were laid at the annual Anzac Day commemorations in Baring Square West on April 25.
Ashburton District Council business support group manager Leanne … View moreBy local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Ashburton’s war memorial needs a clean after wreaths stained the stonework base.
The wreaths were laid at the annual Anzac Day commemorations in Baring Square West on April 25.
Ashburton District Council business support group manager Leanne Macdonald said the stains were spotted when wreaths were removed about two weeks after Anzac Day as usual.
“This is the first time that we have encountered this and believe that paint from some of the wreaths is the cause.
“Most of the damage is on the bluestone at the base of the cenotaph.”
The council has engaged a specialist stonemason to clean the cenotaph, and that work started on Thursday and is anticipated to take until the end of next week.
“It will likely require multiple applications of stripping agent, poultice, and or mechanical removal, sympathetic to the stone type.
“This work is weather dependent, and dependent on the specialist’s availability.”
The cenotaph was unveiled in 1928 and bears the names of 432 Mid Canterbury people who lost their lives in defence of the country.
It underwent some restoration work in 2020.
Specialist workers gave the 14m sandstone monument a hand-wash, sprayed any lichen and moss, and replaced the mortar to clean and repair the monument.
When it’s cold outside, there's nothing quite like being inside the cosy warmth of a kitchen infused with the aroma of spices. But did you know that beyond their aromatic allure, these spices harbour a treasure trove of health benefits?
From the fiery kick of chilli to the sweet warmth of… View moreWhen it’s cold outside, there's nothing quite like being inside the cosy warmth of a kitchen infused with the aroma of spices. But did you know that beyond their aromatic allure, these spices harbour a treasure trove of health benefits?
From the fiery kick of chilli to the sweet warmth of cinnamon, each spice brings not only flavour but also a host of nutrients and healing properties to our winter dishes. So, whether you're sipping on mulled wine, indulging in gingerbread, or savouring a hearty stew, every bite promises to not just please your palate but also contribute to your overall wellbeing.
Click read more for the full story.
Give your berries room to grow and plenty of airflow with this helpful trellis finished in Resene Kwila Timber Stain. Keeping the canes off the ground means berries stay healthy and are easy to reach when ready to pick.
Find out how to create your own with these easy step by step instructions.
By local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Variable speed limits are likely to be introduced around Ashburton schools by the end of the year
The changes to the Ashburton District’s 30kph school speed zones could be made by the end of the year after the Government released its revised Land … View moreBy local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Variable speed limits are likely to be introduced around Ashburton schools by the end of the year
The changes to the Ashburton District’s 30kph school speed zones could be made by the end of the year after the Government released its revised Land Transport Rule.
Transport Minister Simeon Brown said the revised rule will require variable speed limits outside schools during pick up and drop off times.
“Local streets outside a school will be required to have a 30kph variable speed limit during school travel times.
“Rural roads that are outside schools will be required to have variable speed limits of 60kph or less.”
The previous rule allowed variable speed limits but required expensive electronic signage, while the revised rule allows for static signs indicating the time-restricted speed zones.
In February the Ashburton District Council approved changing its 30kph school zones to be time-restricted as soon as the law allowed.
The council decided the signage will be for school days from 8.30am to 9.30am and 2.30pm to 3.30pm, once the new rule is introduced.
With the revised rule now out for consultation, it is expected Minister Brown will sign off the new rules before the end of the year.
Infrastructure and open spaces group manager Neil McCann said the council will submit on the proposed rule changes, supporting the time-restricted variable zones.
When the new rule is adopted it will likely require another report to the council because the decision in February agreed to the static signs but not to the variable speed limit, McCann said.
Any changes to the extent of the speed limits will also be included in any report as the new rule proposes a maximum distance of 300m for the variable 30kph speed limit from each school gate, he said.
“We can probably have a report to council before the rule is adopted anticipating that the proposals will be adopted, with the aim to have changes adopted so the signs can be in place ready for the start of term 1 in 2025.”
The Government is also looking to reverse blanket speed limit reductions, enable some roads of national significance to have speed limits of 110kph, and to consider economic impacts - including travel times - when setting speed limits.
Consultation on the draft speed rule closes on July 11.
By local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Deputy mayor Liz McMillan says she is pleased the speed limit will drop on a section of highway through Methven after years of “nagging”.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi announced that the speed limit for a section of State Highway 77 at the … View moreBy local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Deputy mayor Liz McMillan says she is pleased the speed limit will drop on a section of highway through Methven after years of “nagging”.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi announced that the speed limit for a section of State Highway 77 at the northern end of Methven will be reduced to 60kph by the end of July.
“The nagging has worked,” McMillan said.
“It has been a bit of a long process but [I'm] really happy as the community wanted this, so it’s a really good outcome.
“It’s going to make a huge difference.”
The speed limit from Racecourse Ave to past Holmes Rd, covering 600m, will reduce from 100kph to 60kph by the end of July.
McMillan and other Methven residents launched a petition calling for the speed reduction in 2021.
NZTA had initially proposed a reduction to 80kph but the Methven community asked for it to be lower.
NZTA’s technical assessment supported this feedback and a reduced speed limit to match the road environment.
The community felt the 100kph speed limit no longer fitted the stretch of SH77 that carries traffic heading to the Mt Hutt Ski Field, the Ōpuke thermal pools, and Methven Racecourse.
A growing number of people were using the shared pathway next to the highway to walk or bike to the pools, racecourse, or the walking track at the end of town, McMillan said.
“It’s going to make it a lot safer and it’s good timing that it’s happening in winter with the traffic increasing. It’s a busy road anyway but in winter it’s even busier.”
NZTA director regional relationships James Caygill said there will be a campaign to advertise the new speed limit in the lead-up to its introduction and Police will be in the area in the days following “to remind drivers of the change”.
Feedback on speed limits north of the township showed unanimous support for a reduction further than was initially proposed, he said.
Last week, the Minister of Transport released a proposed new Land Transport Rule: Setting of Speed Limits that is out for public consultation and planned to come into force by the end of the year.
NZTA is working under the 2022 version of the Rule for the Methven SH77 speed limit change, but the change is also consistent with the intent of the incoming 2024 Rule.
When the new rule comes into effect, there could be more speed changes for Canterbury highways, including a variable reduced speed zone for Methven schools on SH77.
By local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Ashburton's recycling habits are improving, but one rogue household has been labelled the “extreme worst end of the scale” for breaking the rules.
The household was accused of putting out multiple yellow and red bins to dump 480kg of … View moreBy local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Ashburton's recycling habits are improving, but one rogue household has been labelled the “extreme worst end of the scale” for breaking the rules.
The household was accused of putting out multiple yellow and red bins to dump 480kg of rubbish, then acting "extremely abusive" when approached over the incident, councillors heard during a recent meeting.
Recycling audits have been carried out since 2020.
In this case, a property had been using its yellow recycling bin as a rubbish bin for two consecutive weeks.
The property also had three red bins as well as the yellow bin out for kerbside collection, councillors heard.
It was estimated they had presented around 480kg of waste on collection day.
When approached, the resident was “extremely abusive to the audit team and collection contractor”, the councillors were told during an update on audit results.
Council infrastructure and open spaces group manager Neil McCann said the usual education approach for incorrect recycling practices was deemed to be unachievable.
Any bins presented by the property were now treated as waste by the contractor, he said.
The property's yellow bin had been confiscated but they acquired another one, as well as the two additional red bins. The extra bins had been confiscated, McCann said.
The incident was at the “extreme worst end of the scale”.
However, McCann said ongoing kerbside auditing has improved results in Ashburton. This save ratepayers the $1000 additional cost of a contaminated recycling load being diverted to landfill.
“The observations of our audit team on the ground is that people are generally recycling well, though there are odd cases of larger non-compliance as has been highlighted.
“The biggest issue is finding rubbish in recycling bins and this is most commonly soft plastics, food, clothing and soiled nappies.”
Since auditing began in 2021, Ashburton has only had four contaminated loads.
As a comparison, the Christchurch City Council reported that in May it had 2% (11) of its recycling loads diverted to landfill, at a total cost of $11,000 – its best month of the year to date.
In terms of general waste, the latest figures showed that there were 1169 tonnes of waste sent to the Kate Valley landfill in April, bringing the total for the 2023-24 year to 12,595 - with about 14,800 tonnes sent in the previous year.
The council plans to hold a workshop to decide on the green waste bin size options ahead of the kerbside rollout in September 2026.
This will be included in the next waste management contract, which is due to go out for tender in September.
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We've pulled four names this week of members across the country. The winners of the $100 Mitre10 cards are:
Cynthia Chozas from Botany Downs
Mabel Dawson from Stratford
Michael Pascoe from Amberley
… View moreWe've pulled four names this week of members across the country. The winners of the $100 Mitre10 cards are:
Cynthia Chozas from Botany Downs
Mabel Dawson from Stratford
Michael Pascoe from Amberley
Sarah Gebhard from Nelson
Winners can get in touch here or by emailing helpdesk@neighbourly.co.nz before 25th June.
By local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
An investigation will look at how Ashburton district's local economy could benefit from a bite-size portion of Te Araroa trail.
The Ashburton District Council and the Te Araroa Trust have commissioned Infometrics to prepare a report, expected … View moreBy local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
An investigation will look at how Ashburton district's local economy could benefit from a bite-size portion of Te Araroa trail.
The Ashburton District Council and the Te Araroa Trust have commissioned Infometrics to prepare a report, expected to be brought to the council in August, looking into the potential economic benefit of promoting a section of the national walking trail.
Council compliance and development group manager Jane Donaldson said it is referred to as a Te Araroa Iti (Te Araroa small or bite-sized), and the report will describe the economic impact of increased numbers of walkers and the district promoting the walk.
“The report does not make a distinction on whether walkers would stay in Methven or would choose Mt Somers, Staveley or even Ashburton town.”
The initial report will only gauge the potential benefits, not how it would work.
“The report will look at the economic impact of such an attraction for the district, however, it is not a feasibility report.”
The short walk would focus on a section of the full Te Araroa route that runs through the district and can be done over a few days, and would have the walkers utilise local accommodation and hospitality services before and after.
“Likely two to three nights in the route, with accommodation before the walk and a final night before heading home,” Donaldson said.
“We are keen to utilise other providers such as Salt or the hot pools as add-ons for visitors.”
The report will cost $22,500 and is being evenly funded by the council and Te Araroa Trust, Donaldson said.
The creation of the small walk would simply utilise the existing trails but there may be infrastructure costs such as hut extensions, Donaldson said.
“Te Araroa are investigating this and there is no expectation at this stage for further council funding.
“The council, through the Experience Mid Canterbury branding, would promote this visitor asset.”
Te Araroa is New Zealand's long-distance tramping route, stretching about 3000 kilometres along the length of the country's two main islands from Cape Reinga to Bluff.
In Canterbury, it runs along the Southern Alps, from the Harper Pass Track in the north to the Ahuriri River in the south.
The trail gets interrupted by the natural borders of Mid Canterbury – the braided Rakaia and Rangitata rivers, which require people to detour using roads to reconnect the trail at either end of the district.
The Rakaia–Rangitata is a four-day 69.7km trek between the two rivers, starting at Double Hill in the north, running along the Southern Alps and crossing through the Hakatere Conservation Park to the Ashburton Lakes where it ends at the Potts River.
Each week, nominations on Neighbourly get turned into a Stuff story and we are always on the lookout for amazing neighbours who deserve to be recognised.
It could be someone who helped you when you were in a tight spot, a local who goes above and beyond for the community or just a neighbour who … View moreEach week, nominations on Neighbourly get turned into a Stuff story and we are always on the lookout for amazing neighbours who deserve to be recognised.
It could be someone who helped you when you were in a tight spot, a local who goes above and beyond for the community or just a neighbour who checks in on you.
Nominate your 'Nice Neighbour' by clicking here.
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