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By local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Hakatere Huts residents have been blindsided by a decision that was hailed by Ashburton councillors as a compromise.
A working group focusing on issues at the Upper Hakatere reserve in Mid Canterbury was set up after locals protested the closure of … View moreBy local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Hakatere Huts residents have been blindsided by a decision that was hailed by Ashburton councillors as a compromise.
A working group focusing on issues at the Upper Hakatere reserve in Mid Canterbury was set up after locals protested the closure of the Upper Hakatere reserve to camping and the installation of bollards in February 2023.
Residents were shocked to discover the council recently made a decision on a recommendation they never agreed to.
Following questions from Local Democracy Reporting, Ashburton District Council chief executive Hamish Riach issued an apology, accepting a report to the council “contained a misstatement”.
“It stated that the working group had come to a recommended position on the bollards and camping ground at Upper Hakatere reserve and that I now know this isn’t true,” Riach said.
“The working group has thus far failed to reach a consensus point of view.
“Given council’s decision was based on the inaccurate report, we have decided to ask the working group to meet again and the outcome of that meeting will be relayed to councillors at a meeting in August.
“This will enable council to reconsider the current decision with full and accurate knowledge of the working group’s position.”
The council erected the bollards blocking vehicle access from the grassed area in February 2023.
Residents filed a petition earlier this year calling for the removal of the bollards and to restore the area as a campsite.
A working group - consisting of councillors Russell Ellis, Tony Todd, and Richard Wilson with Hakatere represented by Gary Clancy TJ Jonker, and Sheryl Hendriksen - met to find a solution and then held a site visit.
From those meetings, a recommendation to reposition the bollards to improve access to the picnic area but continue to prohibit camping was approved by the council last Wednesday.
The Hakatere trio that served on the working group were dumbfounded to learn the following day that a recommendation had even been tabled by the council.
Clancy said he was astounded to learn a decision had been made as the residents were under the impression the working group would meet again to finalise a proposal.
“We have been waiting for an invitation to another meeting so to learn of a decision is a bolt out of the blue.”
They had a verbal commitment they felt was “crystal clear” that there would be a follow-up meeting, but instead the process had been brought to a conclusion without their knowledge.
“It’s very disappointing and disgraceful the way the council had reneged on that commitment and gone ahead and decided without the courtesy of even letting us know a decision was being made”.
As far as the actual decision, the resolution was not what the majority of the residents were hoping for, he said.
The petition, signed by 94 residents, wanted the removal of the bollards and reinstatement of camping at the reserve.
“A reposition isn’t removal so we haven’t got anything we asked for.
“Vehicle access to the grass was the whole point.”
The resident's representatives on the working group were “never mandated to negotiate a compromise”, he said.
Following the decision on Wednesday, Ashburton mayor Neil Brown said the working group achieved its role of finding a solution, “which is always better than the alternative of no solution”.
Councillor Phill Hooper agreed it was “a fair compromise”.
Wilson said it was a difficult process but they knew they needed to come to a decision and he hoped the community could accept the resolution as “a good outcome”.
By local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
“You can’t manage what you don’t measure” is the underlying message from a report on the water meter trial in Methven.
And what comes next will be examined in depth at a council workshop in August.
The Ashburton District Council was … View moreBy local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
“You can’t manage what you don’t measure” is the underlying message from a report on the water meter trial in Methven.
And what comes next will be examined in depth at a council workshop in August.
The Ashburton District Council was presented with the initial results of the water metering pilot trial in Methven on Wednesday, along with a recommendation to re-prioritise the work programme to accelerate pipeline renewals on the town’s water supply.
Mayor Neil Brown moved to leave the item on the table and “pick it back up after we have had a workshop on the report”.
“There is a lot of information in there we would like to get a better understanding on, and we just haven’t got the time today."
Deputy mayor Liz McMillan supported the motion.
“There is a lot of information in there and I think it’s going to be really beneficial to work through it quite slowly and go through everything.”
She also requested the Methven Community Board be invited to the workshop.
Chief executive Hamish Riach said that as the report was presented at an open public meeting, the workshop would also be open to the public.
The council had allocated $1 million for a pilot water meter trial in Methven 2021, which was identified as the scheme with the highest water loss.
After some Covid- related delays in the supply chain, most of the 1213 water meters were installed by the end of 2022.
The trial aimed to analyse the benefits of universal water metering for asset and demand management, without plans for future volumetric charging, in anticipation of a future rollout of meters in Ashburton and Rakaia.
That rollout was not included in the long-term plan as the data from the Methven trial wasn’t available in time.
The report tabled on Wednesday concluded that most water loss in Methven occurs in the public network and highlighted the need for regular leak detection and rep
By local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
A Canterbury school near a busy road is hoping fears over vehicle speeds will be addressed when the council reviews school speed zones later this year.
Tinwald School's board of trustees raised safety concerns about the stretch of Graham St … View moreBy local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
A Canterbury school near a busy road is hoping fears over vehicle speeds will be addressed when the council reviews school speed zones later this year.
Tinwald School's board of trustees raised safety concerns about the stretch of Graham St bordering the school, particularly between Thomson and Harland streets, with the Ashburton District Council earlier this year.
Board presiding member Chris Hill raised the safety concerns in April.
“There has been a significant increase in the volume of traffic that travels this stretch of road. And as a result, has caused a heightened level of anxiety and safety concerns,” Hill told councillors at the time.
An “informal review” by the school had estimated a conservative figure of between 90 and 160 cars travelling along Graham St during school pick-up and drop-off times.
Council data shows that the average speed on Graham St is 47kph with over 2000 vehicles daily.
The council had introduced permanent 30kph urban school speed zones in July last year, but in February determined that the speed limits would become time-restricted as soon as the Government amended rules governing the setting of speed laws.
The minister of transport’s redrafted rule is out for public consultation and is scheduled to be changed by the end of the year.
Tinwald School wants Graham St added to its existing 30kph zone, and the council’s road safety co-ordinating committee has recommended it be included when the time restrictions are introduced.
Hill told the Local Democracy Reporting he was pleased to see the concerns were being addressed by the council.
“There has been positive communication with the council and hopefully we get to a resolution to improve the safety of our children.”
Roading manager Mark Chamberlain previously stated that Graham Street was not initially included when the council introduced the speed reduction because there is no access to the school off the street.
The logical solution will be a variable speed limit being considered when the council revisits speed zones following the law changes, Chamberlain said.
Tinwald School’s concerns also included the crossing points on Graham St, suggesting relocating the pedestrian crossing.
The council met with the school’s board on Thursday afternoon to discuss installing better pedestrian crossing signage and the possibility of the school running a crossing patrol at the Graham St crossing.
The recent Tinwald corridor upgrade included the creation of a safe route to Tinwald School that encourages pupils walking or biking to school to use the new traffic signals, and the shared paths on Agnes and Thompson streets that lead to the Graham St pedestrian crossing.
It’s NZ House & Garden’s 30th birthday, and to celebrate they’ve put together a great offer that’ll light up your home. Purchase or gift a 1 or 2-year subscription to NZ House & Garden and receive a Living Light luxury soy candle worth $56.90 for FREE*.
Enjoy inspirational home … View moreIt’s NZ House & Garden’s 30th birthday, and to celebrate they’ve put together a great offer that’ll light up your home. Purchase or gift a 1 or 2-year subscription to NZ House & Garden and receive a Living Light luxury soy candle worth $56.90 for FREE*.
Enjoy inspirational home & garden content, convenient monthly home delivery, exclusive subscriber-only discounts, up to 27% off retail, and a Living Light luxury soy candle worth $56.90 when you become part of the NZ House & Garden community. *T&Cs apply.
Times have changed and perhaps so has our societal rules around taking off hats when indoors. What are your thoughts?
Delve back into that garage or wardrobe! It's time to sell your gently-loved goods at The Neighbourly Winter (online!) Garage Sale
On Saturday 6th July, members will be online checking out the goods on offer so it's a great time to get rid of your winter clutter.
Maybe it's … View moreDelve back into that garage or wardrobe! It's time to sell your gently-loved goods at The Neighbourly Winter (online!) Garage Sale
On Saturday 6th July, members will be online checking out the goods on offer so it's a great time to get rid of your winter clutter.
Maybe it's time to realise that you're never going to use that snowboard or ski jacket, and that you really do have one too many heaters. Whatever it is, take a picture and put it on Neighbourly for locals to see.
🙌 Your feedback helped land some of our key decisions in our 10-year work plan and budget, known as the Long-Term Plan.
📊 1,300 individuals and organisations, some of whom represented large sections of the community made written submissions, and 153 spoke to us during hearings.
… View more🙌 Your feedback helped land some of our key decisions in our 10-year work plan and budget, known as the Long-Term Plan.
📊 1,300 individuals and organisations, some of whom represented large sections of the community made written submissions, and 153 spoke to us during hearings.
Councillors had to weigh up the need for action to protect the environment, with the cost pressures we’re all facing.
Read the full news story here 👉 bit.ly... and hear Acting Chair Craig Pauling’s thoughts on how it played out youtu.be...
#Kaitiakitanga #Māiatanga #Whanaungatanga
These items have been recalled this month. If you have one of these items at home, click on the title to see the details to ensure it is not a risk to your household.
Food recalls:
Hubbards brand BeMighty granola blueberry & seeds
Leslies Clover chips bbq flavour
… View moreThese items have been recalled this month. If you have one of these items at home, click on the title to see the details to ensure it is not a risk to your household.
Food recalls:
Hubbards brand BeMighty granola blueberry & seeds
Leslies Clover chips bbq flavour
Sabres fresh & frozen ready meals
Pams plant based creamy tomato pasta bake
Product recalls:
Farmers brand girls jockey singlet
Vitamix container and blade bases
Crocs Jibbitz
Digital Notepads
City Beach novelty light
LED strip light
Hansa Chipper
Kawasaki Spartan mower
We hope this message was helpful in keeping you and your family safe.
Maddie Davidson made history by being the first female trampolinist to represent New Zealand at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, held in 2021. Last week she wowed the residents of Kevin Hickman Village as she talked through some of her preparation ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympics.
It is only six … View moreMaddie Davidson made history by being the first female trampolinist to represent New Zealand at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, held in 2021. Last week she wowed the residents of Kevin Hickman Village as she talked through some of her preparation ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympics.
It is only six weeks until Maddie departs and two months until she jumps onto the trampoline in Paris. She told the Kevin Hickman residents she has her heart set on competing to her best level, while showing off her past international performances.
Click read more for the full story.
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, keeping up to date with the Covid vaccine can help protect you from serious illness. It’s free. 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, keeping up to date with 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, or talk to your healthcare provider.
By local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Coal boilers at Ashburton Hospital were shut down for the final time on Monday, switching to a new $9.4m state-of-the-art energy centre.
Ashburton and rural health site maintenance manager Dan Wilson, who flicked the switch for the last time, said … View moreBy local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Coal boilers at Ashburton Hospital were shut down for the final time on Monday, switching to a new $9.4m state-of-the-art energy centre.
Ashburton and rural health site maintenance manager Dan Wilson, who flicked the switch for the last time, said he was happy to shut down the boilers, which had been on the verge of complete failure for years.
There were months when there was a system failure every night, he said.
“It wouldn’t have lasted another winter I believe.”
Health New Zealand - Te Whatu Ora facilities and engineering manager Terry Walker said the project was conceived in 2018 when the boilers were perceived to be on the brink of failure, and Wilson had done a brilliant job keeping them going until now.
Two of the coal boilers have heated Ashburton Hospital for more than 60 years and a third was added in 1985.
Taking their place is a new heat pump system powered by water sourced from aquifers beneath the hospital grounds, which will provide heating and hot water to all buildings on site.
It draws water in from two extraction bores, using a refrigerant cycle to turn the heat into electricity, before returning the water to the ground.
A new diesel boiler has been installed in the energy centre to supply a backup heating source in case of a power outage.
The annual estimated running costs of $215,000 will be 50% lower than the coal boilers, and the changeover reduces the hospital’s carbon emissions by around 2385 tonnes per year, which is akin to taking 840 petrol-driven cars off the road.
Its life span was estimated to be 20-25 years, Walker said.
The $9.4m project was part-funded with $2.4 million from the Government’s state sector decarbonisation fund.
With the boilers now decommissioned, the plans for the future of the coal boiler building were under consideration, Wilson said.
Canterbury rural health general manager Berni Marra also acknowledged Wilson’s efforts for keeping the boilers going, and noted how lucky Ashburton was to be the first hospital in New Zealand to have the ground source heat pumps.
The project was one of 19 coal boiler replacements undertaken by Health NZ since 2020 and was the last Health NZ coal boiler to be replaced in Canterbury, which made it a significant milestone in the decarbonisation programme, Marra said.
With 500 trees now newly-planted on a slope in a Whitford farm paddock, Ryman Healthcare is well on the way to fulfilling its promise of a more sustainable invoicing process.
For every resident who switches from paper to email invoicing, Ryman has pledged to plant a tree, and has partnered with … View moreWith 500 trees now newly-planted on a slope in a Whitford farm paddock, Ryman Healthcare is well on the way to fulfilling its promise of a more sustainable invoicing process.
For every resident who switches from paper to email invoicing, Ryman has pledged to plant a tree, and has partnered with Trees for Survival Charitable Trust to achieve this goal.
Click read more for the full story.
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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