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Hi neighbours, tourism operators are frustrated at Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency’s decision to close the Arthur’s Pass route for much of the day for two weeks.
State Highway 73, linking the West Coast and Canterbury, will close on weekdays for resurfacing between Otira and Arthur’s Pass … View moreHi neighbours, tourism operators are frustrated at Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency’s decision to close the Arthur’s Pass route for much of the day for two weeks.
State Highway 73, linking the West Coast and Canterbury, will close on weekdays for resurfacing between Otira and Arthur’s Pass from 10am to 6pm between December 4 and December 15.
Arthur’s Pass cafe and store owner Sean Moran said the closure would severely affect his business.
But Waka Kotahi Canterbury/West Coast system manager Mark Pinner said the fortnight before the Christmas holidays "has the least impact overall, compared to later options".
Read the full story by reporter Joanne Naish here.
Photo: SH73 Peg Leg Creek resurfacing, also in the Otira Gorge closer to the top of the pass, completed in 2021.
This little momma and her babies here to ask you a question... can you give him some love? Literally! ❤️ With the number of animals needing SPCA’s help on the rise, and the number of foster homes due to go down in the upcoming holiday season, we need foster homes now more than ever.
Over … View moreThis little momma and her babies here to ask you a question... can you give him some love? Literally! ❤️ With the number of animals needing SPCA’s help on the rise, and the number of foster homes due to go down in the upcoming holiday season, we need foster homes now more than ever.
Over the next six months, around 10,000 cats and kittens will require temporary care to heal, learn and grow. Not only felines, but dogs, small animals and farm animals can all need foster care, and we’re desperately seeking new foster homes around the country.
No matter your circumstances, we are keen to hear from you. Whether you have kids, pets, work full time or can only commit for a couple of weeks, you can make a HUGE difference in the little life of an animal in need ?
We cover training and all costs. All you need to provide is your time and love ? Keen to know more?
Get involved today and get started on the most rewarding journey.
This little momma and her babies here to ask you a question... can you give him some love? Literally! ❤️ With the number of animals needing SPCA’s help on the rise, and the number of foster homes due to go down in the upcoming holiday season, we need foster homes now more than ever.
Over … View moreThis little momma and her babies here to ask you a question... can you give him some love? Literally! ❤️ With the number of animals needing SPCA’s help on the rise, and the number of foster homes due to go down in the upcoming holiday season, we need foster homes now more than ever.
Over the next six months, around 10,000 cats and kittens will require temporary care to heal, learn and grow. Not only felines, but dogs, small animals and farm animals can all need foster care, and we’re desperately seeking new foster homes around the country.
No matter your circumstances, we are keen to hear from you. Whether you have kids, pets, work full time or can only commit for a couple of weeks, you can make a HUGE difference in the little life of an animal in need ?
We cover training and all costs. All you need to provide is your time and love ? Keen to know more?
Get involved today and get started on the most rewarding journey.
This little momma and her babies here to ask you a question... can you give him some love? Literally! ❤️ With the number of animals needing SPCA’s help on the rise, and the number of foster homes due to go down in the upcoming holiday season, we need foster homes now more than ever.
Over … View moreThis little momma and her babies here to ask you a question... can you give him some love? Literally! ❤️ With the number of animals needing SPCA’s help on the rise, and the number of foster homes due to go down in the upcoming holiday season, we need foster homes now more than ever.
Over the next six months, around 10,000 cats and kittens will require temporary care to heal, learn and grow. Not only felines, but dogs, small animals and farm animals can all need foster care, and we’re desperately seeking new foster homes around the country.
No matter your circumstances, we are keen to hear from you. Whether you have kids, pets, work full time or can only commit for a couple of weeks, you can make a HUGE difference in the little life of an animal in need ?
We cover training and all costs. All you need to provide is your time and love ? Keen to know more?
Get involved today and get started on the most rewarding journey.
By local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
The West Coast Regional Council is now faced with "a massive task" of resending about 16,000 rates invoices as it cleans up its earlier mistake.
It follows the shock of ratepayers opening their bills early in October to find increases of … View moreBy local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
The West Coast Regional Council is now faced with "a massive task" of resending about 16,000 rates invoices as it cleans up its earlier mistake.
It follows the shock of ratepayers opening their bills early in October to find increases of anywhere up to 100%, after council passed a general rates rise of 16.4% in June.
It later emerged the wrong capital value factor was used to assess rates demands in more than half of the bills sent out in early October.
It mainly affected ratepayers who are within special rating districts for flood protection assets, such as the Greymouth Floodwall.
Chief executive Darryl Lew told the council's Risk and Assurance Committee on Monday that "a complete diagnosis" had been done across all the original invoices.
"We now understand what went wrong and what we need to do to put it right," Lew said.
He said steps were being taken to avoid a repeat of the mess.
"It is critical now ... that we develop an internal control framework around rates generation into the future. One doesn't exist at the moment."
Lew said the council proposed undertaking "quite a complex" mail merge exercise in fresh generation of between 10,000 and 16,000 new rates demands.
At the same time he had implemented "a control procedure and a checking procedure" to ensure everything was right as the new invoices were generated then mailed.
"That is not a trivial task."
Sending new corrected rates demands out could take a couple of weeks, but it would be clearer by the end of Monday, he said.
Lew said council staff were meeting its auditor PricewaterhouseCooper and the contractor who maintained council's rating system this afternoon to work through the practicalities.
He said the computer based rates system used by council was currently used by about other 30 local authorities.
Lew said he was commissioning a new internal control framework for the rates system given it did not have one currently.
Risk and Assurance Committee chairperson Frank Dooley said he appreciated what the new chief executive and his team had done to rectify what had been an "embarrassment".
PricewaterhouseCooper confirmed the original glitch related to the rates generated for the ratepayers in council's special rating districts. It amounted to 16,087 invoices, and would take time to correct.
"There is a large credit that has to be processed," Dooley said.
He suggested that everyone should still pay their rates other than that charged specifically to their special rating district.
"That's the only error here, the rates for the special rating district."
Dooley said there was "one error that wasn't picked up" in going back to the original decision on June 27 to strike the general rates increase, but it had a huge impact.
"There will be a massive process to correct over 16,000 credits."
Dooley said was recommending that if people were unhappy with their 2023-24 rates demand, then they could just pay based on their 2022-23 demand.
It was vital people still paid their rates by November 30 to avoid "a cascading effect" on council's cash flow.
The council previously extended the deadline from October 20.
Dooley said as long as people paid something by November 30, council would exercise "total discretion" around penalties.
Lew repeated there was "a massive amount of work" to do in the meantime.
For many people, the thought of downsizing and moving to a new house can be pretty daunting, especially if you’ve lived in the family home for the last 20 to 30 years. But if you take the plunge, it can open the door for you to truly expand your life.
There are two things to consider when … View moreFor many people, the thought of downsizing and moving to a new house can be pretty daunting, especially if you’ve lived in the family home for the last 20 to 30 years. But if you take the plunge, it can open the door for you to truly expand your life.
There are two things to consider when you’ve decided to sell up – how to present your home so it’s appealing to buyers and packing up your home for the physical move.
Before you jump into renovations to make the place look shiny and new, think carefully about the value they will add to the house and whether you’ll recover that cost in the sale price. Renovations can be costly, stressful and time-consuming, so they’re only worth making if they’ll add significant value to your house sale.
Click to read more.
For as little as $61, unwrap thought-provoking articles, entertainment and adventure every Sunday!
Purchase a subscription to Sunday Star-Times via mags4gifts.co.nz before December 25 and receive a free Linden Leaves diffuser worth $40.
For more information visit mags4gifts.co.nz/sstchristmas… View moreFor as little as $61, unwrap thought-provoking articles, entertainment and adventure every Sunday!
Purchase a subscription to Sunday Star-Times via mags4gifts.co.nz before December 25 and receive a free Linden Leaves diffuser worth $40.
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How much do you know about the heart? Try our Heart Myths and Facts Quiz. Some of the answers might shock you!
Take the quiz here: www.heartfoundation.org.nz...
By local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
Visitor numbers are back to 80% of pre-Covid levels on the West Coast, but a tourism operator says challenges remain.
Scenic Hotel Group operations manager Karl Luxon told the Te Tai o Poutini Plan panel the West Coast visitor economy had bounced … View moreBy local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
Visitor numbers are back to 80% of pre-Covid levels on the West Coast, but a tourism operator says challenges remain.
Scenic Hotel Group operations manager Karl Luxon told the Te Tai o Poutini Plan panel the West Coast visitor economy had bounced back to 80% of pre-pandemic numbers.
However, reduced international flights into the country restricted the tourist numbers.
Luxon also detailed the impact of the Airbnb sector and the challenge of attracting hotel staff and housing them in remote settlements like Punakaiki and Franz Josef Glacier.
The bottleneck in getting international tourists back had also coincided with a prominent "anti-flying" lobby focused on the carbon emissions of international tourism, he said.
Scenic was involved in lobbying to get airlines to return, but Luxon said airfares prices "are too high".
A return to the pre-Covid tourist numbers - upwards of 3 million people - was unlikely, he said.
However, the country remained "high on the radar" of overseas travellers, even if visitor volumes were "quite small" in the global context.
Scenic was now taking a longer view of having fewer tourists but higher value offerings for visitors to the region, he said.
The West Coast visitor market remained very seasonal, Luxon said.
Scenic's Punakaiki site had an annual occupancy rate barely over 60%, but it was marked by huge seasonal variation from 100% in summer to about 10% in winter.
Effort were being made to "flatten out" the visitor economy in the South Island.
This included leveraging off the new Christchurch Convention Centre, where visitors would say, "I have come this far" and decide to take a trip west.
"The reason we're interested in that sort of business is that it is year round."
Commissioner Paul Rogers asked what Scenic foresaw in the long term for tourism to return to pre-pandemic levels.
Luxon said it would take another two years dependent on the Asian market and China.
The West Coast tourism sector, including food servicing, was still contracting in some areas, Luxon said.
This was due to "a massive amount of debt" caused by disruptions in the past few years.
While the sector was now "catching up" some businesses in the region were beginning to fall over, he said.
"Covid for tourism has a very long tail."
Scenic had seen many changes in the 43 years it had been in the region, Luxon said.
The traditional service of only providing beds was moving to an all-encompassing experience, keeping visitors longer than one night.
But, even with this change, the West Coast remained reliant on international visitors visiting for just a few days, he said.
"We're really positive about the West Coast. We wish to expand. We made the submission on the basis of maintaining the current activities while growing new activities as well."
In this respect the new TTPP planning framework should enable this aim, Luxon said.
Scenic needed to redevelop its Franz Josef sites by replacing buildings dating back to the 1950s.
The company foresaw a modular relocatable building approach, given the natural hazards of the area and the underlying uncertainty.
The Alpine Fault avoidance zone at Franz Josef Glacier restricted development in the current built-up area, which he said was "a bit problematic".
Under the plan they would only be able to redevelop their sites at Franz "within the same footprint", which was not necessarily desirable or efficient, Luxon said.
Right now, kiwi families are facing some really big challenges, and many find themselves struggling to make ends meet. This means not everyone is looking forward to Christmas.
This Christmas, give the gift of hope. By donating $40, you have the opportunity to feed a family in need through a … View moreRight now, kiwi families are facing some really big challenges, and many find themselves struggling to make ends meet. This means not everyone is looking forward to Christmas.
This Christmas, give the gift of hope. By donating $40, you have the opportunity to feed a family in need through a Christmas Box filled with food basics and treats. 100% of your donation goes directly to filling the box, which provides not only food essentials but much-needed hope.
Only together, can we bring hope to the table across Aotearoa.
It's that spooky time of year and while there are some streets that welcome Halloween and set themselves up for trick or treating, there are other houses where you're more likely to get an earful than Halloween lollies. Do you think there's a place for Halloween in NZ?
Type … View moreIt's that spooky time of year and while there are some streets that welcome Halloween and set themselves up for trick or treating, there are other houses where you're more likely to get an earful than Halloween lollies. Do you think there's a place for Halloween in NZ?
Type 'Not For Print' if you wish your comments to be excluded from the Conversations column of your local paper.
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By local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
The high profile West Coast mining sector can no longer be just characterised as coal and gold but as a linchpin to the region's economy and vital services.
That's the view of Te Tai o Poutini Plan principle planner Loise Easton who … View moreBy local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
The high profile West Coast mining sector can no longer be just characterised as coal and gold but as a linchpin to the region's economy and vital services.
That's the view of Te Tai o Poutini Plan principle planner Loise Easton who offered her opening statement on day one of the formal hearings into the proposed ‘one district plan’.
The all-encompassing plan will eventually replace the current three district plans that operate across the West Coast.
She noted the region had the largest coal mine in New Zealand, at Stockton – with an historic footprint bigger in area than the city of Christchurch.
At the same time “a plethora” of other resources in the ground such as rare earth minerals were coming into prominence thanks to international demand for high tech components for the likes of electric cars and solar panels.
“Often it’s a case of many of those things people haven’t paid much attention to in the past, but now are part of the potential economic future of the West Coast.”
Easton told hearing commissioner Paul Roger that while employment numbers at Stockton were lower than historically, the region was largely dominated by many small mines employing from two to three people.
Easton said even though the domestic coal market was being pared back the necessity for high quality thermal coal exported from the region for steel manufacture "can't be replaced" yet.
At the same time gold mining in the region remained significant.
The mainly alluvial gold sector was not in decline as evidenced in the Reefton area with significant investigation of new permits underway.
“Mineral extraction is what the West Coast has been built on. With the decline in coal, it does not mean the end of mining on the West Coast,” said Easton.
A big question for the TTPP planners had been what happened when current mine licences expired, and this had partly driven the designation of a Minerals Zone within the proposed plan, she said.
Currently much of the region was subject to Crown Mineral Licence system, with the likes of Stockton still operating under that system after decades rather than through the newer RMA regime.
However while Stockton's licence was due to expire in 2028, the footprint was huge with significant parts of the Stockton Plateau subject to extensive and ongoing rehabilitation, including over areas that had historic acid mine problems dating from 19th century mining.
“All of these are in the wider Stockton area, operating under the mining licence system.
“While stuff may not be coming out of the ground, rehabilitation is going on.”
This had seen “huge impact” in the improved health of some Buller waterways by dealing with a legacy of leaching from aggregates exposed through mining back to the 19th century.
Easton said while mining drove a "huge strategic direction" the other reality was the region also had five national parks within its boundary, with 84% of the land area under Crown agency control.
Alongside that much of the private land in the region - to be subject to the SNA process - had significant biodiversity along a long and significant coastline.
As such, the recently promulgated West Coast Policy Statement "does set a very strong direction for the natural environment."
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