Waikari Valley fire evacuees can return home
Residents evacuated after fire tore through vegetation in North Canterbury’s Waikari Valley have been given the all-clear to return home, fire bosses confirmed.
Anna Engelbrecht said “it’s been a relief” to find their house unscathed after an intense evacuation late Sunday, complicated by her husband’s rare neuromuscular disease.
In the span of 30 minutes, he could be unable to move or breath, Anna said, and stressful situations made things worse.
“For me it was: I need to get him out, I need to get him out.”
The pair fled their house with flames on the horizon after a change in wind direction put them in danger.
Many in the community got little sleep overnight Sunday, and some were forced from their properties by the the blaze, which broke out about 8pm and spread over 300 hectares.
Five helicopters and 80 ground crews of firefighters battled the fire on Monday, when it was fanned by high winds, and fire authorities warned it will not likely be fully extinguished for several days.
On Monday afternoon, Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) assistant commander Des Irving said residents could now return home but implored them to “be vigilant” and encouraged them to use common sense in the dry and hot conditions.
He praised the way local residents had reacted to the blaze.
“They’ve been amazing, we’re really appreciative of the residents and their support.
“It is never easy to leave your home at short notice like these people had to do last night, but safety is always the priority.”
The cause of the fire is not yet known, but the source has been pinpointed, he said.
No livestock has been reported as lost, nor any structures lost or damaged.
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Roading funding shortfall leads to Hurunui annual plan rethink
By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter
Some rates relief could be in store for Hurunui ratepayers next year as the council reconsiders its roading priorities.
The Hurunui District Council forecast an average 14.49% rates hike for the 2025-26 financial year in the 2024-34 long-term plan.
But after receiving a significantly reduced subsidy from Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), council chief executive Hamish Dobbie said staff are having another look at the roading programme.
‘‘In our long-term plan consultation, our residents signalled they wanted us to invest in our roads, so now it is about figuring out what is a wise investment with the funding we have.’’
He said the council will need to reconsider what it can afford to fund, based on the lower-than-expected subsidy.
The Hurunui council receives a 52% subsidy from NZTA on approved projects, with ratepayers paying the balance.
The council has met with NZTA since raising concerns about the funding it received in the 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme.
It had sought a 184% increase, but NZTA director regional relationships James Caygill said this was ‘‘unaffordable’’.
Dobbie said ratepayers were already paying two-thirds of the district’s roading budget as a number of projects were not funded by NZTA.
Options for a revised roading programme will be presented to the council to consider ahead of next year’s annual plan.
Dobbie did not expect rates to rise any more than the 14.49% signalled and will likely be less.
Funding has been reduced for low cost, low risk projects, which cost less than $2 million, so these will need to be reconsidered, he said.
‘‘It means the Government doesn’t value that type of work, so we need to consider how we value it.
‘‘The Government values the sealed road networks, so how do we allocate ratepayer money to those aspects of our network versus our unsealed roads.’’
Dobbie said Hurunui, a large rural community with around 13,000 residents, had about 900km of unsealed roads and 600km of sealed roads.
The council estimated it needs about $3 million a year to maintain and upgrade its ageing network of 286 bridges.
‘‘I think we have an understanding of what the issues are, but I wouldn’t say we are any closer to finding a solution,’’ Dobbie said.
He said he understood NZTA is restricted by Government funding.
‘‘This Government claims to be about infrastructure, so hopefully they can find a way to help us with intergenerational (or debt) funding and help us to pay it back.
‘‘We will pay our share.’’
Transport Minister Simeon Brown and NZTA have been contacted for comment.
■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
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