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NZ Gardener together with Ryman Healthcare is once again looking for greenfingered good sorts – individuals or groups who use their gardening skills to help others. Tell us about the great gardeners doing right by your community, and they could be one of five finalists who will… View moreDear neighbours,
NZ Gardener together with Ryman Healthcare is once again looking for greenfingered good sorts – individuals or groups who use their gardening skills to help others. Tell us about the great gardeners doing right by your community, and they could be one of five finalists who will feature in the October magazine!
There are some amazing prizes up for grabs, so if you know a homegrown hero who is using their gardening skills for the greater good, nominate them now for Ryman Healthcare 2022 Gardener of the Year!
From local democracy reporter David Hill:
Waimakariri residents are being encouraged to read stories while on the move.
A new storywalk was launched at Northbrook Reserve in Rangiora on Friday, June 24, and Waimakariri district libraries staff hope it will be the first of many.
Library staff … View moreFrom local democracy reporter David Hill:
Waimakariri residents are being encouraged to read stories while on the move.
A new storywalk was launched at Northbrook Reserve in Rangiora on Friday, June 24, and Waimakariri district libraries staff hope it will be the first of many.
Library staff joined forces with greenspace staff to create temporary storyboards which have been strategically placed around the reserve walkway.
The idea came out of the Covid-19 lockdown as library staff explored new ways of connecting with people, Waimakariri District Libraries community connections co-ordinator Anna Paterson said.
Storywalks have been created in other parts of New Zealand, including the Gore, Hastings, and Napier districts.
"We thought with Covid and people getting out and going for walks and enjoying their local parks, this was a good way of connecting with people.
"We want people to have a love for books and reading and this is a way of doing that when the library is closed. And not everybody wants to do it online."
Each storyboard was like a different page, telling a story and linking to the local environment, Paterson said.
The story The Little Kiwi’s Matariki by Nikki Slade Robinson was chosen for the first storywalk to tie in with Matariki, with permission obtained from the author.
People can also learn about the birdlife and plants, which are found in the Northbrook Reserve and about the history of site on the storyboards.
The temporary storywalk has been set up for a two month trial and if it is successful library staff hope to be able to roll out permanent story walks at different parks around the district.
"It would be lovely to see this in every park in the Waimakariri," Paterson said.
"If the boards are still in an OK condition at the end of the trial we may be able to take them to Kaiapoi and share them a little bit more.
"Temporary boards is a very affordable option at this point, but more permanent boards would require some funding from the council."
Waimakariri mayor Dan Gordon said he would support expanding the initiative and lookEd forward to a funding proposal coming from council staff.
"I think it’s a great initiative from our greenspace and our libraries teams and with the timing of Matariki, it’s a lovely integration.
"It’s great for the kids to learn as they walk around the reserve and I’m learning too."
Rangiora-Ashley Community Board chairperson Jim Gerard joined Gordon on a walk around the new story walk on Friday and said the board was "all behind the beautification of open spaces" in Rangiora.
The cost of creating, installing and later removal of the storyboards is around $1500 and is covered by existing greenspace and library budgets.
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By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter
The Waimakariri mayor is in line for a payrise after October’s Local Government elections.
The Waimakariri District Council voted to accept the revised elected members salaries and expenses, which have been set by the Remuneration Authority, at a council … View moreBy David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter
The Waimakariri mayor is in line for a payrise after October’s Local Government elections.
The Waimakariri District Council voted to accept the revised elected members salaries and expenses, which have been set by the Remuneration Authority, at a council meeting on Tuesday.
It means the mayor’s annual salary has increased by nearly $2000 from $137,500 to $139,425 from July 1.
A further increase of more than $7000, to $146,838 will kick in after the elections.
‘‘This is a matter the council doesn’t really have a choice on as it’s set by the Remuneration Authority,’’ mayor Dan Gordon said in support of the motion.
The mayor’s salary and payments for community board members are set by the Remuneration Authority, while the deputy mayor’s and councillors’ salaries are paid from a remuneration pool.
The remuneration pool has been set at $555,247 from October 2022 to July 2023.
The deputy mayor will receive a small increase from $58,994 to $59,820, while after the election the deputy mayor’s salary is expected to increase by nearly $10,000.
Councillors are expected to receive an increase of around $5000, with a post-election salary of $53,986.
Community board chairpersons and members are also set for a small payrise.
Fees for serving on a hearings panel have also increased for the first time since 2011, with the chairperson’s fee increasing from $100 to $116 per hour and members from $80 to $93 per hour.
Vehicle mileage allowances have also increased 4 cents a kilometre, from 79c to 83c a kilometre, in line with Inland Revenue recommendations.
From local democracy reporter David Hill:
Kaiapoi North School’s innovative approach to teaching literacy has caught the attention of the Government.
Associate Education Minister Jan Tinetti visited Kaiapoi last Thursday to observe the school’s approach to structured literacy first hand.
A … View moreFrom local democracy reporter David Hill:
Kaiapoi North School’s innovative approach to teaching literacy has caught the attention of the Government.
Associate Education Minister Jan Tinetti visited Kaiapoi last Thursday to observe the school’s approach to structured literacy first hand.
A former school principal, Tinetti said she was impressed with what she saw.
“Jason (Kaiapoi North’s Principal) has been an amazing advocate for structured literacy, and he’s kept at me to come and visit, so it’s been something I’ve been wanting to do for a while.
“Other schools are using structured literacy, but this school has put its own flavour to it, and we want to see schools and teachers show themselves.’’
Tinetti said she was particularly impressed with the consistency of how the school’s approach to structured literacy was applied by teachers at each year level.
She said it will help to inform the implementation of the Government’s literacy and numeracy strategy, which was launched earlier this year and is aimed at improving literacy and numeracy standards.
A recent survey by the Education Hub found that 35 percent of 15-year-olds were not at the required levels for reading and maths.
Kaiapoi North School first trialled structured literacy in 2018, with North Canterbury-based literacy resource teacher Marina Mounsey working with junior team leader Mel Poynter.
“It’s been a massive shift for some teachers in how they do their teaching, and it has required some professional development,” Poynter said.
The school’s approach revolved around phonetics, or sounding out letters and words, which ultimately led to improved spelling and writing, as well as reading.
The trial was a success, so it was rolled out across all year levels the following year, deputy principal Felicity Fahey said.
“It’s not a silver bullet. It won’t fix everything, but we believe it’s the best way to teach all the children,” she said.
Tinetti said the research had been available for 30 years, but successive governments had failed to pick it up until now.
The Government has introduced the Better Start Structured Literacy funding for teaching new entrants children, which several North Canterbury schools have engaged in.
Courses are now being offered at the University of Canterbury and the Ministry of Education aimed to have 4500 teachers throughout the country teaching structured literacy by the end of next year.
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Are you overdue a getaway? You could win a 13-day Sir Edmund Hillary Explorer South Island Rail & Coach tour by participating in Neighbourly’s 8th birthday celebration.
To enter the competition, just tell us what you love about your neighbourhood. It could be your favourite spot, a … View moreAre you overdue a getaway? You could win a 13-day Sir Edmund Hillary Explorer South Island Rail & Coach tour by participating in Neighbourly’s 8th birthday celebration.
To enter the competition, just tell us what you love about your neighbourhood. It could be your favourite spot, a beautiful view, or something that makes you smile. You could be in for a once-in-a-lifetime getaway!
Hi please come to the Ohoka hall tonight at 7:00 to get an explanation of the submissions process for the proposed plan change for Mill Rd and Whites Rd in Ohoka.
Popular ice cream brand Häagen-Dazs has recalled a specific batch of their product due to a low level chemical (ethylene oxide) contamination
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The ice cream product is the Häagen-Dazs brand Classic Collection Mini Cups (4x95mL) with the Best Before dates from the 04.07.2022 up to and including 21.07.2023.
Ethylene Oxide has been found in the vanilla cup. This chemical is normally used as a fumigant for controlling post-harvest insects, moulds, and pathogens in a variety of food however there is low risk from ingesting this amount.
This product is sold in Pak'n Save, New World, Four Square, and Gilmours stores throughout the North Island and can be returned to these stores for a full refund.
From local democracy reporter David Hill:
Satisfy Food Rescue is looking forward to work beginning on a permanent facility to house its growing service.
The North Canterbury-based food rescue charity is one of several organisations set to benefit from the proposed Kaiapoi Community Hub in the … View moreFrom local democracy reporter David Hill:
Satisfy Food Rescue is looking forward to work beginning on a permanent facility to house its growing service.
The North Canterbury-based food rescue charity is one of several organisations set to benefit from the proposed Kaiapoi Community Hub in the former red zone.
‘‘We are excited to be working with the other stakeholders for this project to see it come to fruition,’’ Satisfy Food Rescue manager Stef van Meer said.
‘‘Each year we are receiving and distributing more and more food to help sustain the community organisations we support.
‘‘A purpose built facility as part of the Kaiapoi Community Hub will work wonders for us in the long term as we see the need for our service increase.’’
Satisfy retrieves food from local supermarkets, businesses and residents with surplus garden produce, which it passes on to food banks across the Waimakariri and Hurunui districts.
In the last financial year Satisfy distributed 45% more food than the year ending March 2021.
Satisfy collaborated with other organisations last year to form Food Secure North Canterbury and has secured funding from the Ministry for Social Development to build a new facility as part of the Kaiapoi Community Hub.
The Waimakariri District Council has signed off an additional $760,000 in the 2022-23 annual plan, to increase its contribution to $1.475 million.
Work is expected to begin early next year on the proposed hub, which will be located off Courtenay Drive, not far from the south bank of the Kaiapoi River and to the east of Countdown.
The Kaiapoi Men’s Shed and the Kaiapoi Croquet Club are also joining the hub, with room for more groups, the council’s community and recreation manager, Chris Brown, said.
Deputy mayor Neville Atkinson said the hub was ‘‘an extremely positive development’’ for Kaiapoi.
‘‘It’s a great use of that land and a positive investment, and these groups make such a positive difference to the community.’’
The council’s contribution will be about one-third of the overall costs, providing infrastructure including the three waters, car parking, ecological linkages and a walkway.
The balance of the funding will come from the organisations using the facility and outside funding sources such as the Rātā Foundation.
A project manager has been appointed to lead the project through the detailed design and tendering process, Brown said.
‘‘It’s likely to be next year before we get a spade in the ground. I would expect it to be around February or March.
‘‘The way the hub has been designed allows for the whole community to use and access the whole area in a park-like setting.
‘‘It will be a place where people feel comfortable and can recreate formally and informally.’’
The three groups are in the process of establishing a trust to oversee the running of the site, with support from the council in a model similar to Rangiora’s Northbrook Studios.
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From local democracy reporter David Hill:
Growth is continuing apace in the Waimakariri district, with two major subdivisions proposed.
A subdivision in northeast Rangiora, Bellgrove, has been fast-tracked for development, while a private plan change request for a 155.9-hectare development at … View moreFrom local democracy reporter David Hill:
Growth is continuing apace in the Waimakariri district, with two major subdivisions proposed.
A subdivision in northeast Rangiora, Bellgrove, has been fast-tracked for development, while a private plan change request for a 155.9-hectare development at Ohoka has been notified.
A consenting panel appointed by the Environmental Protection Agency has granted resource consents, subject to conditions, to Bellgrove Rangiora Ltd.
The Waimakariri District Council made an application to the Minister for the Environment in November last year to speed up the Bellgrove development, on the basis it would provide much needed housing and employment in the fast-growing district.
The application was made under the Covid-19 Recovery Fast-track Consenting Act, following public consultation and an agreement from the developer, Bellgrove Rangiora Ltd.
The proposed development is to the north of Kippenberger Ave and straddles the Cam River.
It is proposed to subdivide a 20.8ha site initially and construct 209 sections, a neighbourhood commercial centre, open spaces, restore ecological areas and develop infrastructure including roads, parking and three-waters services.
The full development is over 63ha and could total as many as 1100 sections to be developed over five stages.
Meanwhile, the Waimakariri District Council has notified a private plan change request from Rolleston Industrial Developments Ltd for a proposed 850-house, 155.9ha subdivision between Whites and Bradleys roads at Ohoka (pictured).
Mayor Dan Gordon said the proposed subdivision had not been ‘‘initiated’’ or ‘‘anticipated’’ by the council.
‘‘The council will be making its decision on whether to make a submission in the coming weeks and we will be appointing someone to offer independent advice.’’
District plan manager Matt Bacon said residents had 20 working days to make a submission.
Once staff have considered those submissions they will be notified, with a further 10 working days for feedback before hearings are held.
Greenfield areas were normally developed close to an existing town, where there was existing infrastructure, Bacon said.
The plan change process would consider the provision of services as part of a merits based assessment, he said.
‘‘Any new residential areas need to be fully serviced with water and waste water,” he said.
‘‘The general principal is the developer would pay for it and recover it through development contributions on the sections.’’
The proposed development also includes about 6000 square metres of commercial floor space and car parking, and there is provision for either a new school or a retirement village.
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