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Anyone got for sale December 2022 and January 2023 National Geographic Magazines ( NOT NZ Geographic I need the USA ones)
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From local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
Waiho Flat dairy farms at Franz Josef "dodged a bullet" after flooding on Monday again threatened a historic rubbish dump.
The Waiho (Waiau) River floodwaters appeared to threaten the stopbank that protects the buried dump, just below … View moreFrom local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
Waiho Flat dairy farms at Franz Josef "dodged a bullet" after flooding on Monday again threatened a historic rubbish dump.
The Waiho (Waiau) River floodwaters appeared to threaten the stopbank that protects the buried dump, just below Canavans Knob, but then turned away, Waiho Flat farmer of 50 years Richard Molloy said.
Nerves were jangled on Monday when the rapidly rising river looked to be on the verge of breaking through - as it almost did last year.
During a 70mm downpour in about 90 minutes, the raging river shifted course straight towards the bank.
"We were only a hair's breadth away from the same situation," Molloy said.
It was only averted by chance - "it's nothing to do with proactiveness".
West Coast Regional Council acting infrastructure manager Colin Munn said he was made aware of concerns last Friday and the council arranged for a local contractor to inspect the stopbank.
"He thought it was fine ... I guess it's a matter of judgment."
Engineering staff were again visiting the site today, Munn said.
Further north at Harihari, Wanganui River farmers mopping up from their second flood in a fortnight were again critical of the regional council's role in the delay in repairing the impaired stopbank.
Work to divert the river started last Thursday but heavy rain that night saw the river break out above the new diversion, and thwarted the short term repair.
"What our aim has been is to get some rock to the site to ensure we don't lose any more of that stopbank," Munn said.
Rock cartage began on Friday and restarted on Sunday, but contractors "got chased out" by the rising river levels.
"It's an interesting place to be in terms of the ability of schemes to withstand all these events repeatedly, and people's expectations that you can fix it overnight."
He said the council just needed some breathing space.
"The best thing for me is if someone turns the tap off."
Riverbeds constricted for a long time by flood protection banks were continuing to aggrade with gravel build-up, Munn said.
Discussions about the broader issues facing the Wanganui River scheme were ongoing, but the council had to balance the immediate risk for affected residents.
"The factors have changed around it and it's making it more challenging to manage the status quo, but at the moment we're just trying to make sure we get control of it."
From local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
The West Coast Regional Council intends to add automatic rain monitoring equipment on the Wanganui River near Harihari after a series of damaging floods.
The fallout over a flood that swamped two dairy farms 12 days ago, was hot at the council … View moreFrom local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
The West Coast Regional Council intends to add automatic rain monitoring equipment on the Wanganui River near Harihari after a series of damaging floods.
The fallout over a flood that swamped two dairy farms 12 days ago, was hot at the council meeting last week.
That was because the council had had a month of dry weather and low river flows to repair a hole in the northern bank protection scheme that was blown out in the previous flood, at Waitangi Weekend.
Councillors were briefed in-committee on a new protection plan for the Wanganui River last week, with a scheme to be presented at the rating district AGM next month.
Meanwhile, during the last flood the council was relying on hydrological data it receives from a site inland from Whataroa, about 35km to the south of Hari Hari, to anticipate and monitor river flows in the Wanganui.
The council currently does not have monitoring equipment on the Wanganui River.
Hydrology and engineering staff travel from Greymouth to watch it in an extreme rain storm - as they do for the Waiho (Waiau) at Franz Josef and other large rivers throughout the West Coast.
Council chief executive Heather Mabin said work for new river monitoring sites was ongoing and it was currently formulating "a wish list" but that would depend on funding.
The overnight heavy spell of rain in the Wanganui River headwaters 12 days ago sent "a half-flood" down the river, widening and doubling a 100m hole in the protection bank on the true right that had opened up in early February.
Wanganui Rating District spokesperson and councillor Andy Campbell, one of two affected farmers on the true right of the Wanganui, reported 90mm of rain the night of the flood.
He told the meeting he believed most of the rain that swelled the river was "backcountry heavy rain".
The rain monitor site further south and inland of Whataroa had about 130mm.
Mabin said she understood a new gauge on the Wanganui might be a Civil Defence initiative but the council was also working on a plan to expand its hydrological monitoring work.
Following the meeting Mabin said the Wanganui was "at the top of the list".
It was part of work council began when it put in for about $200,000 of 'shovel ready' Government money for new Buller River monitoring and associated preliminary work around the flood defences for Westport township.
"It's actually a piece of work we've already started."
She was unsure of the history of monitoring at the Wanganui and the previous decision making around installing equipment there. However, she had asked the relevant council departments to look at potential costs from within the current budgets to broaden the work.
River monitoring data was "a key piece of information" not only for the council but the affected communities.
She noted the Wanganui River was a strong case but she would not be drawn on other potential sites.
At this stage the cost per site was yet to emerge but aside from the equipment, having safe access to particular sites was likely to be a significant factor. This included vehicle or walking track access and the practical logistics of physically getting down to particular monitoring sites, Mabin said.
"Often, what I'm hearing, it's the access ways."
Another significant factor was having the connectivity to relay information back from the sites - a significant challenge with no cellphone coverage to remote sites on the West Coast.
"The cellphone coverage is key unless we can tap into some other system."
Our 2023 Local Business Hero Awards nomination phase closes on Sunday. Neighbours - you only have a few more days to nominate a favourite local business to give them a chance to win an incredible $10,000 package.
Show your support for your local today by nominating them to be this year's … View moreOur 2023 Local Business Hero Awards nomination phase closes on Sunday. Neighbours - you only have a few more days to nominate a favourite local business to give them a chance to win an incredible $10,000 package.
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Nothing is less predictable than the weather.
Ryman villages are designed to be safe havens, we prepare for adverse events, so you don’t have to. In an emergency, we’ll take care of everything, to ensure sure that you and those you treasure most have exactly what you need.
Rest assured, … View moreNothing is less predictable than the weather.
Ryman villages are designed to be safe havens, we prepare for adverse events, so you don’t have to. In an emergency, we’ll take care of everything, to ensure sure that you and those you treasure most have exactly what you need.
Rest assured, you’re in safe hands.
This outlines what Christchurch City Council plans to spend on projects and day-to-day services in the next year and how we'll pay for it.
Find out more and have your say by Monday 10 April.
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From local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
The West Coast Regional Council hired a helicopter to check the forest slash following a cloudburst in December.
The localised 'cloudburst' in the Grey Valley on December 19 sent a wall of logs down Callaghans Creek at Matai, washing … View moreFrom local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
The West Coast Regional Council hired a helicopter to check the forest slash following a cloudburst in December.
The localised 'cloudburst' in the Grey Valley on December 19 sent a wall of logs down Callaghans Creek at Matai, washing out an approach to a rail bridge on the Stillwater-Westport rail link and closing the line for days.
Councillor Peter Ewen raised the matter at a council meeting this week, in the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle.
Acting consents and compliance manager Rachel Clark said that following their investigation into the Matai incident, the council decided that forestry slash "wasn't the total story".
The West Coast experience was that forestry slash was not a particular problem, the meeting heard.
"It is not to the scale here on the Coast that it is there. Certainly what's in the rules allows (foresters) to do what they do with the slash, but that's something going forward that everybody has to reach an agreement as to how the best way to handle it is."
Clark noted there was a requirement which meant "a certain proportion" of cutover material had to be left on the ground after felling to protect the slopes from eroding.
"That's why they do it. There's no doubt there needs to be better ways to (manage) it in the future, but they're not currently doing anything they're not supposed to do."
Following the meeting, Clark said at the time of the Matai incident, the council sent compliance staff up in a helicopter to check the creek catchment above where the damage to the rail corridor occurred.
While they observed "a small amount" of exotic plantation slash, the majority of the contributing problem at Matai was from fallen indigenous trees, following slips in the area as a result of the localised 'cloudburst'.
In her 18 years in the council compliance team, the issue of plantation forest slash had not been remarkable, however that was not to say it would be increasingly evident.
"It's not something that ever comes up as a major problem ... for us it hasn't been what it's like in the North Island. I haven't had too many inquiries."
At this point the regional council did not have a specific rule addressing forest slash, but it could never rule that out.
Forestry operators also had to work to resource consent conditions which were monitored by the council.
The fact some West Coast stream catchments are at a critical erosion point due to the loss of indigenous vegetation killed off by Cyclone Ita eight years ago, is on council's radar.
A case study by council engineer Paulette Birchfield on river and slope stability in the catchment of Lake Stream, a tributary of Mount Rochfort behind Westport, and on hillsides above Barrytown, was presented to the council nearly a year ago.
Her investigation showed the slopes in those locations, and others, were at "a threshold condition" and at a point of "mass movement", ranging from 'soil creep' to landslides.
The effects were being monitored at various sites and becoming critical.
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Primary, secondary and kindergarten teachers are striking this week as they look for a pay offer that meets inflation at 7.2% and makes concessions around staffing issues - in particular, student to teacher ratios.
A ratio of 1 teacher for 23 students applies for year 11 students, however … View morePrimary, secondary and kindergarten teachers are striking this week as they look for a pay offer that meets inflation at 7.2% and makes concessions around staffing issues - in particular, student to teacher ratios.
A ratio of 1 teacher for 23 students applies for year 11 students, however support staff can be counted as teachers so the reality is that class sizes can be much higher.
What do you think are the ideal sizes for classrooms?
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