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By local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
The $18m Fairfield Freight Hub in Canterbury is on track to be open in April.
Once it’s up and running, the road-rail hub is hoped to shave exporters' costs and ease truck traffic congestion in Ashburton.
Wareing Group director Mark … View moreBy local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
The $18m Fairfield Freight Hub in Canterbury is on track to be open in April.
Once it’s up and running, the road-rail hub is hoped to shave exporters' costs and ease truck traffic congestion in Ashburton.
Wareing Group director Mark Wareing said relocating the rail container terminal in the centre of Ashburton to the industrial area at Fairton, about 5km north, should smooth out the supply chain and benefit farmers.
“It’s going to be good for the farmer but they won’t see it directly.
“It will be the exporter that gets the benefit through the supply chain, which should be passed on to the farmer.”
Exporters pay the freight so the savings are for the industry, not the farmer, he said.
“It will save the farmers at some point but to quantify that in dollar terms depends on several factors.”
The dry, hot summer after a mild winter has allowed contractors to seal the site, putting it on target to be operational before winter.
“It’s looking like mid-April rather than October.”
Moving the freight activities out of the centre of Ashburton will end the delays related to the shunting yards positioned next to one of the busiest intersections in town, with trains passing through town at a higher speed.
The improvement in traffic flows through Ashburton is expected to be only a minor benefit compared to the economic gains it offers.
It’s estimated that KiwiRail only carries about 12% of New Zealand’s freight, and the Fairfield Freight Hub is looking to boost those figures.
The hub will be processing about 20,000 containers per year, and moving the containers on rail will see a reduction of about 40,000 truck movements per year, Wareing said.
The aim is to reduce the costs out of the supply chain that is currently broken.
“Producers are sick of Covid, shipping disruption, not having containers available, not having transparency where the containers are.
“This project will fix some of that by securing access to get things to the port.”
And not just to Lyttelton, but via rail it can connect to Timaru, down to Dunedin and the North Island.
The hub is replicating overseas models where ports are shut off to trucks in the major cities, Wareing said.
“Looking at Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, this is what happened in all those cities. They have subsects of rail operations that cart into the ports.”
The installation of NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi’s weigh stations north of Rakaia, which will become operational soon, could also be a boost for the hub with more operators looking to utilise rail, Wareing said.
They have already been fielding requests from firms outside Mid Canterbury looking to use the hub rather than navigate SH1.
The big hurdle is managing the port’s vehicle booking system, which requires the bookings three days in advance, Wareing said.
It is not a storage facility but a transfer depot, opening up direct access to the ports via rail with a focus on efficiency, and that equates to savings, “by smoothing out the supply chain”.
“It’s all a saving if we can do it all here rather than truck it all to Christchurch and then load the train.”
One example is seed consolidation.
From around October until late January, there are a lot of small seed loads produced to move in Mid Canterbury, Wareing said.
“Previously we would go to three or four seed stores to pick it up the small seed loads with our container trucks.
“What we are planning is to consolidate it all here on-site at the hub.”
A curtain-side truck will collect the seed from the stores, as well as other freight, and bring it to the hub to be loaded into containers.
“Instead of container trucks bouncing around some 100km, the curtain-sider will pick it up as it goes around its usual rounds, and that will save the exporters some money.”
From the end of January, the stores start to fill up and it’s then more efficient to send the container truck.
The hub will also boast reefer towers, a storage system connected to power that can keep containers chilled or frozen.
“It’s quite the development in Mid Canterbury because we haven’t had that before.”
The hub will have the capacity for about 120 containers to be kept chilled once all four reefer towers are completed, Wareing said.
Fairfield Freight Hub project is a tri-party commercial development led by the Wareing Group (which wholly owns Fairfield Freight Hub Ltd) with KiwiRail and the Ashburton District Council.
The council is contributing $2.3m to help fund the relocation of the rail yard from the town centre to the purpose-built facility at Fairton, which has been covered by funding from the Three Waters Reform Better Off Funding support package.
The Government is also chipping in $2.5m from Waka Kotahi’s NZ upgrade programme.
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Miniature Schnauzers are hypoallergenic dogs, which means they do not shed like some dogs - making them the ideal mate, even for people with allergies. They are super … View morePurebred mini Schnauzers pups are looking for their future homes. These are some of the most gorgeous pups you will ever meet.
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Happy to assist with pet transfer nationwide, through a trusted service provider.
By local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
It’ll be lights, camera, action as the first full council meeting of the year unveils the new council chamber, Hine Paaka, to the public.
The first Ashburton District Council meeting since the shift into Te Whare Whakatere is open to the public … View moreBy local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
It’ll be lights, camera, action as the first full council meeting of the year unveils the new council chamber, Hine Paaka, to the public.
The first Ashburton District Council meeting since the shift into Te Whare Whakatere is open to the public and will have livestreaming resume on Wednesday.
Council democracy and engagement group manager Toni Durham said the new chamber features five-cameras to improve the live-streaming of meetings and show better views of who is speaking.
“We intend to livestream and have all technology working for the first meeting on Wednesday but also encourage the public to come and attend in person if they can,” Durham said.
Having the council chamber located in the heart of Te Whare Whakatere will make it more accessible to the public, being directly off the library, Te Kete Tuhinga, Durham said.
“We are delighted to have already noticed children and families taking an interest in peeking through the windows from Te Kete Tuhinga into Hine Paaka.”
The chamber is accessible on level one, off the spiral staircase in the library, up the performance space stairs, the elevator, or up the main stairs off the front entrance and past the wall of former mayors.
“The new chamber is in the same place the chamber once was in the old county building that previously stood on the site.”
The chamber had a test run of its audio and visual capabilities last week in a long-term plan workshop, to be ready to live-stream the council meeting at 1pm.
The agenda includes considering whether to approve connecting the Fairton water supply to the Ashburton water supply, approving a road name, and discussion of the financial variance report.
The chamber has been named Hine Paaka after the ancient mātai tree that stood watch over the district for hundreds of years near Alford Forest.
The chamber looks out onto the Southern Alps with a viewing deck located in the centre of the metal A-shaped shroud that will adorn the front of the building - once it is reinstated.
“A large pillar that stands from the ground floor, through the chamber, seen just behind the mayor’s chair, on the first floor and into the second floor represents the tree trunk of Hine Paaka.
“Ngāi Tahu master carver Fayne Robinson provided the Māori narrative including carved designs on the ceiling of the chamber to represent the tree leaves of the ancient matai tree.
“The design on the Axminster wool carpet was chosen to represent the branches of Hine Paaka.”
A cultural narrative continues throughout Te Whare Whakatere, with the mesh shroud “designed to partly mimic the grain silos and dairy tanks that dot the district and is a nod to our farming backbone”.
“A lot of thought and time had been taken over the whole building to include aspects that were important to our district,” Durham said.
---------------------------------
Hine Paaka history
Hine Paaka was an ancient mātai (beech) tree that once stood at Alford Forest.
It was a significant landmark to Maori travelling through the district as it could be seen from a great distance away and was named after the wife of Ngāi Tahu chief, Maru, who lived in the late 1600s.
The importance of the tree was also acknowledged by early European settlers in the region, and it was given the name Singletree.
A living giant in 1890, it was a skeleton of its former self by 1930 before it blew over in a storm in 1945.
It was estimated to be anything between 300 and 1000 years old.
A commemorative plaque and a small piece of the tree are embedded in a memorial wall and a new mātai tree nearby on State Highway 72 now marks the spot it once stood.
Get ready for a refreshing summer with our 6 rejuvenating wellness tips!
Whether you're hitting the trails, diving into the waves, or simply chilling at home, these tips are perfect for making the most of your break!
Friday 16 & Saturday 17 February, 10am - 2pm.
Join us for our open days and experience why the Ryman lifestyle could be for you.
Get information on living and care options, unmatched amenities and our Peace of Mind Guarantees.
There will also be an information presentation at 10am each… View moreFriday 16 & Saturday 17 February, 10am - 2pm.
Join us for our open days and experience why the Ryman lifestyle could be for you.
Get information on living and care options, unmatched amenities and our Peace of Mind Guarantees.
There will also be an information presentation at 10am each day.
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These road tyres were on my Pajero when I brought it.
Being into skiing I put all terrain tyres on it in winter 23 to drive up the ski access roads. I had planned to put these back on after the ski season to save the tread on the AT's as they are perfectly warrantable and legal, but I … View moreThese road tyres were on my Pajero when I brought it.
Being into skiing I put all terrain tyres on it in winter 23 to drive up the ski access roads. I had planned to put these back on after the ski season to save the tread on the AT's as they are perfectly warrantable and legal, but I never got around to getting it done. So rather than them sitting around, maybe they are useful to someone else?
Photos were taken at night, will try to remember to take some during the day to add. All should be warrantable, but two look to be better than the other two. You are welcome to come and view.
Pickup is from Coopers Creek area
Make an offer, text or whatsapp to 020 406 41485.
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By local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
A proposed $200m equestrian centre in Canterbury is working through the consent process, after its first attempt was handed back.
Southern Parallel Equine Centre plans to establish a farming business encompassing a world-class equine centre on 65ha … View moreBy local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
A proposed $200m equestrian centre in Canterbury is working through the consent process, after its first attempt was handed back.
Southern Parallel Equine Centre plans to establish a farming business encompassing a world-class equine centre on 65ha of land next to Lake Hood, near Ashburton.
The proposed centre would include stables, training arenas and a veterinary clinic.
Resource consent applications were submitted to the Ashburton District Council and Environment Canterbury (ECan) in November.
An independent commissioner was appointed to consider the Ashburton District Council application and deemed the consent would have limited notification on January 11.
That meant only those identified as being adversely affected - seven properties - could lodge a submission.
The site’s land owners, Graeme and Elizabeth Small, have already submitted written approval as part of the application.
The submissions close on February 9 and any submissions received will be reviewed and, if required, a hearing will be arranged.
Southern Equine project director Catherine Stuart has declined to comment on the active consent process.
The consents lodged with ECan were considered insufficient and returned on December 8, with a new application lodged on December 27.
ECan consent planning manager Aurora Grant said the application had been accepted for processing last week.
“We are currently auditing the proposal and undertaking technical reviews of the documentation provided.
“These assessments will inform whether the proposal will be publicly notified or only affected persons notified, or whether we can make a decision on a non-notified basis.”
Consent is being sought to establish an equine stud with associated facilities, including a selling centre, veterinary clinic, stabling (six stable blocks of 100 stables per block), grazing pasture, training arenas and parking.
It was hoped the consent process could be completed in early 2024 to allow construction to start later in the year, for a planned opening in the second half of 2025.
Stage two is to develop the SPC Life Skills and Education Centre for physically disabled veterans, service personnel, and para-athletes.
The foundation of the project is planned to be completed on a separate site by mid-2026 and will be subject to a separate consent process.
Hello everyone, have you read your copy of NZFarmer?
NZFarmer has moved to isuue and all editions will be available there each month including both North and South Island editions. So head over there and follow us on our rural journey.
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Give an old wooden wardrobe a no-sand Resene paint makeover to add more colour – as well as more storage – to your life.
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Ryman Healthcare is pleased to announce it’s been awarded the Wellbeing Tick, a significant milestone marking the company as the first healthcare organisation in New Zealand and Australia to receive this accreditation.
The Wellbeing Tick is a workplace accreditation programme that recognises … View moreRyman Healthcare is pleased to announce it’s been awarded the Wellbeing Tick, a significant milestone marking the company as the first healthcare organisation in New Zealand and Australia to receive this accreditation.
The Wellbeing Tick is a workplace accreditation programme that recognises organisations that commit to the wellbeing of their people and are ready to make systemic changes to the way they operate.
The programme is based on an award-winning and globally researched framework, aiming to set the standard for workplace wellbeing practices in New Zealand and Australia.
Click to read the full story.
Welcome to the Year of the Dragon - the symbol of power!
WIN 1 of 3 $50 gift cards in our Lunar New Year contest:
Simply share which month does your household's power bill PEAK and why to WIN! CLICK below to enter!
Let NZ Compare power up your year!
Entry ends on 12/2.
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