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By local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
A decision is expected soon on a second Ashburton bridge as the Government rolls out its 100-day plan.
Transport Minister Simeon Brown last week announced the axing of the Auckland Regional Fuel Tax at the end of June, and said the … View moreBy local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
A decision is expected soon on a second Ashburton bridge as the Government rolls out its 100-day plan.
Transport Minister Simeon Brown last week announced the axing of the Auckland Regional Fuel Tax at the end of June, and said the Government's Policy Statement on Land Transport “which will be released in the coming weeks".
In Mid Canterbury, there is hope it will confirm plans, funding and a timeline for the second bridge across the Ashburton/Hakatere River.
Infrastructure and open spaces group manager Neil McCann said the council is eagerly waiting and expecting an announcement soon.
The second bridge is a resilience project, providing a secondary crossing of the river with the existing bridge having closed twice in recent years due to flooding, cutting off the South Island.
It will also alleviate the congestion issues on State Highway 1.
The whole project, including connecting the bridge to existing roads, is expected to cost at least $113 million.
The council has budgeted $7.5m for the project, carried over from previous long-term plans.
“But obviously if the bridge gets fully funded we won’t need it," McCann said.
Ashburton’s mayor hoped the council wouldn't have to fund the bridge via ratepayers.
At a recent council workshop, mayor Neil Brown said when he meets with the Transport Minister he won’t be committing $7.5m to the project.
“The last Government committed 100% funding.”
The Labour Government included the second bridge as one of 14 key strategic projects in its land transport policy, which Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency uses to develop its 10-year National Land Transport Plan.
The coalition Government is preparing its own version of the policy.
“I know it’s being reviewed at the moment but it is in there at 100% funding,” Brown said.
The mayor said he hoped it remained that way, but some contribution may be required depending on the nature of the project.
During the election campaign, National pledged to build the bridge in its first term.
As the bridge will be built off Chalmers Avenue, and not along State Highway 1, it will be considered a local road once completed.
The council may be called on to fund any necessary upgrades on Chalmers Ave and the new connecting roads on the south side of the river, with the Government funding the bridge construction.
The council’s long-term plan has the construction slated to start in 2025-26 on the Chalmers Ave route, which will be determined by the Government's redrafted policy.
******
Not just transport resilience
Ashburton’s second bridge has been described as a resilience project that will benefit the whole South Island roading network.
That’s because the second bridge provides a backup for the 93-year-old SH1 Ashburton/Hakatere River Bridge.
Money is also set aside in the long term plan to lay a water main across the new bridge to provide resilience to the water supply.
The council is budgeting $4.62m for a new water main to be installed across the new bridge.
The bridge will also be built to allow for “all sorts of cabling and ducting in mind for the future”, McCann said.
That will provide an opportunity to lay alternative communications cables, as a fibre optic cable to the rest of the South Island runs across the SH1 bridge.
Photo caption: In the lead up to last year's election, National's local government spokesperson Simon Watts, council chief executive Hamish Riach, National’s Rangitata candidate James Meager, deputy mayor Liz McMillan, and National transport spokesperson Simeon Brown were on site at the SH1 bridge to discuss the plans for a second Ashburton/Hakatere River bridge. Photo credit: Jonathan Leask/LDR
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By local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
A fact-finding exercise is taking a look at what appetite there is for public transport in Ashburton.
Safer Mid Canterbury and the Ashburton District Council have launched a survey to gather information about the future need for public transport in … View moreBy local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
A fact-finding exercise is taking a look at what appetite there is for public transport in Ashburton.
Safer Mid Canterbury and the Ashburton District Council have launched a survey to gather information about the future need for public transport in Ashburton, including what people are willing to pay.
Ashburton mayor Neil Brown has previously stated that whatever option the district came up with there would need to be “some innovative ways of how it would work and how it would be funded”.
Currently, the only form of public transport in the district is the Mid Canterbury Connector service, a vehicle that travels from rural towns to Ashburton.
The new survey considers bus options as well as escooters and ebikes.
The council has asked Environment Canterbury (ECan), which runs public transport in the region, to consider public transport options for Ashburton as part of its regional land transport plan.
As per the council’s request, ECan is looking into innovative transport solutions in Ashburton in the plans.
The Ashburton survey and research will be valuable in preparing a submission on the plan, council infrastructure and open spaces group manager Neil McCann said.
The survey responses will be analysed alongside feedback from community groups, businesses, and transport operators, to help the council gauge if a public transport pilot is feasible.
The process is aimed at finding out the likely level of demand for a public service in Ashburton, McCann said.
“We want to know how often people would use public transport, what sort of schedule they want and if they would be willing to pay.
“This is a great chance to see if we should trial something like a MyWay or if we need any sort of public transport at all.”
The annual operating cost of the MyWay on-demand bus service in Timaru is $2.7m, consisting of $1.1m from rates, $1.3m from NZTA grants, and $0.25m from fare revenue.
Passengers book directly for the MyWay service using an app, website or the call centre.
They then catch the bus from a nearby ‘virtual bus stop’ or an existing stop, allowing for quick and efficient shared trips.
ECan and the Canterbury Regional Transport Committee are working on the 10-year plan for the region’s transport system.
It proposes a $10.8 billion investment in Canterbury over the next decade, with Ashburton’s second bridge the top project on the list.
The draft document points to public transport development in Ashburton.
The draft suggests “potential private innovations” be investigated to support the community transition to a public transport service being rolled out.
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By local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Methven Resort's expansion plans are headed to the Environment Court after a neighbour appealed a decision to grant it consent.
The resort in the Canterbury town had been given the green light on December 22 to build two accommodation wings … View moreBy local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Methven Resort's expansion plans are headed to the Environment Court after a neighbour appealed a decision to grant it consent.
The resort in the Canterbury town had been given the green light on December 22 to build two accommodation wings with 36 units and 40 units, extend the restaurant/bar area, and add a new swimming pool and spa area.
Independent commissioner Darryl Millar granted the consent, but with a raft of conditions.
However, neighbour Mark Brownlie filed his appeal on January 30.
During the hearing last year, Brownlie described the proposed expansion as a “brutal privacy intrusion”.
He said he was not opposed to developing the site, but was against the proposed plan, which would deny him “privacy and outlook”, with the effects “much more than minor”.
Brownlie purchased his section in 2022, under the impression no further development would take place.
That was due to a 2007 council decision to deny an application to expand.
That application was denied because it was determined the resort's initial 1982 consent had been exhausted.
Methven Resort was originally built as Centrepoint Ski Lodge following the 1982 resource consent, but was not developed to the full extent provided for in the consent.
The consent “is enduring and unlimited in time”, Miller determined. There was also no condition that the original 1982 design had to be adhered to.
Brownlie is appealing the latest decision to green-light expansion plans on the grounds that it is a non-complying activity and the proposed height of the west wing exceeds 8m height limitations in the district plan.
He also questioned the validity of applying the original 1982 consent to allow the expansion. He argued the new expansion plans differed from the design that was approved under that consent.
As for the proposal being a non-complying activity, Millar determined that any adverse effects would be acceptable.
In his decision to grant the consent, Millar stated the proposal would achieve the "purpose and principles of the RMA (Resource Management Act)".
Brownlie disagreed with the decision and it will now fall to the Environment Court to determine.
The Environment Court’s practice is often to send the parties into mediation, rather than proceeding directly to court.
The process can take months.
The consent had been processed under limited notification but now it has been appealed to the Environment Court. Under the RMA, other people who have “an interest in the proceedings that is greater than the interest that the general public has” can join proceedings.
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By local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Predators of birds must be first tackled before building a Canterbury nature sanctuary, a Methven Lions spokesperson says.
Mac McElwain is leading the Lions' Methven birdsong initiative, which aims to bring back birdsong to the area by turning … View moreBy local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Predators of birds must be first tackled before building a Canterbury nature sanctuary, a Methven Lions spokesperson says.
Mac McElwain is leading the Lions' Methven birdsong initiative, which aims to bring back birdsong to the area by turning some vacant council reserve land into a native sanctuary.
“If you plan to establish a habitat you have to protect it.
“The second you start a bird-friendly habitat, the predators will be equally aware of it and be sitting there waiting for lunch to arrive.”
The plan is to first start removing the predators from the equation while they work towards a plan and permission for the reserve in Methven.
“It’s two separate things that have a huge amount of overlap.”
Establishing a trap library will be the project’s first step to help locals trap pests and predators in their backyards.
That plan got a $10,000 boost from the Methven Community Board last week.
The trapping library is estimated to cost $46,850 to purchase or build a range of traps that are then borrowed by locals to begin eradicating pests - including rats, possums, hedgehogs, stoats, weasels, ferrets and feral cats.
Trapping technology has developed considerably in recent years, McElwain said.
Some traps were now able to detect if a micro-chipped domestic cat was inside, and not go off, with feral cats being the target, he said.
Microchipping cats is not mandatory in the Ashburton District, and the council has yet to consider this option.
With the pest control plan underway, the Methven birdsong initiative is seeking the go-ahead for the other aspect of the plan to establish the sanctuary at its preferred location.
Chairperson Kelvin Holmes said the Methven Community Board is supportive of the birdsong initiative and their plans for the reserve but it’s a process.
“We have started the process with the council to go through things like the land use and occupancy,” Holmes said.
The unused council reserve they have their sights set on is a grass paddock with only the historic RDR pipe shed in the middle.
It backs onto the Garden of Harmony which is an area of council reserve already planted as a community space.
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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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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.
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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.
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