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By local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Delivery has improved but still needs to be better in the Ashburton District.
That was Ashburton mayor Neil Brown’s reaction to the council having just over $10m of carry-over projects from the 2023-24 financial year.
Carry-over money is work … View moreBy local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Delivery has improved but still needs to be better in the Ashburton District.
That was Ashburton mayor Neil Brown’s reaction to the council having just over $10m of carry-over projects from the 2023-24 financial year.
Carry-over money is work that had been budgeted for but was either never started or not completed in the last financial year.
“We need to definitely get the work done in the year we have budgeted for,” Brown said.
“With inflation being rampant over the last few years, when we do get to do the work it's gone up in price from what we budgeted on the year before.
“The carryovers aren’t as large as previous years so we are making progress which is good to see.
“Having no carryovers would be best, but that’s probably a pipedream because there can always be some delays.”
He believed the staff were doing their best to stick to the plans and budgets.
Councillor Richard Wilson said the council needs to be doing what it sets out to do on time and on budget, especially when it comes to three waters projects.
“We need to ensure that the money is spent when we say it [will be].”
Councillors as the governance need to hold chief executive Hamish Riach and the staff that run the operations to account to deliver, he said.
“I support the carryovers but I think they need to be dropping down significantly.”
The council approved the $8,956,894 of capital and $1,318,706 operational expenditure carryovers, a total of $10,275,600.
It’s a big drop from the $38.9m in carryovers from last year (which was more than double the $14.6m the previous year), which had included $22m for the delayed construction of Te Whare Whakatere, Methven water treatment plant, and Mt Somers Water Treatment Plant.
Some projects are repeat carryovers, like the $1.9m for the Art Gallery and Heritage Centre air conditioning upgrade.
There are $4m of property projects and $3.69m of drinking water projects making up the bulk of the $8.9m of capital works.
The figure was reduced by $50,000 as the councillors decided not to fund the installation of shade infrastructure in the courtyard play area and blinds on the ground floor windows adjacent to Baring Square East.
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By local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Te Whare Whakatere has become the heart of the community.
And while it has been beating since January, Ashburton's new library and civic centre had a long-awaited official opening ceremony on Friday.
The delay in the official opening was … View moreBy local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Te Whare Whakatere has become the heart of the community.
And while it has been beating since January, Ashburton's new library and civic centre had a long-awaited official opening ceremony on Friday.
The delay in the official opening was down to the council’s hope of having Prime Minister Christopher Luxon attend, but as Rangitata MP James Meager said the calendars just never matched up.
Meager praised the council for producing a “fantastic asset for the community”.
“Libraries are centres of knowledge and learning, but they also provide important public facilities and access to resources for young and old.
“I would argue this one is now one of the best in the country.
“I have heard the building described as a living building and that is absolutely fitting.
“Every time I have had the pleasure of visiting it has been a hum of energy and spirit, and it has truly become the heart of the town and wider district.”
He also took the opportunity to state he hopes it wasn’t the last big opening he attends in the district this term, as he remains committed to seeing Ashburton’s second bridge progress to construction - so it’s completed before the time capsule is opened.
Ashburton mayor Neil Brown thanked all the people involved in the project described by architects as a living building and “since its opening, it has come to life as one ace for all of us to call our community living room”.
He gave an overview of the project's timeline, starting in 2004 when space issues were recognised at the old council administration and accelerated in 2015 when earthquake risk assessments identified both the administration building and public library “were at the end of their lives”.
The site of the former county council building was selected in 2017, the detailed design was completed in 2020 and construction started during the Covid pandemic.
After a series of delays, the building opened in January.
“The district was hit in 2021 and 2022 by serious weather events, Covid restrictions and supply chain issues, but eventually the building would prevail.
“The completion of one journey sees us take on another, and that is fulfilling the expectations of this building as the civic and community heart of the district.”
After the ceremony guests were shown where the time capsule that, once photographs and news coverage of Friday’s official opening are added, will be sealed behind glass on the ground floor in the Havelock Street entranceway.
It is scheduled to be opened in 2078, which will acknowledge 200 years since the formation of both the Ashburton County in 1876 and Ashburton Borough in 1878.
***Building sales offset construction costs
The final price tag of Te Whare Whakatere is still to be confirmed.
Chief executive Hamish Riach said the council was close to finalising the costs of construction.
“As soon as we have formal closure, we will let the community know.”
It was forecast to be up to 10% more than the $51.6m budget the project had started with, but it does have the benefit of $20m shovel-ready Government funding.
It will also be offset by the sale of buildings.
The old public library site was sold to CBR Properties Limited for $1.1 million in May.
Council has signed up Property Brokers agent Hamish Niles to sell the former council administration building, which will be on the market soon, with a deadline sale end date of November 8.
The council has also sold two of the four relocatable buildings it had up for tender, and now offering community groups a chance to buy the three older prefab classrooms at the former Polytech site for just $1 each – with a catch.
Mid Canterbury Rugby Union bought the former council chambers for $130,000 +GST, and Talley’s purchased the former staff tearooms for $30,000 +GST.
Riach said there were a range of tender prices submitted for the two buildings and after a full consideration and debate, the council selected the highest bids in both cases.
“Now we are selling the three older prefab classrooms to community groups for $1 each, though there are conditions that they must be able to relocate them.
“Two of the prefabs are joined so must be sold together, and one can be sold separately.”
The council will decide the successful bidders based on the proposed benefit to the community, with tenders closing on November 13 and the buildings needing to be removed, at the cost of the bidder, by March 14, 2025.
That’s because as part of the long-term plan, the council plans to demolish or relocate the buildings on the old Polytech site and redevelop it as an unsealed gravel car park.
By local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Environment Canterbury pulling a U-turn on its representation review has been hailed a victory for rural voice by Ashburton’s mayor.
The constituency boundaries outside of Christchurch will remain unchanged for the upcoming elections in 2025, but … View moreBy local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Environment Canterbury pulling a U-turn on its representation review has been hailed a victory for rural voice by Ashburton’s mayor.
The constituency boundaries outside of Christchurch will remain unchanged for the upcoming elections in 2025, but it has been recommended a full review take place before the 2028 elections.
Mayor Neil Brown had presented a submission on behalf of the district arguing ECan’s proposed changes would not provide effective representation for Ashburton District or the rural communities of Canterbury.
He was happy to see the proposed changes scrapped.
“We presented alternatives for the Ashburton District to consider if ECan didn’t stick with the status quo, but we are happy with the status quo.”
The representation review sparked a discussion of a breakaway from ECan, with the councils south of Christchurch coming under some form of unitary or southern regional council.
Those arguments had merit Brown said, acknowledging in his view ECan was “Christchurch City centric”.
“It would be nice to have something else that suits people from the Rakaia River, or even the Selwyn River, south.
“The city is different to the rural and provincial area so separating out that governance would be helpful.”
The initial proposal was to combine the Ashburton District with the current South Canterbury/Ōtuhituhi constituency, to form a larger Mid-South Canterbury/Ōtuhituhi constituency, leaving the Selwyn District as a standalone constituency.
It would have had only two councillors covering the area south of the Rakaia River – half of ECan’s total land area.
The proposal was initially supported 9-7 in July.
After hearing the submissions last week, the vote was to retain the status quo, passing 13-3 according to the unconfirmed minutes.
Christchurch Central/Ōhoko Greg Byrnes, Christchurch North East/Ōrei Joe Davies and Christchurch South/Ōwhanga Paul Dietsche were listed as voting against it, and it’s understood Christchurch Central/Ōhoko’s Genevieve Robinson had also voted against the motion.
The decision to change the Christchurch ward boundaries passed 8-4 with abstentions from Mid Canterbury/Ōpākihi’s Ian Mackenzie and John Sunckell, South Canterbury/Ōtuhituhi’s Nick Ward, and North Canterbury/Ōpukepuke’s Claire McKay.
The councillors also passed a recommendation to the incoming council, following the 2025 local body elections, to undertake a comprehensive representation review to apply for the 2028 elections.
There were 217 submissions received on the initial proposal - 96 of those from Mid-South Canterbury (46 from the Ashburton District compared to 101 from Christchurch City and 52 from the Selwyn District).
The council will adopt the final proposal in October.
After adoption, it would be open to appeals and if any were received the final decision would go to the Local Government Commission.
By local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Environment Canterbury (ECan) is again under fire for its handling of Greenstreet Creek.
ECan revealed it would do nothing this summer if the creek went dry, with its plan only to communicate the water conditions to the landowners and organise fish … View moreBy local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Environment Canterbury (ECan) is again under fire for its handling of Greenstreet Creek.
ECan revealed it would do nothing this summer if the creek went dry, with its plan only to communicate the water conditions to the landowners and organise fish salvaging if necessary.
The plan was criticised by the Ashburton Water Zone Committee members on Tuesday.
Mayor Neil Brown was scathing in his review of the situation.
“The environment is not winning out of this. I don’t know who is.”
“The locals are going to be disadvantaged by people [in] Christchurch making the decisions on our streams and creeks, and our environment.”
The local landowners weren’t engaged or consulted and ECan has “got the whole process wrong” he said.
Community frustration with the response to Greenstreet Creek drying up in March had ECan chief executive Stefanie Rixecker use emergency powers to allow water to be diverted from O’Shea’s Creek into Greenstreet Creek – which had not been allowed under the minimum flow restrictions on the Ashburton/Hakatere River under the Canterbury Land and Water Plan (CLWP).
After reviewing its strategy on the situation, catchment implementation general manager Judith Earl-Goulet said ECan will not be providing emergency provisions for diverting water from O’Shea’s Creek again.
“We didn’t want to unduly raise community expectations that diverted water would be made available on a regular basis.”
The decision had an impact on O’Shea Creek as it experienced a substantial reduction in flow she said.
Ruling out the use of emergency powers “didn’t sit right” with Brown as it was discounting the potential need to use them before an emergency.
The zone committee wanted clarification from ECan on what impact the emergency powers to divert the water had on the environment that resulted in it being ruled out of being used again.
Earl-Goulet said there was a substantial reduction in flow in O’Shea Creek.
“While an ecological assessment was not carried out, reduced flows in a river typically impacts the fish habitat and in-stream fauna.”
There will also be no regulatory review until work begins as scheduled on an integrated plan in 2027 and ECan won’t change consent conditions – but it will ensure consent compliance.
To accusations ECan was hiding behind the CLWP plan, Earl-Goulet said the plan sets out clear expectations and priorities for environmental decision-making.
ECan’s actions include a communication plan to alert the affected landowners of when the creek is “dewatering” and to put a fish salvage protocol in place.
The plan also states it “will support consent holders and community if they want to explore different options”.
District councillor Richard Wilson said the plan was “when the creek goes dry, ECan will do nothing” and asked for direction on what options, if any, remained to be explored, but Earl-Goulet didn’t have an answer for the question.
In the announcement in March, Rixecker had said ECan “must work better with our communities and landowners” but committee member Chris Allan said that hadn’t happened.
The whole response plan has been done in isolation without the community he said.
“You missed the first step, to actually engage with the community.”
Earl-Goulet said the plan was prepared by “taking what we had heard in the community, and you are right, we didn’t come and ask”.
“We have started to communicate with individuals, groups and the wider community on what to expect during low flows and support people with advice and guidance for any proactive fish salvage that may be required.”
“We recognise there’s also longer-term issues to discuss with the community.”
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By local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Getting more boots on the ground could be worth about $3 million annually for the Ashburton District.
An economic analysis report revealed the potential for a significant financial boost for Mid Canterbury from the Te Araroa Trail, particularly … View moreBy local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Getting more boots on the ground could be worth about $3 million annually for the Ashburton District.
An economic analysis report revealed the potential for a significant financial boost for Mid Canterbury from the Te Araroa Trail, particularly benefiting the Methven area.
The report suggests that elevating the trail's profile could increase its economic impact, making it a valuable asset for local tourism and the wider community.
Te Araroa is New Zealand's long-distance tramping route, stretching around 3000km from Cape Reinga to Bluff.
In Mid Canterbury the Te Araroa trail crosses the district between Rakaia and Rangitata Rivers, creating a natural barrier that requires people to detour using roads to reconnect to the trail at either end of the district.
The result is trail walkers are forced out of the foothills to cross the rivers by road, presenting an opportunity for Mid Canterbury, specifically Methven, to capture the walkers looking to resupply or rest for a night.
The $22,000 report, co-funded evenly by the Ashburton District Council and the Te Araroa Trust, found that the existing 4000 Te Araroa hikers in the 2022-23 season spent $515,400 a year in Methven.
It’s estimated making improvements to the trail and increased marketing could bring in around $3 million annually to the district.
The Te Araroa Trust was interested in making the isolated Rakaia to Rangitata section more accessible for trail walkers and also cater to people not interested in or able to walk the full route.
The trust came up with the concept of a Te Araroa Iti (small piece), which if developed could increase the value to the local economy.
The Te Araroa Trust will need to invest in infrastructure along the track including huts, toilets and track maintenance to help improve the appeal of the bite-size walk.
Economic development manager Simon Worthington said the council has “leaned in to help the Trust understand the opportunity”.
Now it’s up to the council to “walk alongside them, helping them to engage with local groups… but not for us as council to put any investment into that”.
If the trust decided to proceed with developing the smaller trail, there was an opportunity for the council to support that through better promotion he said.
The trust was contacted for comment.
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