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We're on the lookout for the most beautiful spots in New Zealand, and would love to hear your favourites.
While it will be impossible to include all of them in one article, we'd appreciate your help in narrowing it down. What do you think are most beautiful places in … View moreHi there,
We're on the lookout for the most beautiful spots in New Zealand, and would love to hear your favourites.
While it will be impossible to include all of them in one article, we'd appreciate your help in narrowing it down. What do you think are most beautiful places in NZ's regions? Do you have a favourite spot in the Waikato, Taranaki, Canterbury, Southland or elsewhere?
Feel free to comment below, send me a message or email me at lorna.thornber@stuff.co.nz. Please include 'NFP' in your comment if you do not want it or your name included in an article. Thanks in advance for taking the time to share.
With online being the main mode of communication these days, it's no wonder that there has been a worldwide mail decline and here in Aotearoa, NZ Post has needed to lay off 750 full-time staff. Do you think it's time to say goodbye to the trusty letterbox?
Methven residents are hoping their latest boil water notice will be their last.
The community’s frustration with boil water notices is almost at an end, with the town’s new membrane treatment plant set to go online in September.
That comes as some comfort to businesses who have become … View moreMethven residents are hoping their latest boil water notice will be their last.
The community’s frustration with boil water notices is almost at an end, with the town’s new membrane treatment plant set to go online in September.
That comes as some comfort to businesses who have become used to dealing with boil water notices, with the latest occurring on July 23 - in the middle of a busy ski season. It was lifted on Monday afternoon.
Brinkley Village general manager Paul Creswick said the town would be happy when it’s over.
“It’s an extreme inconvenience. We just got used to it and it was something we have had to do which was disappointing.
“Hopefully it will all be in the rear vision mirror shortly and it will be great not to have to deal with it."
Dubliner co-owner Gary Manning said it wasn’t ideal.
“Some guests from outside the region were a bit shocked watching us wheelbarrow water in.
“A lot of people are quite vexed believing the money has been spent, so didn’t expect another one [boil water notice] but [the plant’s] not finished yet, it will be soon so hopefully that was the last time.”
Commissioning work on the new plant starts next week, council infrastructure and open spaces group manager Neil McCann said.
The commissioning process involves training staff who will work at the plant, testing all the electrical components (known as dry testing) and testing all the water pipes and connections (wet testing), McCann said.
“Depending on the result of the dry and wet testing, the plant will undergo full operation testing at the end of August, and then start trial operations.”
Heavy rain impacts the water supply’s shallow gallery intake from the North Ashburton River, which causes the water to become too cloudy (turbid) to be treated.
The boil water notices were issued because the council couldn’t be certain the turbid water was being effectively treated, McCann said.
“The new membrane plant will be able to filter the turbid water that so often occurs after a big rain event and will remove 99.9% of micro-sized contaminants.
“The water will then be disinfected with UV light and chlorine, and fluoride added before being stored in the reservoirs and distributed via the town’s drinking water supply pipe network.
“We are as happy as the people on those schemes that the end of boil water notices is in sight.”
While Methven’s $10m water treatment plant upgrade is almost complete, the Ashburton District Council has started a $4.6m membrane treatment plant for the Mt Somers water supply, which is expected to take eight months to complete.
* Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
Heart attack is a leading cause of death in New Zealand.
Learn to recognise the warning signs and symptoms of a heart attack, so you know what to do if you see or experience them. Don’t try to walk it off, wash it off or push through it. Make the right call, it may save your life.
From local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
A group of community leaders are encouraging people to have their say on the vision for the future of Mid Canterbury.
One of those leaders is Phil Everest who said the community-led Community Vision Workshop initiative is aiming to present a … View moreFrom local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
A group of community leaders are encouraging people to have their say on the vision for the future of Mid Canterbury.
One of those leaders is Phil Everest who said the community-led Community Vision Workshop initiative is aiming to present a collective submission to Environment Canterbury.
Environment Canterbury has started an extended engagement process that will help shape the region’s future, revising plans which outline the rules for the use of land and water.
It is imperative that the community provides feedback to provide the governing body's direction, rather than sitting back and being dictated to, he said.
“We are taking the initiative and a positive approach of hosting several community meetings to collect feedback, collate it and submit it to ECan saying this is what our community would like.
“We are seeking a true community voice, from right across the spectrum, from urban and rural and all sectors, to present a vision for what we want it to look like in 50 years.
“It impacts everyone in this community, like how towns will dispose of wastewater, septic tanks or collect potable water and rurally around irrigation and land use consents."
ECan chairperson Peter Scott said information collected from the community is critical.
"As the regional regulator, we have a number of plans that need to be written, or updated, to reflect the directions set by government, meet the expectations of mana whenua and the wider community, and to respond to the impacts and challenges of climate change.”
That includes the Regional Policy Statement, which sets the direction for all other district and regional plans, he said.
Engagement with local government consultations has been declining in recent times, but the community-led initiative in Mid Canterbury is being well supported, he said.
ECan held a drop-in session in Ashburton on Tuesday, but more people attended a workshop in Ruapuna on Wednesday, Everest said.
They had hoped to have wrapped up the meetings by now but the level of interest means they have more next week, and could end up having held about 40 of them.
The plan is to create a collective submission and Everest said they are also encouraging people to submit directly to ECan by the end of August.
*Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
Easy fit snow chains for large wheels. Don't need to move car to tension.
Bought from another seller for $70 that had put the wrong size.
Should fit 245/60R16
Brand was sold as Konig Zip Transport (possibly size 245).
Please come try on size.
Pick up in Oxford
Disc golf got the go ahead in the Tinwald Domain, but there is a conundrum in Chertsey that needs solving.
There are currently no public playground facilities in Chertsey, and the Ashburton District Council is at odds over how to rectify the situation.
Chertsey School is planning a new … View moreDisc golf got the go ahead in the Tinwald Domain, but there is a conundrum in Chertsey that needs solving.
There are currently no public playground facilities in Chertsey, and the Ashburton District Council is at odds over how to rectify the situation.
Chertsey School is planning a new playground and applied for a $75,000 grant from the council.
That request was declined this week “on the grounds we would be investing in an asset that isn’t on council property”, which has always been the council’s stance, democracy and engagement group manager Toni Durham said.
Chertsey principal Claire Maria was disappointed by the council decision but already had positive news about their playground.
They scaled back the designs, and thanks to $120,000 in grants will be able to start on stage one of the playground development later this year, she said.
The school's playground will be available for public use, Maria said, but that didn’t solve the council’s issue of not providing for the community.
It’s a tricky situation, mayor Neil Brown said.
“[The school playground] is on Ministry of Education land so we are hamstrung there, but I do understand there is no playground in Chertsey.
“You could put it on the reserve, putting it there would have absolutely no value because it’s on the wrong side of the road.
“I wouldn’t like to see another playground built by council on the right side of the road because that would be a double up.
“We have a conundrum here and it is not easily solved."
In declining the school’s request, the council asked for a report into the feasibility of establishing a public playground ahead of the long-term plan.
Meanwhile, the council approved a Tinwald Reserve Board request for a $15,000 grant from reserve contributions to go towards establishing a disc golf course in the Tinwald Domain.
“We are trying to get this domain used more and I think it’s a good start for it,” councillor Lynette Lovett said.
The project has an estimated overall cost of $25,000.
The only concern around the request was around the process through which the Tinwald request came to council.
It was a flawed system that had the request come to council rather than going through “the normal process of reserve boards” councillor Richard Wilson said, with councillor Carolyn Cameron agreeing it was bizarre that given the project had been on the reserve board’s radar for some time, it missed the grants application deadline.
*Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
Excited to announce tickets are now on sale and can be purchased through www.humanitix.co.nz....
This is going to be a great night - get in early, pay a little extra to get the best seats next to the stage/runway.
Wine/beer/food available on the night.
Get creative with colour with these art projects using Resene paints.
Find out how to get creative with these easy ideas.
The Blood Service says it needs 40,000 new donors in the next 12 months to ensure it can meet demand of those needing plasma and blood. Suggestions have been made to pay people for donating, however there are concerns about the dangers of that. Do you think we should pay people for these … View moreThe Blood Service says it needs 40,000 new donors in the next 12 months to ensure it can meet demand of those needing plasma and blood. Suggestions have been made to pay people for donating, however there are concerns about the dangers of that. Do you think we should pay people for these donations?
"We just dodged another bullet.”
Ashburton mayor Neil Brown wasn’t mincing words when he renewed calls for Ashburton’s second bridge, hours after it had reopened following a second flood-related closure in two years.
The South Island was essentially cut in half for almost 12 hours … View more"We just dodged another bullet.”
Ashburton mayor Neil Brown wasn’t mincing words when he renewed calls for Ashburton’s second bridge, hours after it had reopened following a second flood-related closure in two years.
The South Island was essentially cut in half for almost 12 hours after Waka Kotahi closed the State Highway 1 Ashburton/Hakatere River Bridge due to a build-up of debris on Sunday night.
It was an ‘I told you so’ moment and Brown didn’t hesitate.
“We need to do something.
“We had almost a third of our annual rainfall in 24 hours. The river got to half the flow it was two years ago and we got away lightly this time, but it may not happen next time.
“We need to build some resilience into this river to keep the South Island connected.”
During the 2021 floods, the river raged at 1500 cumecs and the bridge was closed for days after a pier slumped and needed to be repaired.
The river flow peaked at 723 cumecs at the Ashburton/Hakatere SH1 bridge at 4pm on Sunday, with Waka Kotahi officially closing the 90-year-old bridge at 7pm. It reopened at 6am on Monday.
The closure was warranted, Brown said.
“It was a precautionary measure.
“They had to monitor that debris that is building up in front of the piers of the bridge and they could not do that in the dark.”
It also highlighted the need for a second river crossing in Ashburton.
The council has done all the work on the second bridge project, with its $113.6m business case sitting with Waka Kotahi.
Former Minister of Transport Michael Wood had asked the council and Waka Kotahi to discuss ‘innovative funding options’ for the project.
“We were about to present those to him but he resigned.
“We have a new minister of transport and we will be working with him to push this case further ahead.”
Government MPs, including Rangitata MP Jo Luxton and Local Government Minister Kieran McAnulty, are aware of the situation, Brown said.
“They just haven’t come out and said how they are proposing to solve the problem."
Luxton was on annual leave on Monday and deferred to McAnulty's office, as did Minister of Transport David Parker.
McAnulty said a decision on the potential funding of a second Ashburton Bridge is a work in progress.
Decisions would be made as part of the development of 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP), he said.
"Waka Kotahi is continuing to work with the Ashburton District Council to explore potential funding options and to progress the business case for a second Ashburton bridge."
National has already pledged to build a second bridge in Ashburton in its first term if elected, but has stopped short of locking in the proposed Chalmers Avenue option.
*Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
Meeting an ever increasing need in our communities, Christmas Box provides more than just food, it brings a reminder that people care. By alleviating some of the pressure families feel, especially in the time of inflation and cost-of-living, a Christmas Box sparks hope that goes beyond Christmas.
… View moreMeeting an ever increasing need in our communities, Christmas Box provides more than just food, it brings a reminder that people care. By alleviating some of the pressure families feel, especially in the time of inflation and cost-of-living, a Christmas Box sparks hope that goes beyond Christmas.
Don’t wait for December, it’s time to start thinking about how you can help today!
For just $40 a box, you can give the gift of hope and 100% of your donation will go to families who are doing it tough this year. Your generosity makes a difference.
Have you ever tried to look for a new power plan to end up stuck, super confused by all the specific lingo that’s used? Things like kWh, standard vs. low users, or free hours of power? Don’t get us started on controlled and anytime meters!
If you’re unsure of some of these terms, it … View moreHave you ever tried to look for a new power plan to end up stuck, super confused by all the specific lingo that’s used? Things like kWh, standard vs. low users, or free hours of power? Don’t get us started on controlled and anytime meters!
If you’re unsure of some of these terms, it really won’t help you feel confident in comparing different plans. We don’t want to see our Neighbours get tripped up and stuck with a big bill this chilly season!
So to help you, we’ve put together a list of all the power terminology that you need to know!
Combine paint and a vinyl adhesive to great effect.
Find out how with these easy step by step instructions.
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