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From local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Further safety improvements are being considered in Methven where students from three schools share one pedestrian crossing on a state highway.
Methven school principals and council representatives met recently with Waka Kotahi staff to discuss … View moreFrom local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Further safety improvements are being considered in Methven where students from three schools share one pedestrian crossing on a state highway.
Methven school principals and council representatives met recently with Waka Kotahi staff to discuss potential safety improvements at the town’s only pedestrian crossing across State Highway 72.
Methven Primary, Mount Hutt College, and Our Lady of the Snows (OLS) primary schools are all accessed off SH72 which runs right through the town, but there is only one safe crossing point.
“We were just looking at options of improving safety on that particular piece of road,” Methven Primary principal Sue Furndorfler said.
“It’s a busy little place in the morning and after school.
“It’s not just school traffic, in summer there is a lot of farm traffic and then there are buses and tourists in winter.”
A major step will be Waka Kotahi proposing to introduce a 30kph variable speed limit along State Highway 72 along the stretch outside the three schools, a move Furndorfler fully supports.
Students from the three schools, with a combined roll of about 800, all utilise the pedestrian crossing point, and from it there is an almost 400m walk to the OLS entrance to the south.
Where the variable zone sits is yet to be determined.
Another potential solution is adding a kea crossing, where a school patrol controls traffic with extendable stop signs at the pedestrian crossing, but it requires a commitment of volunteers to run it before and after school.
“We haven’t investigated how that would work,” Furndorfler said.
“There are the three school’s students that use the crossing so it would be about the schools deciding how we would manage it in conjunction with Waka Kotahi.”
Deputy mayor and Methven resident Liz McMillan said the meeting was held at 3pm on a school day so the Waka Kotahi representatives could witness the crossing in action.
“It was good to get them on the ground to take a look, and now we will wait and see what they come back with,” McMillan, who also chairs the council’s road safety committee, said.
From local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Ashburton mayor Neil Brown is not convinced doubling the budget for district promotion would be money well spent as it “isn’t working”.
“We’ve been telling our story for 15-odd years and people still don’t know about what we have got … View moreFrom local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Ashburton mayor Neil Brown is not convinced doubling the budget for district promotion would be money well spent as it “isn’t working”.
“We’ve been telling our story for 15-odd years and people still don’t know about what we have got here,” Brown said.
He was weighing in on the proposal to double the district promotion budget, and a 0.4% rate increase that went with it, following the Ashburton District Council taking district promotion in-house.
The proposal didn’t get enough support and the council will continue with a budget of $197,000 in the 2023-24 year.
The council will need to “do what we can do” with the existing budget Brown said and will take the time for “a complete refresh” on district promotion ahead of the long-term plan (LTP).
Brown wanted to assess how it will work before throwing more money at it.
“We are not doing it right and we need to have a complete fresh look.”
When the council decided to take district promotion in-house earlier this month, it was also proposed the budget return to pre-Covid levels, from $195,000 to $375,000 per year, but councillors wanted to see more evidence of how that increased budget would be spent before committing to it.
The budget, funded 50% from the general rate and 50% that targeted on businesses in Ashburton, Methven, and Rakaia, was cut in 2020 when the Covid pandemic had closed international borders.
A business case presented at the budget workshop on Wednesday failed to convince the majority to increase the budget.
With support wavering for the full amount, deputy mayor Liz McMillan proposed a revised increase of $85,000 to cover some of the priorities outlined in the business case.
That too failed to garner support, a 5-4 majority against it.
That leaves the budget at $197,000, a figure economic development officer, Simon Worthington, said “doesn’t go very far at all”.
With borders reopening and tourism numbers improving, he believed an increased budget was needed to target that tourism growth as the current promotion “looks old and tired” compared with other competing districts.
There was agreement district promotion was critical but the majority against the budget increase couldn’t justify it without taking the time to understand the scope of the role the council has only just taken on.
The budget could still be increased in future but not before the councillors get together and workshop with key stakeholders what the district needs from its district promotion so that the dollars make sense.
Brown proposed that work takes place in time to consider a revised budget in next year’s long-term plan.
What they said:
Tony Todd
: Fully supported the increase as “in the scheme of the overall budget, it is quite minute” and it needs to show Ashburton is more than a pit stop.
Leen Braam
: Supported the increase and pointed to the Balmoral Hall being “an old building that doesn’t do much for the community” yet it had $464,000 allocated in the budget.
Richard Wilson
: Against the increase as “now was the time to review” district promotion before committing to a bigger budget without confidence in the direction.
Lynette Lovett
: Opposed the increase as there were “too many aspects to look at if we want to do this correctly”.
Russell Ellis
: Wanted “more information than we have at the moment” before considering an increase.
Phill Hooper
: Against as he had questions about the district promotion direction and was mindful of the overall budget picture.
From local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
An extra $1 million for roading to respond to community demands and a budget reshuffle signals a 5.9% average rate rise in the Ashburton District.
Faced with five options ranging from 5.9 to 8.8%, the councillors opted to include an extra $1m of … View moreFrom local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
An extra $1 million for roading to respond to community demands and a budget reshuffle signals a 5.9% average rate rise in the Ashburton District.
Faced with five options ranging from 5.9 to 8.8%, the councillors opted to include an extra $1m of unsubsidised road funding but kept the rate rise down to 5.9% by reorganising other work.
Chief executive Hamish Riach said the reshuffle essentially removed about $1.3m out of the budget for the inclusion of the $1m on roading.
The reshuffle means some water and wastewater renewals will be delayed that were unlikely to be completed in the work programme anyway and a reduced depreciation to match the reduced spend.
The revised draft budget has an increase of about $2.65m on the 2022-23 budget, but only an $881,894 increase what was proposed in the long-term plan (LTP), which had forecast a 5.5% rise.
Mayor Neil Brown said the extra $1m for road maintenance was not for fixing potholes, as that was already covered in the budget, but was for “building new road” by contributing about 4km of road rehabilitation on top of the existing 10km subsidised by Waka Kotahi.
A large chunk of the increase is related to three waters compliance and is work the council has no choice but to complete, including $200,000 to develop water safety plans.
Other factors impacting the overall budget picture were a proposed reuse shop at the council’s resource recovery park being pulled from the annual plan and will be addressed in next year’s LTP.
The proposed addition of an extra $180,000 for visitor promotion did not get enough support.
An additional $60,000 for CBD landscape maintenance was added, while the Balmoral Hall upgrade has been included.
The proposed $464,000 refurbishment, which is a loan funded project and has no impact on the rates rise, may not go ahead as it requires further investigation.
There will also be an increase in parking fees at Eastfield, going up from $2 to $3.
A draft annual plan will come back to the council by the end of March and as it will be close to the LTP there is no requirement for consultation.
Councillor Russell Ellis said with the historic low turnout in consultations “it’s not worth the effort” or the approximate $25,000 cost to consult.
New Zealand's small businesses have had another tough few weeks. We're calling on you, wherever you are across the country, to recognise a local business making a difference in your community.
We all love a cheeky grin and a wave from our local grocer, or a toot from the delivery … View moreNew Zealand's small businesses have had another tough few weeks. We're calling on you, wherever you are across the country, to recognise a local business making a difference in your community.
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Give your favourite local business owner the recognition they deserve by nominating them in the 2023 Prospa Local Business Hero awards.
From local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
A playground at Baring Square East was never asked for Ashburton, council chief executive Hamish Riach says.
Riach was responding to claims from a member of the community that suggested councillors had removed a playground to cut costs from the … View moreFrom local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
A playground at Baring Square East was never asked for Ashburton, council chief executive Hamish Riach says.
Riach was responding to claims from a member of the community that suggested councillors had removed a playground to cut costs from the redevelopment of Baring Square East.
The square is being upgraded alongside the $56.75 million new library and civic building, Te Pātaka a kā Tuhituhi and Te Waharoa a Hine Paaka.
“Since consultation first commenced on the building in 2016-17, the community has never signalled outdoor play equipment on its wish list for this area,” Riach said.
“[A playground] was never part of the original plans and not raised in community feedback.”
The consultation document included a summary of the plan to rejuvenate Baring Square East – a place that has never featured a playground, and the council didn’t receive any request to add one, so they didn’t.
Riach said the square upgrade will include a one-way slow street, a civic plaza area, raising the water feature, upgrading seats and planting, and retaining existing parts of the square such as the clock tower.
“The area was already used for some community events and council wanted to support more use of the public space.
“The aim was to retain well-established features and build on the legacy of the past, with an eye to the future.”
The plan retains grass areas for “passive recreation and gathering” and there will be a shaded outdoor courtyard area off the ground floor of the new building.
Inside the new library, which will be triple the floor space of the current library, is a performance space with tiered seating and the children’s library, with niche areas, Riach said.
There was a provision of outdoor play equipment for children installed nearby on the East St green as part of the recent CBD revitalisation, Riach said.
There is scope to add some playground equipment in future if that is what the community wanted.
“Any changes to the plan already adopted would need to go back before councillors for decision,” Riach said.
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He iwi tahi tatou. Together we are one nation, united by Te Whare Rūnanga, standing tall next to the Treaty House and built by the hands of my whānau for not only Māori and Pākehā, but all New Zealanders. I invite you to come and share in their story.”
Pita Tipene is the Chair of the … View moreHe iwi tahi tatou. Together we are one nation, united by Te Whare Rūnanga, standing tall next to the Treaty House and built by the hands of my whānau for not only Māori and Pākehā, but all New Zealanders. I invite you to come and share in their story.”
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From local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
The district's largest tourism operator believes the council taking over district promotion will help “make some noise” as the industry returns to pre-Covid levels.
James McKenzie, Mt Hutt ski area manager and a director of Ōpuke Thermal… View moreFrom local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
The district's largest tourism operator believes the council taking over district promotion will help “make some noise” as the industry returns to pre-Covid levels.
James McKenzie, Mt Hutt ski area manager and a director of Ōpuke Thermal Pools, says there is a lot of value in the Ashburton District Council's centralised role of promoting the district.
“The initiative the council has taken is fantastic,” Mckenzie said.
“Operators in the district will continue doing as much marketing as they can but a district strategy provides a single point of contact and focus.”
Every other district is promoting itself to the domestic and international markets and “Mid Canterbury shouldn’t be any different”.
ChristchurchNZ walked away from the role on February 7, halfway through its three-year contract with the decision based on a new strategic decision to focus on the city.
The council decided the best solution to the void was to bring district promotion in-house.
Chief executive Hamish Riach said that as visitor promotion and economic development were “two fingers on the same glove” it made sense for the council’s economic development team to take on the role.
McKenzie said Tourism NZ does a great job selling the country to the world to bring visitors in and once they are here it’s up to each district to fight for their share of visitors.
“We still have to work to get them to come here and there are districts that will be spending a lot more money than we are to attract visitors to their districts.
“We have to be in the game if we want to play it, so we have to be making enough noise that they hear us.
“The council can facilitate the impact of what [operators] are doing and coordinate it in a way that will be more effective than each operator working standalone.”
Just because the council is marketing the district doesn’t mean the tourism operators will ease back on doing their own graft.
Mackenzie said each operator’s promotion is unique to what they offer and the council can build off that existing work to promote the district as a whole.
“Operators will spend a good percentage of revenue on marketing but individually we will lose the limelight against the bigger district-wide campaigns.”
Councillor Russell Ellis described Methven as the jewel in the district's tourism crown, but there are plenty of gems scattered throughout the district that can benefit from a collective promotional approach.
McKenzie said the benefits of a strong tourism industry flow downstream to other businesses and the local economy as a whole.
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We've seen the devastation of flood waters, yet the Government backed down on plans to protect wetlands (which help soak up heavy rain) after they received complaints by property developers.
Are you confident we're making the right decisions to protect us from future disasters? … View moreWe've seen the devastation of flood waters, yet the Government backed down on plans to protect wetlands (which help soak up heavy rain) after they received complaints by property developers.
Are you confident we're making the right decisions to protect us from future disasters? Let's discuss!
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From local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Ashburton’s iconic rail footbridge will be restored, when the funding becomes available.
In adopting the conservation management plan for the footbridge, the Ashburton District Council agreed to fund the maintenance and renewal of the historic … View moreFrom local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Ashburton’s iconic rail footbridge will be restored, when the funding becomes available.
In adopting the conservation management plan for the footbridge, the Ashburton District Council agreed to fund the maintenance and renewal of the historic structure.
How it will be funded is the next step for the 106-year-old footbridge.
Roading manager, Mark Chamberlain said the decision was the council has an asset and “do we want to keep it and spend money on it in the future”.
The answer from the councillors was yes.
Councillor Carolyn Cameron said for the sake of connectivity “it needs to be maintained”.
As well as the connection between East and West streets, councillor Phill Hooper believed the council had safety obligations to maintain the 25-metre long overpass option because, as chief executive Hamish Riach pointed out, with the shunting yards shifting north to the Fairfield Freight Hub trains will be passing through town at a greater speed in future.
In his report, Chamberlain outlined there was $255,000 worth of work that was identified in 2018, so likely to have risen, and “while the bridge is in poor condition … there is little risk associated with leaving the work until funding is approved”.
As it is a footbridge, Chamberlain said it is eligible to be part of the council’s subsidised roading budgets for structures, with Waka Kotahi contributing 51%.
That budget in the current 2021-24 period is $297,979, or around $99,000 per year, which is to cover the 187 bridges in the district.
Chamberlain said in the next period there will need a significant funding increase.
An assessment of the bridge assets estimated around $2.58 million of maintenance and renewals, including the footbridge, and there are four bridges due for replacement at an estimated $1.18m.
Other funding options for the footbridge include possible grants from the Railway Heritage Trust, Historic Places Mid Canterbury, or Heritage New Zealand.
A curve ball option is to use some of the $900,000 of Three Waters Better off funding that was allocated to new footpaths.
Riach said where that $900,000 is to be spent was still to be decided by the council, so there was “potential” it could include the footbridge.
“We could give some consideration to how this might apply,” Riach said.
From local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Ashburton District councillor Lynette Lovett believes the future of the district’s hall and reserve board committees is under serious threat.
The council is in the final stages of holding triennial meetings for all of the council-administered … View moreFrom local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Ashburton District councillor Lynette Lovett believes the future of the district’s hall and reserve board committees is under serious threat.
The council is in the final stages of holding triennial meetings for all of the council-administered boards but Lovett was concerned about a lack of numbers in some cases and that “it’s the same people making the commitment year after year” in others.
“It’s not sustainable,” Lovett said.
“A lot of these people on these reserve boards are all ageing and I don’t know where we are going to go in three or four years.
“Some of these people have been in these positions for many years and there is no one coming through to take over these jobs which worries me.
“These halls and reserves are the central part of these communities.”
So far 16 of the 20 boards have elected their new boards for the 2022-25 term, with the Mayfield Reserve and Hall board and the Chertsey Reserve Board still to hold their meetings, while the Lynnford and Maronan Reserve Boards are being wound up.
Each of the boards has an appointed councillor, with Lovett on six within the Eastern Ward including the Dorie Reserve Board which she said has had several new younger members but has reservations about the future of some others.
Lovett fears a lack of new people stepping up across the district will mean some boards face an uncertain future.
“The expectations on a few people managing [the facilities] is actually quite huge.
“It’s something we need to look at.
“We want to keep these assets but we need a community commitment to them so need people to start stepping up.”
Chief executive Hamish Riach said the future of the hall and reserve governance would be in the hands of the new group manager of democracy and engagement, Toni Durham.
“[Her new role] will give us the capacity, once she is fully resourced, to think about the future and the way in which the hall and reserve boards can be represented for the best interest of the community,” Riach said.
*Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ on Air
From local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
There will be an investigation into Methven’s ihub returning to booking agency services, the same activity that wasn't working and had the town's i-site shut three years ago.
The Ashburton District Council has accepted a request from … View moreFrom local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
There will be an investigation into Methven’s ihub returning to booking agency services, the same activity that wasn't working and had the town's i-site shut three years ago.
The Ashburton District Council has accepted a request from the the Mt Hutt Memorial Board, where the ihub is situated, to investigate the Methven ihub becoming a booking agent, with the council to weigh up the economic benefit.
Chief executive Hamish Riach reminded councillors that the i-site in Ashburton was closed and Methven’s restructured in 2017 due a decline in revenue for bookings before the Methven i-site then closed in 2020, only to be reborn as the Methven ihub, an information centre without online booking services.
“The i-site lost money and was closed to form the ihub,” Riach said.
There may have been a shift in demand which was worth investigating he said, and there will be upfront costs in setting up as a booking agent to consider, as part of the investigation.
Deputy mayor Liz McMillan, who attended the board meeting, said the request had come from the people working at the ihub who were receiving a number of booking inquiries, particularly for the Ōpuke Thermal Pools.
Currently, the ihub is only able to pass on information to visitors.
“They still feel there is an element of visitors that would benefit from using a service where they could call up a motel and make the booking on their behalf for example,” democracy and engagement group manager Toni Durham, said.
“They don’t have that ability at this stage, they just pass on contact details.”
As a booking agent they would receive income from making the bookings.
“There would be a little bit of income but there would be a cost as well so we would need to go away and understand what those numbers look like before we decided to go that way or not.”
Once the investigation is complete, a report will go before the council for a decision.
*Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ on Air
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