Health Shuttle Accident
Dear Neighbours, I was a passenger on the Ashburton Health Shuttle that was involved in an accident on the 19th August. I would like to thank everyone involved who assisted at the scene, in particular 2 ladies Wendy? and Kate (who travelled with me in the ambulance). I cannot express how much your help meant to me. After 2 weeks in hospital I am now having outpatient therapy etc for my injuries and recovery. Once again a heartfelt THANK YOU. With appreciation and sincere thanks, Kelly.
Why are ghosts such bad liars?
...You can see right through them.
No, we haven't lost the plot! July 1st is International Joke Day and because laughter is good for your body, we want to get involved.
So, go on, jokers! Share your best joke below...
‘We are doing it’: PM confident of Ashburton’s second bridge
Christopher Luxon stood in the Ashburton Event Centre in May last year and pledged that if elected, National would start constructing a new bridge for Ashburton in its first term.
One year later, during his first visit to Ashburton as Prime Minister, he remained confident of fulfilling that promise.
“Absolutely.
“We are in discussions with the [council] about the funding of that, which is being worked through right now.
“I can tell you we are very comfortable and confident we are going to get going on that shortly.
“We are doing it, it’s happening, and it’s going to get going this term for sure.”
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 project is high on Minister of Transport Simeon Brown’s priority list, Luxon said
Brown unveiled the final Government Policy Statement on Land Transport at the end of June, which will be used by the NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi in developing its National Land Transport Programme (NLTP), which is due out later this year.
Ashburton’s second bridge was flagged in the Policy Statement and now all eyes are on the release of the NLTP in September, which will confirm what projects will be funded over the next three years.
It will be an anxious wait for the Ashburton District Council, which has only budgeted a $7.5m contribution towards a project that is now estimated to cost $130m.
Chief executive Hamish Riach has confirmed the council is preparing an application to the Government’s $1.2 billion Regional Infrastructure Fund, which aims to boost infrastructure resilience and its ability to cope with population growth.
The second bridge “fits very well with the fund’s criteria” in the council’s view, he said.
Luxon’s visit to Ashburton began at Ashburton College, where principal Simon Coleman gave a tour of the ageing technology block that contrasted with the new built-for-purpose Rangitata block.
The second stage of the school's rebuild was added to the Ministry of Education value-for-money review list, along with 351 other building projects at 305 schools around the country.
Luxon then attended the RuralCo instore day event, which was an opportunity to see what was happening in the primary industry sector.
“Which of course is our most important sector and so critical for us to be able to continue to grow our country as we go forward," Luxon said.
Bishop’s bold housing moves: What it means for Ashburton
By local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Councils were caught by surprise when the Government announced sweeping changes to housing development rules.
It remains to be seen if it will impact Ashburton as officials read through the details of the policy.
Housing Minister Chris Bishop on Thursday unveiled six major changes in a bid to boost housing growth by freeing up land and removing planning red tape.
It’s understood the changes are specifically for tier 1 and 2 councils, the major metropolitan centres, with the changes targeted at opening up land for development at the edge of the cities and housing density, Bishop said.
Ashburton District Council compliance and development group manager Jane Donaldson said that on first look, it appears the majority of the changes don't affect the Ashburton District, which is not classed as a tier 1 or 2 council.
“It will take us more time to look through the detail.
“We look forward to understanding more about how the Government’s growth initiative will be resourced and the impact it may have in Ashburton District.”
The announcement blindsided councils.
Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) said they met with the Bishop just last month to discuss how local and central government could work together to get more housing built.
LGNZ president Sam Broughton said local government wasn’t consulted on the changes announced on Thursday and is concerned about councils losing control of their planning.
“We are concerned at the increasing central direction on planning that we’ve seen through successive governments, especially given this Government’s commitment to localism.
“If we are serious about solving the housing crisis, we must change how growth is paid for.
“New housing requires roads, footpaths, green space, and services, which are currently really expensive for councils and ratepayers.”
Councils need to embrace growth by improving funding and financing mechanisms, Bishop said.
Infrastructure should generate enough revenue from service charges to cover its lifetime costs, ensuring growth benefits councils without burdening existing communities, he said.
“Existing communities should not have to subsidise the costs of growth.”
Bishop has argued the changes are needed to encourage building, increase housing supply, and improve affordability.
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