Third nomination for Ashburton District by-election
From local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
A third name has entered the race in the Western Ward by-election that will cost the Ashburton District Council an estimated $26,000.
Rob Mackle submitted his nomination this week to join Hayden Tasker and Dame Lynda Top, with potentially more to come with nominations closing on Thursday.
The by-election comes after the passing of councillor Rodger Letham in December and with nominations rolling in, there will now be a full election for the vacancy.
All three candidates to be nominated so far unsuccessfully ran in the election in November.
Topp ran third behind deputy mayor Liz McMillan and Letham in the Western Ward.
Tasker, the son of former councillor Bev Tasker and former deputy mayor Roger Tasker, stood for one of the five seats in the Ashburton Ward in October and was the seventh-highest polling candidate.
Mackle, who farms just of Ashburton, stood in the Eastern Ward.
Candidates do not have to live within the ward, or the district at all, but must be nominated by two people who are enrolled to vote in Western Ward.
Once the nominations are closed at midday on Thursday, eligible voters will have from April 20 to May 12 to cast their votes.
People who did not receive voting papers last October or who had moved since then would need to ensure they were on the electoral roll if they want to vote in the by-election.
Voters will be able to return their ballot papers by post or drop them into the orange voting bins at the Methven i-Hub, Ashburton Library, or council building.
The successful candidate will then be sworn in as a new district councillor for the rest of the term.
Western Ward councillors also sit on the Methven Community Board.
Best way to use leftovers?
I'm sure you've got some excess ham at home or cold roast potatoes.
What are some of your favourite ways to use leftover food from Christmas day? Share below.
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
Poll: Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?
Just a bit of a fun poll to get you thinking.
If you had to live out your Christmas days, would you prefer it was a summer Christmas or a winter Christmas?
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62.1% Summer
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36.4% Winter
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1.5% Other - I'll share below
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