Fairfield Freight Hub on track for early 2024
From local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
The Fairfield Freight Hub will, all going to plan, be operational by April next year.
The $18m project had been scheduled to start groundworks in February but delays in processing the resource consents pushed back the timeline.
Groundworks finally began in June, and it has been steady progress since.
Wareing Group director Mark Wareing held a quick site visit on Wednesday with Ashburton District councillor Rob Mackle, Talley’s Aaron Chudleigh and Rangitata MP Jo Luxton who was instrumental in getting the project going after it was initially turned down.
Wareing is hopeful it will be on track for an early 2024 opening.
“If things go wrong, mainly the weather and Fulton Hogan can’t put the hot mix down until it warms up it will start pushing things back.
“For me, that’s a disaster.”
Luxton was pleased to see the progress.
“It’s taking a bit of time to get to this point but really pleased that we have been able to get this happening and under way.”
KiwiRail is on-site working on upgrading the existing siding and is set for a block of line work at the end of the month, where they will put the new line in, Wareing said.
If the progress falls behind by December, Wareing said they will consider staging the construction to ensure it still becomes operational in April.
“If need be, we may just seal the part next to the line just to get it going but that will add cost as it means sealing it in two stages.
“If we are behind by Christmas, we’ll have that discussion.
“At this stage, everything is on track.”
That means the historic shunting yards in central Ashburton will shift north in early 2024 to the freight hub, which is being constructed on the Talley’s-owned site of the former Fairton freezing works.
Since works began, Wareing has noticed an increase in traffic past the site due to “a lot of community interest in the project". He said the benefits to the community from it would be long term.
The project is a tri-party commercial development led by the Wareing Group (which wholly owns Fairfield Freight Hub Ltd) with KiwiRail and the Ashburton District Council.
The project received $2.5m from the Government’s NZ Upgrade fund.
The council’s $2.3m contribution ended up being part of its $4.19 million in the Three Waters 'better off' funding.
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I can be written, I can be spoken, I can be exposed, I can be broken. What am I?
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Poll: Should drivers retake the theory test every 10 years?
Drivers get where they need to go, but sometimes it seems that we are all abiding by different road rules (for example, the varying ways drivers indicate around a roundabout).
Do you think drivers should be required to take a quick driving theory test every 10 years?
Vote in the poll and share any road rules that you've seen bent! 😱
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48.5% Yes
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49.6% No
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2% Other - I'll share below
Hero
“I was born and raised in war. To be honest, those are not good memories.
I really like Iran, and I really miss it, but I couldn’t be myself there. Even though my family didn’t like my decision, I left Iran. I promised myself that I would do whatever I can for all communities, especially for the kids, so they do not have the same experience I had.
I studied software engineering in Iran and left in 2006. I went to Malaysia and stayed in Kuala Lumpur for seven years. I was admitted to Lincoln University to do my PhD here, but unfortunately, I couldn’t afford the expenses. I requested a scholarship, but they told me I had to be there for six months first. So, I stayed in Malaysia and did my PhD in network security. In December 2013, I came to New Zealand with a work visa.
It took me a while to connect with the Iranian community here. I volunteered with the Multicultural Council, SPCA, and community patrol, and I established the Christchurch Iranian Society in 2017. Before that, I started working on Radio Toranj, the only Farsi-language radio show in New Zealand.
One of the reasons I started organizing cultural events was to showcase Iranian culture. I wanted to show people that we have delicious food, colorful dresses, traditional customs, and our own instruments. My hope was to show people that we are not what you see in the media.
I am working to involve all the communities that celebrate Nowruz, the Persian New Year, in the Nowruz festival in March 2025. We want to share this celebration not only with our community but with the public as well. It’s better when it’s shared.
I remember the first time someone from Dunedin called me and asked, Hero, can you help? Something happened, and they keep declining Iranian visa applications. When I heard that, I felt insulted. We are still human, so how can they do that?
Through this journey, I’ve learned a lot. Every single day, people with different cases call me, and I try to share my knowledge and guide them as much as I can.
I have received several awards, including the Christchurch Civic Award and an Award of Recognition for my contributions to the community during the pandemic. In 2021, I established Canterbury Kia Ora Academy, a charitable trust. Through this charity, I can help other communities as well, not just the Iranian community.”
- Hero
View more stories, or nominate someone: @humansofchch
www.humansofchch.org......
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