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500 days ago

New Hokitika flood protection draws near

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from The Press

By Brendon McMahon, local democracy reporter

Stage 1a of the Hokitika River flood protection works behind Westland Milk Products is virtually complete.

West Coast Regional Council infrastructure resilience group project manager Scott Hoare told the council on Tuesday that installation of the rock work was "practically complete".

Work under way this week included backfilling and topping up to the right height the top of the new wall, where the West Coast Wilderness Trail passes behind the dairy factory.

The work being completed included a new riding surface for the cycle trail.

"I believe they will be in the position of being wrapped up by the end of next week," Hoare said.

Some minor matters including removing and realigning a power pole needed to be done. From there they would be looking to finalise the account for Stage 1a.

Hoare said they were also now in a position to finally sign off the cost-sharing agreement with Westland Milk Products, previously ratified by council, for the work.

Meanwhile background work to enable Stage 1b, adjoining Gibson Quay from Westland Milk Products down to the Hokitika River bridge alongside the Hokitika rail siding to the dairy factory, was getting close to the consenting and tendering stages.

Hoare said a cultural impact process for Stage 1b was due in about two weeks. They were considering if 1b could proceed as a variation of 1A for the consenting aspect.

Beyond that a draft concept was in the offing for preliminary work for stages two and three.

The total staged scheme to raise and extend the Hokitika River true right bank protection will eventually include raised stopbanks along Gibson Quay to protect the town centre, and Kaniere township.

*Public interest journalism funded through NZ On Air.

More messages from your neighbours
3 days ago

Worst Xmas ever?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

There's a a lot of planning that goes into Christmas day and sometimes things just don't go to plan. But it can be a good thing - a family mishap or hilarious memory that you can laugh about in Christmases to come.

Whether you burnt the dinner or were stranded at an airport...

Share your Christmas mishaps below!

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14 days ago

⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️

The Team from SPCA New Zealand

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 ❤️

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6 days ago

Poll: Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

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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Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?
  • 61.7% Summer
    61.7% Complete
  • 36.7% Winter
    36.7% Complete
  • 1.6% Other - I'll share below
    1.6% Complete
1389 votes