Freight hub making good progress
From local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
The $18m Fairfield Freight Hub is making steady progress towards being ready earlier than expected.
Wareing Group director Mark Wareing says that after five months of construction, things are tracking ahead of schedule thanks to a dry winter.
The completion date was October next year when construction began, based on the timing of doing the surface sealing after winter, he said.
“At this stage, we are on track to get that done before winter — so maybe April.”
That could mean the shunting yards could shift out of the centre of town early next year and out to the freight hub.
That was a pleasing progress report for the Ashburton District councillors and Rangitata MP Jo Luxton who were visiting the site.
The new rail siding, replacing and extending the old siding of the former Fairton freezing works, is nearing completion.
The only delay could be the installation of the new signals by KiwiRail, Wareing said.
Then the focus goes on preparing the 35,000sqm site for pavement sealing, which includes 1058m of kerb and channel around the outside.
The pavement is in two halves, truck only and container storage.
Contractors Fulton Hogan and Tarbotton Civil are working towards getting the truck-only side completed by the end of December.
The other half will then follow in the new year, followed by the construction of a storage shed and reefer towers.
“A reefer tower has power in it that you can keep a chilled or frozen container going.”
The hub will have the capacity for 120 containers to be kept chilled once all four reefer towers are completed.
Once operational the hub will process about 20,000 containers per year and moving the containers on rail will see a reduction of about 40,000 truck movements per year, Wareing said.
The installation of the Waka Kotahi’s weigh stations north of Rakaia could also be a boost for the hub Wareing said, with more operators looking to utilise rail.
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 council is contributing $2.3m to help fund the relocation of the rail yard from the town centre to the purpose-built facility at Fairton, which will be covered by funding from the Three Waters Reform Better Off Funding support package.
The Government is also chipping in with $2.5m from Waka Kotahi’s NZ Upgrade Programme.
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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