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From reporter Hamish McNeilly:
When stop/go workers were replaced by traffic lights, time stood still.
Motorists travelling between Port Chalmers and Dunedin on State Highway 88 waited up to 90 minutes to clear one set of road works, near Forsyth Barr Stadium, on Tuesday.
One person missed… View moreFrom reporter Hamish McNeilly:
When stop/go workers were replaced by traffic lights, time stood still.
Motorists travelling between Port Chalmers and Dunedin on State Highway 88 waited up to 90 minutes to clear one set of road works, near Forsyth Barr Stadium, on Tuesday.
One person missed a funeral while others missed appointments, leading to 12 complaints to Waka Kotahi.
Raewynne Pedofski said it took her just over an hour to travel less than 1km as she approached the stadium, which on Wednesday hosted thousands of fans for a Rod Stewart concert.
The delays were caused by stop/go workers being replaced with ‘‘automatic lights with a shorter time span’’, she said.
It led to significant traffic delays, and vehicles ‘‘clogging the intersections’’, she said.
Some motorists on the Port Chalmers Facebook page shared their feelings over the delays, including one who missed a funeral.
‘’Not acceptable,’’ she wrote.
‘’I turned around because I had a screaming baby, so frustrated there is no warning about this,’’ wrote another.
On Tuesday, the 9km stretch of SH88 had four listed road works on Waka Kotahi’s website.
While work on the $37m - $43 m shared pathway along SH88 had caused some delays since the project first started in 2020, the latest work near the Anzac Ave, Parry St roundabout, was unrelated.
Waka Kotahi senior network manager Chris Harris said road maintenance, not the shared path project, caused the congestion.
‘‘Waka Kotahi apologises to people held up (on Tuesday) and will aim to avoid long delays after Easter when this work resumes.’’
In recent weeks the site was effectively managed with manual stop/go traffic management, but on Tuesday morning the crew switched to traffic lights.
‘’These were not as responsive as we need them to be and this contributed to congestion and queueing in both directions.’’
A worksite between the roundabout and Ravensbourne was opened up to two lanes of traffic just after 1pm that day, which helped release the traffic build-up and ‘’resolved queueing fairly quickly once people could start moving through,’’ Harris said.
‘‘Most of the people we have spoken with have been understanding of the situation, and we appreciate the patience of everyone affected.’’
Harris said the agency responded quickly by reopening the road, but once work was under way, crews could not always pack up and get out of the way within minutes.
‘’We apologise for this impact upon road users. If we are expecting unavoidable delays, we normally aim to communicate these in advance so that people can plan ahead. In this case, we underestimated the effects of the change in the traffic management.’’
Jarrod Hodson of the West Harbour Community Board, said the ongoing roadworks spread over multiple sites were ‘‘unfortunately just something we have to deal with’’.
He hoped that steps ‘’would be taken to help prevent the same situation that become a major issue from happening again’’.
Meanwhile, the shared pathway was due to fully open in the middle of the year, and one person who regularly cycles the route is Cr Steve Walker.
He told Stuff he could leave his house in Port Chalmers and be at his desk at council, in central Dunedin, in under 30 minutes.
He was confident that when the cycleway opened that time would be reduced to under 25 minutes.
Walker said it wasn’t uncommon for him to see friends stuck in traffic, who would later message him with the word ‘‘bastard’’.
In previous generations, children left home at 18 years old and became independent. Now with student debt and the increasing cost of renting and buying a house, we are seeing the rise of the 'Boomerang babies' who stay or move back home for well into their 20's. Is this good for our … View moreIn previous generations, children left home at 18 years old and became independent. Now with student debt and the increasing cost of renting and buying a house, we are seeing the rise of the 'Boomerang babies' who stay or move back home for well into their 20's. Is this good for our communities and have you noticed it in yours?
Type 'Not For Print' if you wish your comments to be excluded from the We Say You Say column of your local paper.
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There is more so hop to it Neighbours before they go!
From reporter Debbie Jamieson:
That Wānaka Tree is world famous but the shark swimming around it may elevate it to new social media heights.
No-one knows where the shark, or to be precise the shark’s fin, came from and local social media posts have divided opinion in the small town.
… View moreFrom reporter Debbie Jamieson:
That Wānaka Tree is world famous but the shark swimming around it may elevate it to new social media heights.
No-one knows where the shark, or to be precise the shark’s fin, came from and local social media posts have divided opinion in the small town.
Posting on Facebook on Monday, Joanne Young said April Fools was over and the stationary fin spoiled the lake's beauty.
“Can it be removed?” she asked.
But Jess B Clark called for the “weed tree” to be removed instead, while Kieran Kaiwai suggested someone jump in and tackle the shark.
Others suggested it would need Department of Conservation and Otago Regional Council involvement involving a lengthy report and an 80% rates rise.
Tony Vial suspected it might be the work of a random Sharks supporter, before adding his own “Go the Warriors”.
Todd Jeremy Owen said he had seen the fin in other spots, including Lake Hawea.
"That Taniwha is way older than that weedy willow,” he said.
Tracy Sarah Jones looked forward to seeing the next 20 million lonely tree shots accompanied by the great shark fin.
While Amanda Waldo had another ominous warning for regular lake users.
"If the duck itch doesn’t get you...” she wrote.
For now, the big questions are unanswered. Will the shark remain? And will it ruin the perfect shot of #thatwanakatree?
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Happy Mother’s Day
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We have some cute Easter bags to fill with goodies ✨ wishing our customers a fabulous Easter break ✨
This Sunday we'll be putting our clocks back for the end of daylight saving. Despite the benefits of an extra hour of sun during daylight saving, these clock changes commonly bring disruptions to our households and sleep - some feel that it should be scrapped altogether. What do you think?
… View moreThis Sunday we'll be putting our clocks back for the end of daylight saving. Despite the benefits of an extra hour of sun during daylight saving, these clock changes commonly bring disruptions to our households and sleep - some feel that it should be scrapped altogether. What do you think?
Type 'Not For Print' if you wish your comments to be excluded from the We Say You Say column of your local paper.
From reporter Debbie Jamieson:
A Cromwell whisky distillery and a Wānaka film studio proposal have been promised government support to help the region diversify beyond its reliance on tourism.
Regional Development Minister Kiri Allan announced a $2.9 million loan to help Scapegrace … View moreFrom reporter Debbie Jamieson:
A Cromwell whisky distillery and a Wānaka film studio proposal have been promised government support to help the region diversify beyond its reliance on tourism.
Regional Development Minister Kiri Allan announced a $2.9 million loan to help Scapegrace Distillery expand to help meet growing national and international demand.
The government will also underwrite $4.5m of the Silverlight Studios’ film studio project.
“I love what you guys are doing ... the whole aspiration for us is to support our regions to grow,” she said.
Scapegrace Distillery is a privately owned Central Otago business that produces whisky, gin and vodka, and aims to become New Zealand’s biggest distillery.
Founded by brothers-in-law Daniel McLaughlin and Mark Neal nine years ago, the company has more than 48 shareholders and exports to 35 markets.
McLaughlin said about 65% of its products are exported, but it was hoped that would increase to 80%.
The government loan would be used to help build a new distillery and temporary hospitality facility, creating 218 jobs during construction and 24 permanent roles once operational.
Ultimately, the Central Otago site will house four whisky barrel rooms, a world-class distillery and a full hospitality precinct with cellar door facilities, a bar and restaurant, and event spaces,
McLaughlin anticipated it would be completed in 2026 and would be New Zealand’s largest distillery, spanning 36 hectares of land and 4500m² of buildings.
Allan said the projected increase in capacity from 30,000 litres to 567,000 litres of product was a “game changer”.
“It’s an absolute privilege to stand alongside you as you embark on your new venture.”
Asked whether it was appropriate for taxpayers’ money to be used to support the alcohol industry, she said it was part of the food and beverage industry, an area identified for development in the region.
Speaking about the support for Silverlight Studios, Allan said the screen industry employed about 16,200 New Zealanders and contributed $3.3 billion to the economy every year.
It was a key component of Central Otago’s economic diversification initiatives, she said.
“Silverlight Studios will provide new opportunities for local talent to be at the forefront of an evolving industry in the region.”
Silverlight Studios chief executive Mike Wallis said concerns had been raised that the company’s $280m Wānaka plan, which includes 10 sound studios, was too much and too fast for the area.
The company had therefore “pivoted”, and will instead bring three fast-build modular sound stages to the site with auxiliary buildings.
The sound stages, which are fully sound-proofed and include lighting rigs, will come from Belgium and are already being used by the likes of Netflix and Amazon, Wallis said.
The government underwrite of $4.5m would provide confidence for investors in this stage of the project and enable the work to be completed in 12 to 14 months, he said.
“This gives them facilities with rain cover, and it’s big enough for an international large scale production, which is really our key market anyway, but also for the local market.”
The stages will be packed down and moved as the full studio development is completed.
It will ultimately include an 11ha artificial lake, film school, screening theatre, exhibition centre and up to 10 sound stages – making it the largest studio of its kind in New Zealand.
It will also include recreations of international film locations, including an Italian village, the canals and bridges of Venice, a generic seaside Hamptons-style village, blocks of New York City and a portion of New York’s Central Park.
From reporter Hamish McNeilly:
Dunedin Hospital has been so stretched doctors have had to treat patients in corridors and work up to 90 hours a week, one doctor has told the city council.
“I don’t actually want more money, I would like to see more of my kids,” Dr Janet Rhodes told a … View moreFrom reporter Hamish McNeilly:
Dunedin Hospital has been so stretched doctors have had to treat patients in corridors and work up to 90 hours a week, one doctor has told the city council.
“I don’t actually want more money, I would like to see more of my kids,” Dr Janet Rhodes told a Dunedin City Council meeting via audiovisual link on Monday.
The Dunedin Hospital doctor was expressing her concern over the future capacity of the city’s new $1.47 billion hospital, one of the largest infrastructure builds in the country.
Listening to her were city councillors wearing T-shirts emblazoned with the words: THEY SAVE WE PAY. NO DUNEDIN HOSPITAL CUTS.
The council, led by mayor Jules Radich, is leading a campaign to halt proposed cuts to the new hospital.
Concerns over the project included a reduction in the number of beds in the inpatients’ building from 410 to 398, a reduction in operating theatres from 28 to 26, and a reduction in MRI scanners to two.
Rhodes said the current facility was old and had run at or near capacity in recent years. There was no fat in the system to trim, she said.
“We have been running down to the bone for years now.”
The current hospital was inadequate in terms of size and the new rebuild would have a similar number of beds – a major concern for those set to work in the facility.
In December, it was announced the project’s budget had been increased by $110 million after some $90m worth of savings were identified.
A report from Te Whatu Ora Southern detailed the impact of that cost-cutting in the design, about four years in the planning. “Undoing this in as many months carries significant reputational, operational and clinical risk,” it warned.
Rhodes said the current hospital contributed to “unsafe outcomes for patients”.
People deserved privacy and dignity when they went into hospital, but some patients had to wait up to 18 hours, or were examined standing up in corridors due to the lack of space.
The hospital rebuild was a “colossal amount of money”, but the cost to the health system of replicating a similar sized hospital was a cause of concern, she said.
She also highlighted staff shortages. She routinely worked about 65 hours a week, but could work up to 90 hours.
Another speaker at the public forum, Dr John Chambers, a former member of the now defunct Southern District Health Board, said he expected the $90m in savings to have all but gone by the time the building opened.
He said he was invited to a meeting in February where Whatu Ora Health New Zealand executives said Dunedin patients could get operations in Timaru in future.
Meanwhile, the opening of the new inpatient building had been pushed back 10 months and would now open in 2029. The new outpatient building was expected to open in late 2025.
Chambers said the final make-up of the new hospital was far from a “done deal”, and suggested the building’s final configuration could claw back some of the losses announced last year.
Those behind the hospital project will deliver a public update in Dunedin on Tuesday.
Neighbourhood Support members across New Zealand are invited to attend a special wellbeing webinar, 'Building Strong Communities', with Farmstrong Ambassador, Sam Whitelock, at 7:30pm on Tuesday April 4th.
For more information and to register, head to www.neighbourhoodsupport.co.nz....… View moreNeighbourhood Support members across New Zealand are invited to attend a special wellbeing webinar, 'Building Strong Communities', with Farmstrong Ambassador, Sam Whitelock, at 7:30pm on Tuesday April 4th.
For more information and to register, head to www.neighbourhoodsupport.co.nz....
Please invite those on your street and in your neighbourhood who might be interested (it's not just for rural folk, although those of you in rural communities might be particularly interested).
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