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By Brendon McMahon
, local democracy reporter
Mounting compliance costs starting at around $10,000 and pushed onto West Coast farmers through new environmental measures, have been lamented at the West Coast Regional Council.
It comes as the formal rollout of the new freshwater farm plan … View moreBy Brendon McMahon
, local democracy reporter
Mounting compliance costs starting at around $10,000 and pushed onto West Coast farmers through new environmental measures, have been lamented at the West Coast Regional Council.
It comes as the formal rollout of the new freshwater farm plan requirements to begin in the next few weeks, which by 2025 will apply to all farming operations across the region above 20 hectares.
"If we bugger our farmer community, we may as well cut the rigging and go to Tasmania or whatever," councillor Frank Dooley said this week.
Council's acting consents and compliance manager, Rachel Clark, reporting to the Resource Management Committee, said council's intention around the farm plan rollout was to provide a standard template for the farming sector "for consistency".
However the impact on individual farmers, including the cost and complexity on top of a declining dairy payout, was worrying councillors.
Committee chairperson Brett Cummings asked if the new plans would effectively disallow what is currently regarded as permitted land use activity by farmers.
Clark said that was not the case currently.
"Ultimately the farm plans will be a form of consent but they are not currently," she said.
Councillor Andy Campbell, a Hari Hari dairy farmer, said what he could see was "the costs escalating".
He related the various requirements individual farmers were having to cover off to undertake the new farm plan regime, including different cost inputs from a variety of providers.
"Farmers are getting a bit concerned about these freshwater plans. They have to have a certifier, auditor, effluent inspection. The costs are escalating."
Campbell said the requirements needed to be "rolled into one" to make it simpler, otherwise the economics of any farm activity continuing for some was under threat.
"If you have a 20ha area of land you might be getting a bill for $10,000 ... are we going to destroy our little blocks of land or what?"
Councillor Peter Ewen said it was becoming "very onerous" for farmers on top of everything else.
"It doesn't help with the milk price. Things are getting tougher."
Cummings said much of the impact was "handed to council" by the Government.
Dooley said council had a responsibility to monitor the impact of the changes but suggested all aspects of the new regime be rolled into one process, and once a year.
"That would make it a damn sight easier for the farmers. I think that is a recommendation that needs to be taken back."
Planning and science manager Fiona Thomson said the council's intention was "to align wherever possible" various strands of the process.
Alongside this they planned to make as much information available as possible, "so farmers can make their own plans".
However, Dooley pointed out that the issue of external funding to implement the new regime was higher level and not necessarily trickling down to individual farmers who had to come up with the plans.
The risk now was not recognising the impact on the viability of the region's farming community.
Thomson noted the new process for farm plans was effectively "the same process" being imposed on the mining sector by the Government.
*Public interest journalism funded through NZ On Air
By local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon
Waiho Flat residents in limbo for years over their futures due to worsening gravel build-up in the Waiho (Waiau) River may have a clearer path within eight weeks.
West Coast Regional Council chief executive Darryl Lew said on Thursday he accepted a … View moreBy local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon
Waiho Flat residents in limbo for years over their futures due to worsening gravel build-up in the Waiho (Waiau) River may have a clearer path within eight weeks.
West Coast Regional Council chief executive Darryl Lew said on Thursday he accepted a special rating district meeting for Franz Josef and Waiho River ratepayers was "well overdue".
But work under way this week to formulate a strategic approach to the river should help pave the way forward.
He made the comment on day two of a workshop of hydrology, engineering and river modelling experts in a technical advisory group (TAG) focused on Franz Josef.
Lew said they had all previously studied the Waiho River and as a group had visited the riverbank on Wednesday before returning to Greymouth on Thursday to draft options to address both "old and new issues to feed into a report for the future".
He clarified his comment yesterday that all flood protection work on the Waiho was "on hold" while the options were drafted.
"I want to be very clear, while there is additional planning work required for the future management of this river, infrastructure works under way now will continue to progress."
The already approved stage 1 work under the $24 million Waiho protection scheme on the north bank was continuing as planned, providing a new link bank down from the Franz Josef heliport.
However, work on a further low bank to prevent the Waiho from flowing into the adjoining Tatare River was not proceeding as it had not started.
"At the moment we're not working on the Tatare bank — there's no Tatare bank."
Any Tatare solution may fall into a future a stage two scheme but nothing had been decided yet, Lew said.
However, the work of the TAG convened this week could help shape what happened next.
"We're not progressing on any of that new stuff until we get the results of this report."
While convening the panel of experts this week might appear to some as a repeat of past activity given "a huge number" of Waiho reports in the past, "what we are doing now is assessing the new threats that have presented themselves in recent months".
"These may require a new approach for the future."
He said "some of the best minds in New Zealand" were on the ground to formulate a 10-year river management strategy for the regional council to deliver.
"It will not cover infrastructure such as the road, heli-pad, oxidation ponds or the town itself. Decisions around those assets will need to be made, but that comes next."
The report would be drafted over the coming month and then be presented to the regional council, Westland District Council, the NZ Transport Agency and Te Rūnanga o Makaawhio, "before being taken to the community in six to eight weeks' time".
*Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
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With changes to Australia's citizenship process, many are moving to Oz for better wages and lower taxes. Have you considered moving down under or are you fiercely kiwi?
Share your thoughts by commenting below.
Type 'Not For Print' if you wish your comments to be excluded from the… View moreWith changes to Australia's citizenship process, many are moving to Oz for better wages and lower taxes. Have you considered moving down under or are you fiercely kiwi?
Share your thoughts by commenting below.
Type 'Not For Print' if you wish your comments to be excluded from the We Say You Say column of your local paper.
On the 25th - 27th of August 2023 more than 70 Arts Canterbury members will be exhibiting at the second Arts Canterbury Art Show at The Cashmere Club.
This event is a fundraiser for Arts Canterbury so that they may continue to provide support to local artists.
At the ticketed opening night … View moreOn the 25th - 27th of August 2023 more than 70 Arts Canterbury members will be exhibiting at the second Arts Canterbury Art Show at The Cashmere Club.
This event is a fundraiser for Arts Canterbury so that they may continue to provide support to local artists.
At the ticketed opening night you can enjoy a complimentary drink, nibbles and music while enjoying all of the art and mingling with the artists.
The show will then be open to the public Saturday and Sunday 10am-4pm, and is just a gold coin donation on the door.
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Ōtira was a bustling town with about 650 people when the Ōtira Tunnel first linked the West Coast to the rest of the South Island 100 years ago.
Communities at both ends of the tunnel are celebrating its centenary on Friday.
The rail tunnel travels 8.5km through the Southern Alps and was … View moreŌtira was a bustling town with about 650 people when the Ōtira Tunnel first linked the West Coast to the rest of the South Island 100 years ago.
Communities at both ends of the tunnel are celebrating its centenary on Friday.
The rail tunnel travels 8.5km through the Southern Alps and was once the seventh longest tunnel in the world, and the longest in the British Empire.
Although the rail tunnel is now only the third longest in the country, it remains an engineering marvel.
During its construction, tunnellers contended with harsh conditions, using basic tools to drive through wet shale and rock, and with the steep track required from Ōtira to Arthur’s Pass.
A committee of Ōtira residents was set up two years ago to organise a celebration to commemorate 100 years since the tunnel opened on August 4, 1923.
Read reporter Joanne Naish's full story here (subscription required).
To find out the answer, click the link below and take our ‘Truth about alcohol' quiz.
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Hi there,
We're on the lookout for the most beautiful spots in New Zealand, and would love to hear your favourites.
While it will be impossible to include all of them in one article, we'd appreciate your help in narrowing it down. What do you think are most beautiful places in … View moreHi there,
We're on the lookout for the most beautiful spots in New Zealand, and would love to hear your favourites.
While it will be impossible to include all of them in one article, we'd appreciate your help in narrowing it down. What do you think are most beautiful places in NZ's regions? Do you have a favourite spot in the Waikato, Taranaki, Canterbury, Southland or elsewhere?
Feel free to comment below, send me a message or email me at lorna.thornber@stuff.co.nz. Please include 'NFP' in your comment if you do not want it or your name included in an article. Thanks in advance for taking the time to share.
With online being the main mode of communication these days, it's no wonder that there has been a worldwide mail decline and here in Aotearoa, NZ Post has needed to lay off 750 full-time staff. Do you think it's time to say goodbye to the trusty letterbox?
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Learn to recognise the warning signs and symptoms of a heart attack, so you know what to do if you see or experience them. Don’t try to walk it off, wash it off or push through it. Make the right call, it may save your life.
By local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Westport residents are likely to be waiting until 2024 to get a clearer picture of how they will be flood-protected.
But a "massive gap" exists between public expectation and what will be built, Westport-based West Coast Regional … View moreBy local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Westport residents are likely to be waiting until 2024 to get a clearer picture of how they will be flood-protected.
But a "massive gap" exists between public expectation and what will be built, Westport-based West Coast Regional councillor Frank Dooley says.
He is really concerned about the gap in public expectation and what will come under the $22.9 million 'support package'.
"I don't think the community has any clarity at this point in time," he said on Tuesday.
Dooley said a level of expectation since the regional council consulted for a flood scheme back in late 2021 was a reality, but now six weeks after the Government announced the funding, residents' futures were still unclear and bound up in a process.
A bemused Dooley said he, as chair of the committee governing council's infrastructure work, had yet to be shown the Westport steering group terms of reference.
In the meantime, further technical review requirements of the business case work created a drag on the project, two years on from the initial event that sparked it.
"My issue is the time lines or the drag in the timing of having a report prepared by someone," he said.
In the midst of that the regional council really needed to keep momentum going for Westport.
"It just means that the regional council has to take some risks and go ahead without the permission of the steering committee."
Dooley said the differences between the scheme first consulted on in 2021, and that presented for the business case last year was negligible - excluding Snodgrass and parts of Carters Beach.
At the same time someone had to "pick up the gap" in basic information for those affected.
He noted that aside from the public consultation in late 2021 and a couple of meetings for some residents in the past year, there was a dearth of information.
"There's a massive gap. We've waited 10 months ... there's been no consultation with the community as a whole since then," Dooley said.
Buller mayor Jamie Cleine, who sits on the steering committee, said the release of a six point graphic this week with no fixed time line was "trying to illustrate we're in the process".
He imagined both councils would consult on the scheme, under their 2024 long term plans.
He expected the future direction of Westport away from flood prone areas would be part of Buller's 2024 LTP process.
At the same time he acknowledged the ongoing uncertainty in Westport, as evidenced in the North Island where people awaited clarity on properties following Cyclone Gabrielle.
Cleine said tangible uncertainty remained in Westport two years on from the July 2021 event.
"We're hearing from those people, there is no doubt [but] there is a complex process that has to be worked through.
"No-one is pretending that everyone is protected. All those issues are just not defined enough at the moment to have those conversations."
However the regional council gaining endorsement for its 'quick win' projects to address crucial low lying flood prone points was critical.
"They should crack on."
Cleine said the steering group terms of reference were "quite clear".
This was that various aspects of the scheme would go to each respective council for approval before going to the steering group.
"It's not supposed to be the other way round."
At the same time the steering group was conscious it needed to "act with haste while we can".
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Approved 'quick win' projects for Westport
The Westport Steering Group has endorsed four workstreams deemed as "quick wins".
The West Coast Regional Council-led and paid for work is to provide significant benefits by reducing floodwater inundation around the edges of Westport.
The quick win projects are at the Floating Lagoon, Avery's, the Abattoir drain railway bridge and at nearby McKenna Road.
The Floating Lagoon project comprises initial geotechnical and survey work while the
other three projects will go to construction.
Buller mayor Jamie Cleine described the 'quick wins' as a great first step.
"These are some straightforward engineering solutions to reduce the risks in specific areas around Westport before work on the bigger flood protection project is finished."
Regardless of what is built in the broader scheme, the quick wins will complement the final flood banks.
*Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
The Blood Service says it needs 40,000 new donors in the next 12 months to ensure it can meet demand of those needing plasma and blood. Suggestions have been made to pay people for donating, however there are concerns about the dangers of that. Do you think we should pay people for these … View moreThe Blood Service says it needs 40,000 new donors in the next 12 months to ensure it can meet demand of those needing plasma and blood. Suggestions have been made to pay people for donating, however there are concerns about the dangers of that. Do you think we should pay people for these donations?
From local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
A crucial hearing affecting the protection of Franz Josef township will finally get under way this Friday more than a year after work began on the $24 million Waiho Scheme.
The West Coast Regional Council let a contract in May 2022 to Greymouth … View moreFrom local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
A crucial hearing affecting the protection of Franz Josef township will finally get under way this Friday more than a year after work began on the $24 million Waiho Scheme.
The West Coast Regional Council let a contract in May 2022 to Greymouth contractor MBD for flood bank improvements and extensions on the Waiho true right bank, for the $12.5m first stage, but council soon ran into trouble.
Late last year as council tried to quickly resolve the necessary resource consents on a non-notified basis, the Scenic Hotel Group declined to give affected party approval.
Now a public hearing will convene in Greymouth this Friday, July 28, to hear from both sides. The hearing commissioner will first visit Franz Josef on Thursday.
According to papers filed for the hearing, Scenic Circle told the regional council back in January it was not confident construction on the new flood resilience scheme demonstrated enough safeguards to allow them to rebuild the hotel with confidence.
Scenic pointed out that the stopbank below the township and behind the hotel had failed on March 23 2016 “following unauthorised and unconsented work” in the riverbed, including “the diversion of the river towards the hotel.”
It did not state who had done that work but Scenic noted its insurers considered both the regional council and the Westland District Council and their respective contractors responsible for the subsequent flood damage.
"SHGL does not want to see a repeat of this in the riverbed and on the stop banks resulting in flooding or damage to its property in the future."
Scenic claimed it wished to rebuild a new hotel on the old site "but cannot do so" without being able to finance and insure the site due to the risk.
It also contended that what happened in 2016 was down to the regional council's "failure to maintain" the old stopbanks "and to prevent contractors and locals from excavating and gravel" from the old stop bank area.
The council had failed to "properly police and monitor" work in the river bed prior to the 2016 event, and where gravel was taken, to ensure it did not endanger their property or that of third parties.
The council had also failed in its role to ensure resource consents were held by those doing the work.
It was important that the "the failures and processes of the past" were not repeated by the new scheme, Scenic said.
Since January the $30m claim by Scenic's insurers has been settled confidentially for an undisclosed sum by both councils.
In the meantime, work on the northern flood bank improvement and extension by the West Coast Regional Council has slowed to a snail’s pace.
Crucial to the planned work is the raising the existing stopbank, and an extension by nearly 1km extension from the Franz Josef Heliport to below the derelict hotel site.
In the meantime council has had to go back to central government to reassure it that it is managing the situation, in order to keep its funding.
*Public interest journalism funded through NZ On Air
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