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From local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
Westport's acute care services at Buller Health are still on a reduced basis due to "ongoing staffing issues".
The round-the-clock service has been run on a reduced basis since early August after Health NZ West Coast announced a … View moreFrom local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
Westport's acute care services at Buller Health are still on a reduced basis due to "ongoing staffing issues".
The round-the-clock service has been run on a reduced basis since early August after Health NZ West Coast announced a temporary reduction in hours due to staff leave and winter illness.
Early last month, in response to criticism and confusion about what Westport residents were supposed to do in an emergency, Health NZ West Coast said it planned to have its acute service back up and running again 24/7 from Monday.
However, in a statement this week it said urgent patient stabilisation and observation services provided by Buller Health's Foote Ward team "will continue to temporarily be provided at a reduced capacity".
"If you or a member of your whānau needs emergency or acute care these services are still available 24/7 - they are just being provided in a different way," director of nursing Holly Mason said.
" Unfortunately, we need to continue operating in a reduced capacity due to on-going staffing pressures," Mason said.
For the time being, the temporary services would continue to be provided between 7am and 11pm at Foote Ward. This included urgent patient stabilisation and observation services.
"Outside of these hours, all acute care will be managed in the same way as rural services provided by St John who will be supported by a PRIME trained clinician. Anyone needing admission will be transferred to Greymouth's Te Nīkau Hospital."
Mason said they appreciated that the ongoing reduction "is not ideal".
"We really value the Buller community's ongoing understanding and support of this situation."
The rationed service at Westport had been introduced "so that urgent acute care as well as routine primary care" could be maintained in the community.
Mason said the staffing pressures were not unique to the region and Health NZ West Coast was working hard to fill staff shortages across the West Coast.
This included a global campaign for nurses to work in New Zealand alongside local recruitment.
Meantime, it was "critical" those who had been injured or were experiencing severe symptoms should dial 111.
Last month Health NZ justified the level of cover at Buller Health in a rural generalist model, including doctors and nurse practitioners, as providing a higher level of service than had been seen previously at Westport.
The approach was to use a variety of practice skills across complimentary areas but by far, the majority of Westport service demand was at a GP level, Health NZ West Coast manager Philip Wheble said.
Buller Health has 4.73 FTE doctors overall, and 1.93 FTE nurse practitioners who also provide services to Karamea, Ngakawau and Reefton.
They also provide cover for midweek after hours, weekends and public holiday services.
"Our rural generalist model supports a robust primary care service in both Westport and Greymouth, allowing for flexible service provision," Wheble said.
*Public interest journalism funded through NZ On Air
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Foodstuffs Own Brands Ltd is recalling all batches and all dates of its six Pams brand berry products.
New Zealand has seen a surge of cases of Hepatitis A this year and 12 of those infected (including seven hospitalised) have been linked with the consumption of frozen berries.
The recall of … View moreFoodstuffs Own Brands Ltd is recalling all batches and all dates of its six Pams brand berry products.
New Zealand has seen a surge of cases of Hepatitis A this year and 12 of those infected (including seven hospitalised) have been linked with the consumption of frozen berries.
The recall of Pams products is a precaution due to this possible link of Hepatitis A associated with berries sourced from Serbia.
Here's what you need to know:
- All batches and all dates of Pams Mixed Berries, Two Berry Mix, Smoothie Berry Mix, and Raspberries have been recalled and removed from supermarkets.
- The Pams products are sold at New World, PAK’nSAVE and Four Square stores nationwide.
- Hepatitis A is a contagious virus which spreads easily. Learn more here.
- Due to the possibility that other brands of berries may be infected, New Zealand Food Safety continues to advise those eating frozen berries to wash hands before and after preparing the berries, briefly boil them before eating and ensure cooking temperatures exceed 85 degree Celsius for 1 minute.
If you have consumed any of these products and have any concerns about your health, seek medical advice.
The Cutest Pet Competition is back by popular demand! Show off your furry friend this October to see if you’ve got the cutest pet in the country. This year’s competition is sponsored by Wishbone, giving you the chance to win your share of $10,000 worth of pet food.
From 26 September, … View moreThe Cutest Pet Competition is back by popular demand! Show off your furry friend this October to see if you’ve got the cutest pet in the country. This year’s competition is sponsored by Wishbone, giving you the chance to win your share of $10,000 worth of pet food.
From 26 September, purchase a copy of your local Stuff newspaper, find our promo ad, and follow the link to submit a photo of your pet online. If your pet is selected, they’ll feature in our promotional adverts across all Stuff newspapers for a day, plus you will receive $50 worth of Wishbone pet food so you can spoil them rotten. For more information on the prizes and to view the T&Cs, click here!
The team at Stunday Star-Times
From local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
The middle section of the Heaphy Track, which traverses both board areas and is one of the ‘great walks’ of New Zealand, remains closed following the February storm.
Eight months after the storm took out or severely damaged three bridges, … View moreFrom local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
The middle section of the Heaphy Track, which traverses both board areas and is one of the ‘great walks’ of New Zealand, remains closed following the February storm.
Eight months after the storm took out or severely damaged three bridges, the DOC website says people cannot currently use the track as a through walk. It is closed between the Heaphy Hut and James Mackay Hut.
“This section of the track will be closed until these bridges can be replaced or repaired. There is currently no bridge over the Heaphy River,” DOC advises.
In an update a few days ago DOC also warned that the track between Scott’s Beach and Heaphy Hut has been damaged from recent storms.
“There are multiple slips, narrow sections of track and slumps on the track. Work is under way to repair the damage.”
* Public interest journalism funded through NZ On Air
Dear neighbours, in the October issue of NZ Gardener, you'll see the five finalists for our 2022 Ryman Healthcare Gardener of the Year competition. They've all done amazing things for their communities. You can read about their wonderful work here, and then vote for your favourite.
From local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
The West Coast can expect a busy State highway maintenance programme this year.
In a presentation last week by the NZ Transport Agency to the West Coast Regional Transport Committee, regional relationships director James Caygill said the summer … View moreFrom local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
The West Coast can expect a busy State highway maintenance programme this year.
In a presentation last week by the NZ Transport Agency to the West Coast Regional Transport Committee, regional relationships director James Caygill said the summer maintenance programme for the region would be significant.
It followed a question from committee member Peter Haddock about the previously promised State Highway 7 Stoney Creek bridge replacement in the Grey Valley.
Caygill said he could give some progress reports on what was set out in the three year Regional Land Transport Plan for the Coast, including the maintenance programme, but could not give a detailed answer on Stoney Creek.
"I know we've got a large national maintenance programme, I know we have a significant maintenance programme for the West Coast this coming summer," he said.
"We got through quite a lot last year; we've got much more this year, not least of which because we kind of had to de-programme the first year of the three-year (plan) because of the way the funding announcements came through."
The West Coast was in "the same boat" as the rest of the country, with regional roads increasingly displaying potholes and patching, Caygill said,.
"I'll come back on Stoney Creek."
The wooden one-lane bridge accident blackspot is currently subject to a 30kph speed restriction. A replacement was promised by the former National government at the time the new Taramakau Bridge was announced about 2016.
In a follow-up, NZTA said it was progressing the Stoney Creek project but gave no clarity about the timeframe.
"The single stage business case report is now completed so staff are seeking approval for the business case which will be lined up nationally against other projects," staff said.
However, deteriorating road pavement - including in Kumara, Greymouth and at Paroa - are scheduled for resurfacing this summer.
NZTA West Coast maintenance contract manager Moira Whinham said the summer programme would include resurfacing 138km of chip seal over 75 sites across the region at a cost of $3.3 million.
In addition, 17,000 square metres of asphalt renewal was planned over five sites, including the Otira Gorge and High St, Greymouth, at a cost of $2.3m.
"We will also be undertaking significant pavement repair works on State Highway 6 in Paroa and State Highway 73 in Kumara.
"We will have teams undertaking pavement repairs including pre-reseal repairs throughout the network as required on an ongoing basis as the weather improves."
Whinham said road users may have short delays doing the work.
Maintaining a safe following distance and slowing down would minimise the chance of loose stone chip damaging vehicles and windscreens.
"Sticking to speed limits through work sites will help keep our teams safe while they're out there working in pretty hot conditions," she said.
*Public interest journalism funded through NZ On Air
From local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
Calls to revise the road layout at either end of the Cobden Bridge at Greymouth could cost $2 million, the West Coast Regional Transport Committee (RTC) has been warned.
The State Highway 6 road bridge, linking the main part of Greymouth with the… View moreFrom local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
Calls to revise the road layout at either end of the Cobden Bridge at Greymouth could cost $2 million, the West Coast Regional Transport Committee (RTC) has been warned.
The State Highway 6 road bridge, linking the main part of Greymouth with the suburb of Cobden, Runanga and the Coast Road through to Westport, has become increasingly congested, with regular crashes on the intersections at either end of the bridge.
NZ Transport Agency regional relationships director James Caygill said a fix was likely to be costly and would need to be assessed against other priorities.
"I don't think it will be less than $2m," Caygill said.
However, he told the committee he was happy to put the Cobden Bridge "on the list" but it was likely to be considered within minor works.
The discussion came after Atarau resident Ray Beckford called for NZTA to install a roundabout at the Cobden end of the bridge due to traffic backing up over the bridge as motorists tried to exit either end.
Beckford said believed it might be "a simple solution to the constant congestion and frequent accidents" at either end of the bridge.
He gave a pre-Covid example of when the West Coast was still busy with extra visitor traffic.
"I can remember an instance in which I suffered road rage, in disbelief, as I was waiting for a chance to turn on to the bridge coming from Coal Creek. But the cars were backed up all the way across the bridge."
He also flagged the 100kph open road zone "dangerous" intersection at Barrytown, where State highway 6 intersects with Cargill Rd beside the All Nations Hotel.
There was "a constant renewal" of skid marks in front of the pub, he said.
In Greymouth, the speed zone on State highway 6 past Karoro School, and the Tasman St link to the main road opposite that school had resulted in "too many close calls".
West Coast RTC member Peter Haddock said the issues raised were wider "local concerns".
Traffic had increased locally, with "large queues" on the bridge and a notable crash rate, Haddock said.
It would be good to investigate as the existing road layout dating from when it was built, in 1975.
"We've got a lot more traffic on our roads, even without the tourist vehicles," Haddock said.
"I think you are aware that the approaches to both ends of the bridge need upgrading ... the bridge has been there quite a number of years now."
Haddock noted himself the difficulty at Barrytown of trying to exit Cargill Road on to the main road and being caught out by speeding traffic on the state highway.
*Public interest journalism funded by NZ On Air
Dear neighbours,
Every month, NZ Gardener runs a series of tested reader recipes using a seasonal crop. We are now on the hunt for new potato recipes, so send your best ones to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz by Oct 3, 2022.
Every published recipe wins a copy of our special edition Vegetable Growing… View moreDear neighbours,
Every month, NZ Gardener runs a series of tested reader recipes using a seasonal crop. We are now on the hunt for new potato recipes, so send your best ones to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz by Oct 3, 2022.
Every published recipe wins a copy of our special edition Vegetable Growing Made Easy.
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From local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
Fears the West Coast might lose some of its road funding due to tourists disappearing during Covid-19 has been ruled out.
And the question of low fatalities in the region in the past few years due to traffic volumes dropping radically, will not … View moreFrom local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
Fears the West Coast might lose some of its road funding due to tourists disappearing during Covid-19 has been ruled out.
And the question of low fatalities in the region in the past few years due to traffic volumes dropping radically, will not necessarily disadvantage the region, the West Coast Regional Transport Committee has heard.
During a recent meeting, West Coast Regional Council representative Peter Ewen asked if Waka Kotahi (NZTA) kept a database of fatalities for the region.
Regional relationships director James Caygill said the Coast had few fatalities "because the population is low".
Caygill said the Coast stats could easily be skewed.
In 2019, the last full tourist season, there had been 22 serious "severe injury" crashes with the overall total of 25 including three road deaths.
Caygill said the West Coast numbers were relatively low compared with the neighbouring region of Canterbury, which had 365 death and serious injury crashes in 2019.
Another factor was how crash data arrived in the system. For instance the way police entered official data "doesn't take into account near misses".
However, if all crashes were looked at from a health and safety point of view then a near miss was "just as important to capture", Caygill said.
Other factors like the backlog in the coronial process was a factor affecting the statistics.
However site specific crash data was available and the NZTA was working with the police to record crash factors when entering data, including impairment, driver distraction, and speed.
NZTA speed management project team member Mike Creamer said research suggested for every fatality there had been 600 near misses.
"For that reason the way we are talking about the roads now is not whether the crashes are occurring, but where is the risk?"
Those risks included the road shape, traffic volumes, and alignment. Statistics did not tell "the full story" and were only indicative of where a road issue might be.
"There's an awful lot of anecdotal evidence of a lot of crashes on a particular stretch of road," Creamer said.
Caygill said they were "painfully aware" Covid-19 had changed West Coast road crash statistics on particular roads.
"But I'm not sure that we can declare victory because [crash] numbers are going down and therefore pull funding out of the region and take it somewhere else.
"We've still got an underlying risk that we need to manage and if and when tourism returns, in the way it did or some new way."
Doing nothing would see the stats rise again.
"I wouldn't worry that those statistics in the short term are going to lead to a decision to move funding elsewhere. We're interested in the underlying risk."
* Public interest journalism funded through NZ On Air
From local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
New property valuations would have netted the West Coast Regional Council an extra $700,000 - a 17% rates yield on top of the 10% increase already approved this financial year.
Instead, the council decided last night to "keep faith" … View moreFrom local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
New property valuations would have netted the West Coast Regional Council an extra $700,000 - a 17% rates yield on top of the 10% increase already approved this financial year.
Instead, the council decided last night to "keep faith" with the 10% increase it had notified in the annual plan, and to make internal adjustments to contain what might have been a whopping 27% rates increase.
Last year the council imposed a 30% increase on West Coast ratepayers.
Councillor John Hill, of Buller, asked for clarification that if the council did nothing the rates would increase a further 17%.
Acting corporate services manager Marc Ferguson confirmed that, noting that would also be additional to the 10% already struck in the annual plan.
Quotable Value valuations effective from July 1 had unexpectedly affected the regional council's projected yield for the 2022-23 rates strike, coming just two days after councillors set a 10% increase. The new valuations automatically bumped that up 15% which, with other adjustments, would have resulted in the extra 17%.
Ferguson said if staff had applied the factors set out in the annual plan "it would have reflected a 17% increase," or about $700,000 of extra income.
The main increases in the region would have been for the Grey district, by about 32%, compared to 2 to 3% for Westland and Buller districts.
Ferguson said they were conscious of the current economic environment for ratepayers and the recommendation was to "keep the yield as it was originally".
Councillors agreed, and councillor Laura Coll-McLaughlin, of Buller, summed it up: "We needed a certain budget, and it was just about how we got there (by adjusting) the machinery behind the scenes, and not taking more than what we intended".
Coll-McLaughlin suggested the council in future revisit the differential applied for each of the three districts.
She noted the Grey district represented about 43% of the capital values for the entire region yet it appeared the actual differential applied currently was set at about 39%.
Ferguson said there might an historical basis, "possibly linked to population in each of the areas".
Coll-McLaughlin said she saw that Westland had 30% of the capital value but noted it only had 20% of the region's population.
Councillor Peter Ewen noted the last 'on-line' census, considered to be "a bit of a fiasco" might be one factor in the differential settings.
"The figures we got for the West Coast would not be that accurate, I would think."
*Public interest journalism funded by NZ On Air
From local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
A site just north of Hokitika is being used to dispose of demolition material, including asbestos, from a fire damaged former Greymouth school, the West Coast Regional Council has confirmed.
The old Greymouth Intermediate School has been struck … View moreFrom local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
A site just north of Hokitika is being used to dispose of demolition material, including asbestos, from a fire damaged former Greymouth school, the West Coast Regional Council has confirmed.
The old Greymouth Intermediate School has been struck by two fires, the latest in June, with a 1960s brick classroom block and 1970s-era fibro-lite clad buildings either gutted or very badly damaged.
Hokitika contractor Henry Adams started demolition on Tuesday for the owners, Mawhera Incorporation.
After the regional council became aware demolition had started it visited the school site, given the risk of hazardous material and how it might be disposed of, council consents and compliance manager Colin Helem said.
The contractor had confirmed demolition material was being carted to their authorised disposal site near Hokitika.
"The site is authorised to receive material that may be contaminated with waste containing asbestos," Helem said.
Henry Adams had held a consent since 2017 to dispose of approved demolition material at a Keoghans Rd site, near Hau Hau Creek and just north of Hokitika.
The site had previously been mined by the contractor.
Helem said a council compliance officer visited that site and established the operation to dispose of demolition material there was compliant with the consent.
"It has been inspected and there is no issue there."
Helem noted the demolition was likely to be complex due to the fire damage masking the type of material in the structure, including the presence of asbestos.
It meant the contractor would wet down material as it was being removed, he said.
The former school site has appeared increasingly neglected since Greymouth High School sold its Karoro Learning Centre about 2015 to private provider Frontline.
Frontline closed and vacated the site in July 2017 and tenure of the old school then reverted to Mawhera as the landowner.
* Public interest journalism is funded by NZ on Air
From local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has "little appetite to buy arguments" with local communities over speed limits, the West Coast Regional Transport Committee has heard.
Several West Coast speed hot spots on the books for some … View moreFrom local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has "little appetite to buy arguments" with local communities over speed limits, the West Coast Regional Transport Committee has heard.
Several West Coast speed hot spots on the books for some time are still to be lowered, the committee heard this week.
These include the current 70kph zone outside Karoro School in Greymouth and the 70kph through Blacks Point near Reefton.
Karoro School has been calling for a review for several years, including lengthening the current 50kph speed zone which ends north of the school, near the Australasian Hotel, to replace the 70kph zone outside the school.
At Blacks Point, residents have been calling for a lower speed limit for decades including a recent plea to lower it to 30kph due to the blind spots, and people not slowing down on the winding section through the village.
Now the West Coast Regional Transport Committee, via the regional council, is required to co-ordinate input from road controlling agencies, including NZTA and district councils, for a regional speed management plan.
A report to the committee said the first full planning period for the new regional plan was likely to be the three years from July 2027.
It was not recommended the group prepare an interim regional speed management plan.
West Coast Regional Council strategy and communications manager Nichola Costley, said the first regional plan was not expected to be more than "a compilation process".
However, NZTA regional relationships director James Caygill said the agency would be consulting on an interim plan for the region before the 2024-27 period.
This could be as early as the end of this year or in early 2023.
It was expected to include all state highway 40kpm school speed zones on the West Coast.
"I would expect some school work and some minor tidy-ups," he said.
This included finishing off a review of the Blacks Point 70kph zone where residents had been "loud and clear".
Otherwise, no big surprises were expected in the interim plan, Caygill said.
Committee chairman Allan Birchfield said he thought the committee had already agreed to reduce the speed on State Highway 7 at Blacks Point, with a commitment to review the 100kph open road limit on the entire 59km of that road, from Reefton to Springs Junction.
Caygill said the agency had consulted and it was "interested in advancing speed reductions where they are acceptable for communities".
However, committee member Peter Haddock said the committee had made it clear in the past it did not want "widespread" speed reductions on long stretches of open road.
He gave the example of State Highway 73 and West Coasters apparently not wanting to be unnecessarily delayed on the road to go about their business in Canterbury, including urgent medical appointments.
Haddock understood from the agency that "people don't want to be chopping and changing all the time".
"But it's unacceptable on State Highway 73 where people have got certain times they have to get to Christchurch," he said.
"There is no doubt there are certain areas that need speed reductions to avoid crashes... but what we don't want to see is it going for 50 miles or 100km or something."
* Public interest journalism funded through NZ On Air
Dear neighbours,
Every month, NZ Gardener runs a series of tested reader recipes using a seasonal crop. We are now on the hunt for new potato recipes, so send your best ones to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz by Sept 25, 2022.
Every published recipe wins a copy of our special edition Vegetable … View moreDear neighbours,
Every month, NZ Gardener runs a series of tested reader recipes using a seasonal crop. We are now on the hunt for new potato recipes, so send your best ones to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz by Sept 25, 2022.
Every published recipe wins a copy of our special edition Vegetable Growing Made Easy.
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