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Every month, NZ Gardener runs a series of tested reader recipes using a seasonal crop. We are now on the hunt for yam recipes, so send your best ones to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz before June 3, 2022.
Every published recipe wins a copy of our special edition Homegrown Recipes.
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From local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
A "lot of potential work" is seen necessary to repair and improve stopbanks on the Wanganui River flats near Harihari.
The Wanganui River badly damaged rockwalls and eroded farmland during the February flood which also struck Westport.
… View moreFrom local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
A "lot of potential work" is seen necessary to repair and improve stopbanks on the Wanganui River flats near Harihari.
The Wanganui River badly damaged rockwalls and eroded farmland during the February flood which also struck Westport.
Already a new protection wall less than 0.5-kilometres long has been built after a huge chunk of farmland on the true right bank of the Wanganui was washed away.
The West Coast Regional Council heard at its May meeting that some of the urgent work was approved by the end of April as an emergency procurement, by the previous director of operations Randal Beal.
The emergency procurement is allowed under council's delegations manual due to natural disasters.
A report to the meeting said verbal quotes were to be confirmed and "availability to start" was the selection criteria.
"Rock lining the wall is a capital cost ... of approximately $100,000 to the adjoining landowners.''
Council engineer James Bell had met with affected landowners from the Wanganui rating district who had confirmed the plan to proceed.
The work had been awarded to Arnold Contracting with onsite stockpiles of rock to be used.
Cr Debra Magner said she had visited the area with regional council staff.
There were two pieces of work to be done, one of which was already under way. The other work would be reliant on rating district approval.
"There's going to be quite a lot of potential work on the Wanganui," Magner said.
Chief executive Heather Mabin said the issue facing the Wanganui rating district linked to a broader issue of how to pay.
From the February flood alone, $326,000 had been spent on emergency works.
"We are very aware that there needs to be a national plan."
From local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
The West Coast Regional Council has posted "an unexpectedly large" surplus of $16.6 million in its delayed 2020-21 annual report.
The draft, cleared by Audit NZ, will be tabled on Tuesday at the audit and risk committee meeting, and is … View moreFrom local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
The West Coast Regional Council has posted "an unexpectedly large" surplus of $16.6 million in its delayed 2020-21 annual report.
The draft, cleared by Audit NZ, will be tabled on Tuesday at the audit and risk committee meeting, and is expected to be formally adopted next month.
The report is late due to Covid-related constraints on the auditing process. The reporting time was relaxed nationally through a law change for a large number of affected local authorities.
Chairman Allan Birchfield described 2020-21 as a "turbulent year" as the long-term impacts of Covid were felt throughout the region.
Revenue was greater than budgeted by $17.4m, mainly due to the transfer of the Greymouth floodwall assets from the Grey District Council to the regional council. The floodwall has since been valued at $15.6m.
The addition of the floodwall increased the infrastructure asset base to $103.7m, and dominated the council's balance sheet.
Subsidies and grants were $1.1m more than budgeted because of higher than expected funding from the Government for infrastructure projects.
Investment income was up $679,000 because of better than expected returns on investments.
Expenditure was up $809,000, mainly due to unforeseen spending on infrastructure. In particular, $452,000 was spent on modelling for the Westport flood warning forecast, part of the requirements for the proposed flood protection scheme.
In the year to June 30 last year, part-year remuneration for then chief executive Vin Smith totalled $168,115 (2019-20 it was $255,729).
Mr Smith left during July 2021, and therefore any related severance pay will not be disclosed until next year's annual plan.
Total costs for the council's 73 staff was $6.5m (75 staff and $5.8m the previous year).
Elected representative costs were $409,454 (2019-2020 $372,718).
Three staff members earned between $160,000 and $280,000. The council also had eight staff receiving between $100,000 and $159,999; the previous year it had six in that pay bracket.
Current chief executive Heather Mabin said 'governance' costs of $642,152 were over-budget by $220,149.
Ms Mabin said that reflected increased costs of finalising the 10-year long-term plan.
The increased governance cost was predominantly audit fees, she said.
Birchfield said the council was successful in receiving $900,000 in 2020-21 to fund flood resilience projects in the Hokitika, Greymouth and Westport rating districts.
The hunt is officially on for New Zealand's best collection of houseplants
. Which means you could be 2022 Houseplant Hero. There’s some great prizes to be won! To enter, tell us in writing (no more than 500 words) what potted plants you have, the time you put into caring for them, and what … View moreThe hunt is officially on for New Zealand's best collection of houseplants
. Which means you could be 2022 Houseplant Hero. There’s some great prizes to be won! To enter, tell us in writing (no more than 500 words) what potted plants you have, the time you put into caring for them, and what you love about them. Send us up to five photos of your indoor plant displays. Email mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz. Meanwhile, here's last year's winner Alyce Read, from Nelson.
Only 36 seats left - Showing 25th May at Ashburton Cinema.
Selling Fast.
Who would have thought pine chair feet could make such an amazing addition to your home décor? Painting these with Resene testpots and stacking them to make contemporary candle holders is a breeze.
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The Aviation Museum Ashburton is holding a pre-release screening of Top Gun Maverick at the Ashburton Regent Cinema 25th May.
Less than 53 tickets left!
Tickets Selling Fast!
Call Stephen - 027 649-0650 or Dennis - 027 222-1281 to purchase.
From local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
West Coast allied health workers made the case for a better pay deal by mounting two public pickets in Greymouth on Monday.
The allied workers cover 23 professions and 120 West Coast District Health Board union members.
Their 24-hour strike from … View moreFrom local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
West Coast allied health workers made the case for a better pay deal by mounting two public pickets in Greymouth on Monday.
The allied workers cover 23 professions and 120 West Coast District Health Board union members.
Their 24-hour strike from 11.59pm resulted in two pickets today, at the Te Nikau Hospital and the Greymouth Town Square.
The workers are also on a 12-day 'work to rule' period until this Friday.
DHB therapeutic, rehabilitation, laboratory, occupational therapy and diagnostic services and other clinical support services and Hauora Māori, are all affected.
The dispute has been ongoing for 20 months as allied professionals seek pay parity.
Greymouth allied health worker Rudolf Van der Geest said the Employment Relations Authority recently put a proposal to DHBs to settle but the boards had waited until last Friday to respond, and had still not said what was on the table.
"This is a protest that has been going on for 20 months now. It takes 20 months to have to go to the ERA to get mediation -- still, nothing.
"The sad reality is more people will leave."
The new range of Line7 performance workwear has been designed, developed and tested by you – New Zealand farmers. We asked, listened, and collaborated directly with farmers in the making of this gear. We tested and re-tested in on-farm environments. We re-engineered what farming workwear can be … View moreThe new range of Line7 performance workwear has been designed, developed and tested by you – New Zealand farmers. We asked, listened, and collaborated directly with farmers in the making of this gear. We tested and re-tested in on-farm environments. We re-engineered what farming workwear can be with your needs front of mind.
We brought our decades of experience creating world-class performance gear. Add to that a legacy of Kiwi innovation, a challenger spirit and a practical attitude that’s been part of Line 7 since we started back in 1963.
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Create your own triple compost bin and stain in Resene Waterborne Woodsman. Use the handy compartments for fresh scraps, decomposing material and usable compost.
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While farming has changed significantly through the generations, LIC has had the privilege of journeying alongside farmers, their families and their businesses and have made constant improvements to deliver superior genetics and technology in response.
Visit our website to find out more about … View moreWhile farming has changed significantly through the generations, LIC has had the privilege of journeying alongside farmers, their families and their businesses and have made constant improvements to deliver superior genetics and technology in response.
Visit our website to find out more about how these advances are getting the next generation interested in dairy farming.
From local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
Work is progressing for a new mental health unit in Greymouth.
Canterbury and West Coast District Health Boards infrastructure executive director Rob Ojala, told the West Coast board on Friday that the planning had reached the point where … View moreFrom local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
Work is progressing for a new mental health unit in Greymouth.
Canterbury and West Coast District Health Boards infrastructure executive director Rob Ojala, told the West Coast board on Friday that the planning had reached the point where "we're on the market to get the design team."
He shared that following a query from iwi representative Francois Tumahai whether the planning would include a consumer representative.
Ojala said user group representatives would be part of the design structure for the new unit, "so we get a broad lens on the reality for the model going forward".
However, a user representative was probably not going to be in the governance structure for it, although iwi would be represented.
DHB general manager Philip Wheble noted the auditors from the Office of the Ombudsman had requested an update on 16 recommendations.
There was a continued focus on recruitment across the mental health service.
Key positions appointed in the past few weeks included the clinical nurse manager for the inpatient unit, a UK registered nurse as a case manager for Northern Community Mental Health (Buller), and a clinical psychologist who was not due to start until January.
"This is a key role to fill having been empty since 2016," Wheble said.
Occupational therapy vacancies continued to cause challenges for service delivery and specialist input in the mental health area.
He also reported a focus on equity for Māori patients, with a Māori casual mental health assistant employed, while the manager hours for the Māori mental health team had also been increased from half to full-time.
Services had not been significantly impacted by Covid apart from the Alcohol and Other Drugs service (AOD), which had a higher proportion of positive cases with increased service delivery challenges, "all of which have been managed well".
*Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
NZ Compare is the home of easy and free to use comparison sites. We’re passionate about helping Kiwis compare what’s out there, so we wanted to introduce you to a new member of our brand family – PriceMe!
PriceMe is NZ's largest comparison-shopping site, sounds fun right?! Whether … View moreNZ Compare is the home of easy and free to use comparison sites. We’re passionate about helping Kiwis compare what’s out there, so we wanted to introduce you to a new member of our brand family – PriceMe!
PriceMe is NZ's largest comparison-shopping site, sounds fun right?! Whether you're buying electronics, appliances, smartphones or watches, hair straighteners or any other everyday household or office product – find the best prices on PriceMe.
Make it your first stop, not an afterthought Neighbours!
Plus, you don’t need to leave the house! Shopping made simple, just how we like it.
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