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We're looking for delicious choko recipes to feature in NZ Gardener's June issue. Send your family's favourite ways to eat this versatile crop to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz by April 30, 2024. Every published recipe wins a copy of the June issue of NZ Gardener.
With the many friends she has made and the special bond she shares with her caregivers, the village has become an extension of Dora’s family.
Click to learn more about Dora’s experience at a Ryman village.
If you are thinking about changing some colours or redecorating your interior. Now is the time to get this booked in for the winter months so when spring comes the house looks great inside and you can focus on your other projects.We are now also booking in Exterior Painting for next season we have … View moreIf you are thinking about changing some colours or redecorating your interior. Now is the time to get this booked in for the winter months so when spring comes the house looks great inside and you can focus on your other projects.We are now also booking in Exterior Painting for next season we have the first already booked in for september.
Get in touch with Andy and the friendly team for a quotation
By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter
North Canterbury could soon be lit up with solar farms.
The Waimakariri District Council has received resource consent applications from three companies looking to build solar farms in the district, while the Hurunui District Council has also received a… View moreBy David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter
North Canterbury could soon be lit up with solar farms.
The Waimakariri District Council has received resource consent applications from three companies looking to build solar farms in the district, while the Hurunui District Council has also received a solar farm application.
MainPower, North Canterbury’s energy network, has applied for resource consent to construct a solar farm on a 10-hectare site at Thongcaster Road at Eyrewell Forest, to the north of Waimakariri River.
The site is expected to produce enough energy to power 1250 local homes via MainPower’s distribution network, a Mainpower spokesperson said.
‘‘MainPower has been encouraged by the support of the neighbours surrounding the proposed solar farm.’’
There is no confirmed timeframe at this stage for the construction.
A Waimakariri District Council spokesperson said Mainpower ‘‘obtained affected party approval’’ from all 11 affected parties, so notification was not required.
Auckland-based Lightyears Solar Ltd has applied for a resource consent to build an eight hectare solar farm at Swannanoa, near Rangiora, with 9077 solar panels.
A council spokesperson said the application is on hold while more information is sought from the applicant.
No decision has been made on whether the application will be notified.
Lightyears Solar Ltd co-founder and development manager Matt Shanks said his company proposed building ‘‘a mid-sized, dual use solar farm’’.
Construction is expected to begin later this year, with commissioning early next year.
‘‘The solar panel rows will be spaced about 5m apart and the landowner will graze animals under the solar farm array.’’
He said the farm would generate six megawatts of renewable energy, which would mostly be consumed locally ‘‘providing for some of Rangiora’s daytime energy needs’’.
Shanks said Lightyears Solar had contacted the immediate neighbours to the farm, as part of the consent process.
‘‘We keep it low impact by keeping the panels fairly low to the ground, installing planting strips around the farm, and ensuring there is plenty of space between the rows for grazing and continued pasture growth.’’
A resource consent was received last month from Australian company Energy Bay Ltd to construct and operate a utility scale solar energy farm on 80ha on the corner of Upper Sefton Rd and Beatties Rd, Sefton, north of Rangiora. The Hurunui District Council also received an application last month from Far North Solar Farm Ltd for a 180.8ha solar farm at Waipara.
■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter
Pink Flamingo Scooters will continue zipping through towns like Rangiora and Kaiapoi.
The Wellington-based company has been confirmed as Waimakariri district’s e-scooter provider for another three years.
Waimakariri mayor Dan Gordon said the … View moreBy David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter
Pink Flamingo Scooters will continue zipping through towns like Rangiora and Kaiapoi.
The Wellington-based company has been confirmed as Waimakariri district’s e-scooter provider for another three years.
Waimakariri mayor Dan Gordon said the community has been overwhelmingly positive since the e-scooters were first introduced in 2020.
‘‘There has not been much negative feedback and Flamingo has been proactive in engaging with the council.
‘‘E-Scooter companies could have come here anyway, but because Flamingo has chosen to work with us we have been able to get a better outcome for the community.’’
An online survey found two-thirds of respondents supported extending the agreement for the pink scooters to be available in the district.
Gordon said the scooters provided another mode of transport when people were travelling short distances.
‘‘It is a tangible way we can enable innovation that gets people out of cars and reduces emissions.
‘‘I have used them myself and they are fun to use. It is a fun way of getting around.’’
Flamingo Scooters chief executive Jacksen Love said user surveys found that 73% of users said the scooters made it easier for them to not own or use a motor vehicle.
The company has been operating in Waimakariri since December 2020.
A no-ride zone on High St, between Durham St and the BNZ corner, is enforced by geo-fencing, and the scooters are equipped with GPS trackers making them easier to locate.
‘‘The scooters are looked after and promptly picked up and returned to places where they will be used,’’ Gordon said.
Love said scooter use was monitored and Flamingo Scooters had the ability to terminate rides or suspend accounts of those who misuse the scooters.
There are 150 e-scooters available on the streets in the Waimakariri district and Flamingo Scooters has a licence to operate up to 200.
Local people are contracted to look after the e-scooters.
A report prepared by council staff said there were about 85,000 rides on e-scooters over the last 21 months, mostly in Rangiora.
The scooters were also available in Kaiapoi, Woodend and Pegasus, while users also rode them along the Passchendaele Pathway between Kaiapoi and Rangiora.
Council staff have referred 26 complaints to Flamingo for scooters blocking pathways, while the company has received 60 complaints from the public over the last 21 months.
There have been 18 minor crashes over the same period, all due to rider error, the report said.
The agreement between the council and Flamingo Scooters sees the council paid an 8 cent levy for each ride, which is set aside for e-scooter infrastructure.
■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Don’t miss out! For only $15 a ticket, you could be in to win this brand-new, fully furnished Jennian home located in stunning Taupō, worth just over $1 million.
Featuring three bedrooms, two bathrooms and an open plan kitchen, living and dining area, this home is waiting to be lived in and … View moreDon’t miss out! For only $15 a ticket, you could be in to win this brand-new, fully furnished Jennian home located in stunning Taupō, worth just over $1 million.
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Hello everyone I am looking for someone local , a business where I can get kitchen cupboard doors re painted and lacquered, looking for a professional finish, not confident enough to do myself PM me or leave a contact here
Thank you
By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter
Kaiapoi is set to have a weekend night market.
The Waimakariri District Council has approved a one-year licence with Market Investment Ltd, the company behind the Christchurch Night Market, to run a weekly night market in the Kaiapoi park and ride car … View moreBy David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter
Kaiapoi is set to have a weekend night market.
The Waimakariri District Council has approved a one-year licence with Market Investment Ltd, the company behind the Christchurch Night Market, to run a weekly night market in the Kaiapoi park and ride car park, next to New World.
Mayor Dan Gordon said the proposed night market was one of several exciting initiatives being developed in Kaiapoi, including a new music festival Kaiapoi Riversong held on Saturday (April 20).
‘‘The Kaiapoi Night Market will add another dimension to the fantastic dining and shopping experiences already on offer in the town.
‘‘There is such a vibrancy in Kaiapoi which has been contributed to by the New Zealand Motor Caravan Association Park operating in the regeneration land.
‘‘Having the night market will offer these visitors another great experience of the town.’’
Gordon said council staff have engaged with Kaiapoi hospitality and retail businesses and found no opposition to the night market proposal.
The Kaiapoi Night Market is subject to a resource consent, but is expected to start in the winter months.
While no date has been set for the market’s opening, it is expected to be held on either a Saturday or Sunday night.
The company anticipates a market with 50 stalls, including a mix of food and beverage providers and retail.
Council staff will review the market after six months to assess its impact on Kaiapoi’s existing hospitality businesses.
■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter
The wait continues for a promised North Canterbury after hours healthcare facility.
Work is yet to begin on the proposed new Rangiora Medical Centre at the Rangiora Health Hub on Ashley St, which was first proposed more than five years ago.
The … View moreBy David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter
The wait continues for a promised North Canterbury after hours healthcare facility.
Work is yet to begin on the proposed new Rangiora Medical Centre at the Rangiora Health Hub on Ashley St, which was first proposed more than five years ago.
The Waimakariri District Council granted a resource consent for the project in 2022, while the building consent is still being processed.
A council spokesperson said the application was on hold while some civil construction details are resolved by the applicants’ consultants.
‘‘We hope to be able to grant the consent in the very near future.’’
The Ministry of Health entered into an agreement with South Link Health Group in 2021 to build the after hours facility, following a petition being presented to the former Canterbury District Health Board (CDHB) two years earlier.
South Link Health Group is a network of 26 medical practises, and is responsible for funding and constructing the new facility.
It will include full radiology services (ultrasound, CT and MRI scans), GP services, a pharmacy, and urgent after hours healthcare.
A spokesperson for South Link Health said in December work was expected to begin on the site in March, with the medical centre on track to open in the first half of 2025.
In the meantime, limited after hours healthcare is available at Durham Health, Rangiora, and the Amberley Medical Centre, and at local pharmacies.
Residents can ring 111 in an emergency, contact their GP to speak to a triage nurse, call Healthline 0800 611116 for free advice from a nurse, or arrange online video consultations with a doctor (for a charge).
The after hours triage service is delivered by Whakarongarou and operates in North Canterbury, with access to a St John paramedic if a face to face assessment is required.
A rural after hours service, Ka Ora Telecare, offers phone or video consultations with a doctor. Go to kaora.co.nz/app/services/sub-services/3. The Pegasus 24 Hour Surgery in Christchurch is also available.
■ Public interest journalism funded through New Zealand on Air.
Winners of the $100 Farmers vouchers in this week's Neighbourly prize draw are:
Gustavo Silva from Auckland Central
Mary Halliday from Port Waikato
Emily Taylor from Rolleston
… View moreWinners of the $100 Farmers vouchers in this week's Neighbourly prize draw are:
Gustavo Silva from Auckland Central
Mary Halliday from Port Waikato
Emily Taylor from Rolleston
Neil Morrison from Invercargill
Get in touch with our Neighbourly Helpdesk team before the 30th of April to claim your prize by heading here.
Our lovely Dutch guests had a rooftop camper stolen off the top of their vehicle last night (Friday).
The car was parked on the corner of South Eyre/Browns Road with a for sale sign on. The awful person/people must have had tools available to unscrew and it was heavy.
Please contact me if you … View moreOur lovely Dutch guests had a rooftop camper stolen off the top of their vehicle last night (Friday).
The car was parked on the corner of South Eyre/Browns Road with a for sale sign on. The awful person/people must have had tools available to unscrew and it was heavy.
Please contact me if you saw anything.
Plant-based paints are made just like normal paint but everything in the tin comes from plants and minerals.
Plus they’re Eco Choice approved with low odour and easy water clean-up, so you can paint or stain your place with ease.
Available from Resene ColorShops.
Express yourself with this artistic dip-dye paint effect using Resene paints. Find out how to create your own with these easy step by step instructions.
Good sized plants. Looks like buxus when grown but grows at twice the speed. Tiny oval dark green leaves. Plant in full sun or semi shade. Ideal plant to shape into balls cones etc perfect for planting now $3.00 per plant
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