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555 days ago

Landfill hearings dates announced

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from Northern Outlook

By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter

A date has been set for resource consent hearings into a proposed quarry and landfill near Oxford.

Environment Canterbury (ECan) and the Waimakariri District Council will hold joint hearings over two weeks from May 16 at Oxford and Rangiora to consider consent applications from Woodstock Quarries Ltd.

The company has lodged five consent applications with ECan and a land use consent with the Waimakariri District Council to expand an existing hard rock quarry and to develop a landfill at 513 Trig Rd, View Hill, northwest of Oxford.

The landfill would be for the disposal of construction and demolition waste, contaminated soils and special wastes.

The two councils issued a joint notification last year and it soon gained attention on social media.

About 400 submissions were received in response to the resource consent applications.

The hearing will be held before a panel of independent commissioners, and will include evidence and viewpoints presented by the applicant, submitters, and reporting officers.

Hearings will be held in the A&P Room at the Oxford Town Hall from Tuesday to Friday, May 16 to 19, from 9.30am each day.

It will then move to Rossburn Receptions on Sparks Road, Rangiora, from Monday to Tuesday, May 22 to 23, with Wednesday, May 24, as a reserve day.

Once the hearings are completed, the commissioners will have 15 working days to make and announce their decision.

More messages from your neighbours
5 days ago

Poll: Should drivers retake the theory test every 10 years?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

Drivers get where they need to go, but sometimes it seems that we are all abiding by different road rules (for example, the varying ways drivers indicate around a roundabout).
Do you think drivers should be required to take a quick driving theory test every 10 years?

Vote in the poll and share any road rules that you've seen bent! 😱

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Should drivers retake the theory test every 10 years?
  • 48% Yes
    48% Complete
  • 50.1% No
    50.1% Complete
  • 1.9% Other - I'll share below
    1.9% Complete
3290 votes
3 days ago

Here's Thursday's thinker!

Riddler from The Neighbourly Riddler

I am lighter than air, but a hundred people cannot lift me. What am I?

Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.

Want to stop seeing riddles in your newsfeed?
Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.

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4 days ago

Hero

The Team from Humans of Christchurch Ōtautahi

“I was born and raised in war. To be honest, those are not good memories.

I really like Iran, and I really miss it, but I couldn’t be myself there. Even though my family didn’t like my decision, I left Iran. I promised myself that I would do whatever I can for all communities, especially for the kids, so they do not have the same experience I had.

I studied software engineering in Iran and left in 2006. I went to Malaysia and stayed in Kuala Lumpur for seven years. I was admitted to Lincoln University to do my PhD here, but unfortunately, I couldn’t afford the expenses. I requested a scholarship, but they told me I had to be there for six months first. So, I stayed in Malaysia and did my PhD in network security. In December 2013, I came to New Zealand with a work visa.

It took me a while to connect with the Iranian community here. I volunteered with the Multicultural Council, SPCA, and community patrol, and I established the Christchurch Iranian Society in 2017. Before that, I started working on Radio Toranj, the only Farsi-language radio show in New Zealand.

One of the reasons I started organizing cultural events was to showcase Iranian culture. I wanted to show people that we have delicious food, colorful dresses, traditional customs, and our own instruments. My hope was to show people that we are not what you see in the media.

I am working to involve all the communities that celebrate Nowruz, the Persian New Year, in the Nowruz festival in March 2025. We want to share this celebration not only with our community but with the public as well. It’s better when it’s shared.

I remember the first time someone from Dunedin called me and asked, Hero, can you help? Something happened, and they keep declining Iranian visa applications. When I heard that, I felt insulted. We are still human, so how can they do that?

Through this journey, I’ve learned a lot. Every single day, people with different cases call me, and I try to share my knowledge and guide them as much as I can.

I have received several awards, including the Christchurch Civic Award and an Award of Recognition for my contributions to the community during the pandemic. In 2021, I established Canterbury Kia Ora Academy, a charitable trust. Through this charity, I can help other communities as well, not just the Iranian community.”

- Hero

View more stories, or nominate someone: @humansofchch
www.humansofchch.org......

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