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30 days ago

Calls for regional council to address Kaiapoi River issues

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from The Press

By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter

Waimakariri’s deputy mayor has called on the Canterbury regional council to stop ‘‘side-stepping’’ issues with the Kaiapoi River.

Neville Atkinson has called on Environment Canterbury (ECan) to step up and investigate the causes of pollution levels in the Kaiapoi and Ruataniwha Cam rivers.

Atkinson was addressing community concerns at a Kaiapoi-Tuahiwi Community Board meeting on Monday evening.

Local residents formed a new catchment group last month, following concerns about the degradation on their local rivers, which they blamed on the use of herbicides.

ECan has acknowledged issues with macrophyte (weedbed) dieback and freshwater mussel (kākāhi) deaths, but said it was primarily due to saltwater incursions and also heavy frosts.

But Atkinson rejected ECan’s explanation.

‘‘As is evident, this has been going on for years. It is very evident there is a problem and whether it is a natural problem or a man-made problem, I don’t know. But I want to know what it is.

‘‘We owe it to our community to help ECan to come up with some answers, but ECan needs to stop side-stepping.’’

Atkinson said residents may not like the outcome, but it was important to get some answers.

Councillor Philip Redmond said the issue was complex.

‘‘If there was a simple fix, it would have been fixed a long time ago. It is going to be a long process.’’

Waimakariri District Council water environment adviser Sophie Allen said saltwater could come from other sources, but it was most likely from the sea.

Community members raised similar concerns following the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes.

A 2018 report by ECan principal scientist Adrian Meredith (pictured) concluded there were multiple causes, but found ‘‘increasing episodes of saline water intrusion flowing into the lower Kaiapoi River’’.

The river was historically the north branch of the Waimakariri River and environmental changes following the earthquakes both contributed to the high levels of saltwater intrusion.

Drought conditions and changing farming practices were also factors, the 2018 report found.

The community board asked council staff to work assist ECan to investigate the causes of saltwater incursions, including tides, river flows and salinity data and to monitor water quality and aquatic ecology trends.

Kaiapoi is known as the river town, with the river being a popular spot for boaties and whitebaiters.

■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.

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Live Q&A: Garden maintenance with Crewcut

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

This Wednesday, we're having another Neighbourly Q&A session. This time with John Bracewell from Crewcut.

John Bracewell, former Black Caps coach turned Franchisee Development Manager and currently the face of Crewcut’s #Movember campaign, knows a thing or two about keeping the grass looking sharp—whether it’s on a cricket pitch or in your backyard!

As a seasoned Crewcut franchisee, John is excited to answer your lawn and gardening questions. After years of perfecting the greens on the field, he's ready to share tips on how to knock your garden out of the park. Let's just say he’s as passionate about lush lawns as he is about a good game of cricket!

John is happy to answer questions about lawn mowing, tree/hedge trimming, tidying your garden, ride on mowing, you name it! He'll be online on Wednesday, 27th of November to answer them all.

Share your question below now ⬇️

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6 days ago

Poll: When should the tree go up? 🎄

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

From what we've heard, some Christmas trees are already being assembled and decorated.

What are your thoughts on the best time to get your Christmas tree up?

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When should the tree go up? 🎄
  • 4.7% Second half of November
    4.7% Complete
  • 43.6% 1st December
    43.6% Complete
  • 17.4% A week before Christmas
    17.4% Complete
  • 33.2% Whenever you wish
    33.2% Complete
  • 1.1% Other - I'll share below
    1.1% Complete
2322 votes
5 days ago

What's your favourite tomato recipe?

Mei Leng Wong Reporter from NZ Gardener & Get Growing

Kia ora neighbours. We know your tomato plants are still growing, but we're looking ahead to the harvest already! If you've got a family recipe for tomatoes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine to share with our readers. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our February 2025 issue.

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