Bay Harbour: March 13, 2019
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
Wednesday <strong>March</strong> <strong>13</strong> <strong>2019</strong><br />
Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi<br />
BAY HARBOUR<br />
PAGE 5<br />
Local<br />
News<br />
Now<br />
Fire rages, homes at risk<br />
Outrage after rocket launch causes fire<br />
• By Louis Day<br />
A ROCKET launch by<br />
Canterbury University which<br />
caused a fire on Kaitorete<br />
Spit has left nearby residents<br />
outraged.<br />
Little River Wairewa<br />
Community Trust chairman<br />
Robert Burch labelled the rocket<br />
launch a “silly thing to do.”<br />
“Why are they launching a<br />
rocket when we have a total fire<br />
ban?” he said.<br />
Canterbury University group,<br />
UC Aerospace, was attempting<br />
to become the first student group<br />
in the world to launch a rocket<br />
into space last Sunday morning.<br />
The university said the attempt<br />
was not successful but is saying<br />
little more about the project.<br />
“This is a story that hasn’t<br />
been in the media because they<br />
didn’t get out of the earth’s<br />
atmosphere,” a spokeswoman<br />
said.<br />
But <strong>Bay</strong> <strong>Harbour</strong> News<br />
inquiries reveal the rocket was<br />
launched from Kaitorete Spit,<br />
which protects Lake Ellesmere<br />
from the sea, about 10am.<br />
The rocket, which was planned<br />
to crash back into the sea,<br />
landed in a paddock, causing a<br />
fire which destroyed vegetation,<br />
Little River Volunteer Fire<br />
Brigade acting station officer<br />
Matt Ledgerwood said.<br />
When firefighters arrived,<br />
students involved with the<br />
project had put the fire out.<br />
“With a bit of bad luck, it could<br />
have been a lot worse. Luckily<br />
the grass was quite short and<br />
there was no wind,” he said.<br />
Sue Morrow, who lives at<br />
nearby Birdlings Flat, rushed<br />
towards the fire after being<br />
alerted of smoke coming from<br />
Kaitorete Spit on the Birdlings<br />
Flat Community Residents<br />
Facebook Page.<br />
“It’s bloody stupid doing that<br />
at this time of year when it is<br />
tinder dry,” she said.<br />
The fire had been put out by<br />
the time she got there.<br />
Fire and Emergency NZ<br />
deputy principal rural fire officer<br />
Al Hutt shared the concerns of<br />
nearby residents.<br />
“This has not been handled<br />
particularly well by the<br />
university. My view is that the<br />
timing was probably wrong,<br />
middle of winter and it would<br />
not have been a problem,” he<br />
said.<br />
The university spokeswoman<br />
said the group had all the<br />
appropriate permissions from<br />
various agencies, including the<br />
Civil Aviation Authority and NZ<br />
Space Agency, as well as various<br />
controls in place to prevent harm<br />
in a range of eventualities.<br />
Kaitorete Spit is home to<br />
several rare insects, reptiles<br />
and birds and is of significant<br />
cultural value to Ngāi Tahu<br />
due to the more than 500<br />
archaeological sites found there.<br />
The Canterbury University<br />
launch was part of the<br />
international race to become the<br />
first university group to blast<br />
a rocket beyond the Karman<br />
line. The line is 100km above<br />
the earth’s surface and is widely<br />
recognised as the boundary to<br />
outer space.<br />
RISKY: A rocket launch by<br />
a group from Canterbury<br />
University, which caused a<br />
fire at the tinder dry Kaitorete<br />
Spit, has outraged nearby<br />
residents.<br />
The University of Southern<br />
California’s rocket propulsion<br />
laboratory set the highest<br />
altitude reached by a university<br />
group in <strong>March</strong> 2017 with 44km.<br />
Sarah Piggott,<br />
Tall Poppy Christchurch<br />
Local agent, local expertise<br />
Fairer flat fees for full service<br />
Free no obligation market appraisal<br />
The same exceptional service you deserve<br />
Give me a call and find out about the Tall Poppy way!<br />
Sarah Piggott Tall Poppy, Christchurch<br />
M 021 060 3547 | E sarah.piggott@tallpoppy.co.nz | W tallpoppy.co.nz/sarah-piggott<br />
BULSARA T/A TALL POPPY LICENSED UNDER REAA 2008<br />
Environment Canterbury<br />
ANNUAL PLAN <strong>2019</strong>-20<br />
E19/7226<br />
Environment Canterbury is considering its <strong>2019</strong>-20<br />
Annual Plan.<br />
While the plan largely aligns with the most recent<br />
Long-Term Plan, small changes to our fees and charges<br />
policy and our revenue and financing policy are being<br />
considered. Increased funding of public transport to<br />
match funding from NZTA and increased funding in water<br />
management, pest control and biodiversity are also being<br />
considered, as well as a reduction in air quality funding.<br />
These will impact on some ratepayers, depending on<br />
their location, when the <strong>2019</strong>-20 Regional Council<br />
rate is confirmed.<br />
To find out how these changes affect you, and to provide<br />
feedback, visit haveyoursay.ecan.govt.nz/annualplan<br />
Facilitating sustainable development<br />
in the Canterbury region<br />
www.ecan.govt.nz