Bay Harbour: May 08, 2019

PAGE 14 Wednesday May 8 2019
BAY HARBOUR
Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
News
• By Louis Day
PEST FREE Banks Peninsula has
asked the city council for $60,000.
Chairman David Miller made
the request during his submission
on the draft Annual Plan last
week.
Dr Miller said the project
needed the support of the city
council to empower and educate
communities in eradicating pests
and meet their goal of a pest-free
peninsula by 2050.
“The fund may be used to
provide advice, training or to buy
traps and even assist volunteers in
running community groups.”
Dr Miller said they were hoping
to build on the work of the
Summit Road Society.
The society started the Predator-Free
Port Hills movement in
TARGETED:
Pest Free
Banks
Peninsula
is aiming to
eradicate
pests by
2050.
Bid for more funding
2016 with the aim of equipping
4000 households with traps.
It has provided more than 750
households with traps so far.
“We want to create that habitat
to bring back the native birds and
lizards and predator control is
a key part of that,” said society
secretary Marie Gray.
The society was set up in 1948
to further the vision of Harry Ell
to preserve and protect the landscape
of the Port Hills.
The society currently owns
Omahu Bush, Ohinetahi Reserve,
Gibraltar Rock and the Linda
Woods Reserve.
The Annual Plan will be finalised
by city councillors before the
start of the new financial year on
July 1.
Submissions on the plan have
closed.
Local
News
Now
Call for less cruise ships
• By Louis Day
“WE WANT to see an end to
Akaroa being used as a tourist
delivery depot.”
Those are the words of Akaroa
Ratepayers and Residents
Association president Harry
Stronach during his submission
on the city council’s draft Annual
Plan last week.
Mr Stronach called for a
reduction in
cruise ship
numbers in
coming
seasons.
“Somewhere
in this building,
there might be a
Harry
Stronach
department with
a door that says
sensible planning
department,
well if there is there is nobody at
home,” he said to city councillors.
“The main street of Akaroa,
Rue Lavaud, is not wide enough
for two way traffic you have to
weave around the parked cars
and some days there are over 40
tourist buses trying to use it as a
highway.”
A survey conducted by the
association in March found that
69 per cent of respondents felt the
number of cruise ships should be
limited, with the average
number proposed being 40 per
year – less than half of the 92
ships, which stopped in Akaroa
during the 2018-19 season.
Mr Stronach was concerned
about the cruise ship schedule for
the coming season.
“Look at the plan for the next
Christmas and New Year period,
over that time normally the town
is full anyway. What is scheduled
for this coming year is an
additional 27,000 passengers over
that period.”
Deputy Mayor and Banks
Fire rages, homes at risk
CROWDED: Ninety-two cruise ships and more than 198,000
passengers visited Akaroa over the course of last season.
Peninsula Ward city councillor
Andrew Turner told Bay Harbour
News the city council needed
to look at better management
strategies for future cruise ship
seasons.
“The community have had
problems when Akaroa is
absolutely full to the seams and
we know that the infrastructure
fails to cope when this happens,
whether that be with toilets or
roads,” he said.