North Canterbury News: July 09, 2020

NEWS
12 North Canterbury News, July 9, 2020
Artistic endeavour ... Laura Hewetson, left, and Mel Eaton shared avision for an arts collective in North Canterbury.
Shared vision leads to arts collective
By SHELLEY TOPP
Two North Canterbury women
have established anew arts
collective.
It is the brainchild of
Waipara’s Laura Hewetson and
Mel Eaton, of Woodend.
The idea arose when Laura
and her family moved from
Wellington to North Canterbury
almost two years ago.
She put apost up on aNorth
Canterbury mums’ Facebook
group asking if anyone was
interested in running art classes
or having alittle art group.
Mel contacted her saying she
had wanted to do asimilar thing,
so they met for acoffee and
shared their vision and passion
for creative communities.
Mel had established asimilar
initiative in Qatar called
‘‘Inspiration Station’’ and, as an
experienced art teacher, she
had the know­how to create an
arts collective, while Laura’s
background as an artist working
at aperforming­arts centre in
Wellington provided complementary
skills for the initiative.
Since that first meeting, the
women have been sharing their
vision with other local creatives,
and the collective began to
slowly form.
Laura and Mel are in the
process of transforming NEST
into an incorporated society
with charitable status and
earlier this year the women
were given agrant through
Hurunui Creative Communities
to put on an event in Amberley
to ‘‘launch and introduce’’ the
collective to North Canterbury.
The Covid­19 pandemic
PHOTOS: SUPPLIED
lockdown ‘‘put the brakes on
that, but as soon as we hit level
one it was pedal to the metal’’.
The collective’s first
exhibition and workshop is
scheduled to begin this
Saturday, running until July 26
at 16 Markham Street,
Amberley, from 10am until 3pm.
‘‘We have been blown away by
the incredible artists in the
region who have joined with us
and are showcasing their work
and running workshops,’’ the
women say. About 20 artists are
involved in the event.
Dog fee
incentive
Being aresponsible dog
owner in the Hurunui
District will mean cheaper
registration for owners.
Registrations are due
with afinal payment date
of August 1.
Those whose dogs meet
certain criteria will find it
cheaper.
Dogs who have never
roamed, are microchipped
and whose owners have
always paid the
registration fee on time
qualify for areduced fee of
$33. The standard fee is
$47 ayear.
Records show about
1000 dog owners may meet
the Responsible Dog
Owner criteria.
Compliance team leader
Andrew Brown says the
category is in the best
interests of owners, their
dogs, and the district.
“People who meet all of
the responsible dog owner
criteria are not only acting
in the best interests of
dogs, but also generally
require less time and
resource from the
council.”
He says it backs up the
Department of Internal
Affairs’ message that
safety around dogs is a
combination of good law,
good enforcement,
compliance by dog owners
and community support.
YOUR MONTHLY UPDATE
Public Notices
This weekend is the last chance to apply for this year’s
Hurunui Heritage Fund and MainPower Hurunui Natural
Environment Fund which close on Monday 13 July.
We are calling for nominations from the public for worthy
recipients of aCommunity Service Award.
The West Ward By-Election 2020 closes on Friday 14
August 2020, at 12 noon. The by-election will be conducted
by postal vote using the First Past the Post voting electoral
system, under the provisions of the Local Electoral Act
2001 and Local Electoral Regulations 2019.
A Word From
Roading
Winter is here, watch out for
ice. We have approximately
300 more signs out than we
have traditionally had,
warning people of areas
known to get icy. However,
ice can appear anywhere,
especially in shaded areas
and over waterways.
A Cuppa with the
Mayor
Mayor Marie Black visits each small
town for acuppa and acatch up
when possible and all are welcome!
There are two Community Cuppa's
scheduled this month and they will
also feature council staff and a
representative from Connect
Hurunui.
Monday 20 July at Culverden Fire
Station. 10am –11.30am
Wednesday 29 July at Waikari Hall.
10am –11.30am
Open Consultations
The Hanmer Springs Design
Standards have guided all new
development in Hanmer Springs
since 1989, and these are now up for
review. We would like to know what
you think about the future design
standards for the town. Please
contact Nicola Kirby on 03 314 0058,
or email your submissions to
nicola.kirby@hurunui.govt.nz
Recycling Updates
There have been changes to plastic
recycling and we can now only accept
plastic types 1, 2and 5. Check the
bottom of the container for the number.
Hurunui has not had any containers of
recycling rejected. In May our
contamination was alow 1.15% .Thank
you to our amazing residents!
Our team will be carrying out audits at
the kerbside in the coming weeks.
Customer Focus
Did you know that you can register your dog at
your local service centre/library? We have
service centres/libraries in Cheviot, Hanmer
Springs, Culverden and Amberley –and you can
register your dog at any of these!
03 3148816