The Star: October 08, 2020

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The Star Thursday October 8 2020 18 NEWS Failed bid for ‘shovel ready’ projects costs millions THE SELWYN district has missed out on millions of dollars in Government ‘shovel ready’ projects funding. The Selwyn District Council applied for a roading package which featured a range of pavement renewals that had been deferred, as well as an upgrade to 125km of road across the district’s network. Selwyn District Council spokesman Andrew Mazey was unsure why the proposal was rejected. Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones was a part of the decisionmaking process and said job creation was among a number of criteria the applications needed to meet. Mazey conceded the application to Crown Infrastructure Partners, which is managing the funding, did not include a specific number of jobs the roading package would create. “Our view at the time was that this project would stimulate the industry at a time of uncertainty, retaining certainty for existing contractor staff and adding new hires where necessary, but the exact number of new hires was not possible to calculate,” he said. A CHRISTCHURCH woman has been fined after Biosecurity New Zealand border staff discovered hundreds of seeds concealed in the lining of her suitcase. The seeds were discovered by staff trained to identify differences in luggage that are generally not visible but could pose a biosecurity risk. Chitra Paul, 31, smuggled 920 seeds and has pleaded guilty to one charge under the Biosecurity Act 1993. She was fined $2500. Ministry for Primary Industries regional manager compliance investigations Gerald Anderson said seeds need to be declared to manage biosecurity risk. “Concealing seeds or food and making a false declaration is a serious matter,” he said. “If you are unsure, then declare them and allow border officers to check them. “When it comes to biosecurity, it’s best to be on the safe side.” The offending occurred when Paul was returning from India to her home in Christchurch. When she returned, Paul went to the Ministry for Primary Industries Biosecurity Controlled Area at Christchurch Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz Woman fined $2500 for seeds RISK: Hundreds of seeds were found in a woman’s luggage at Christchurch International Airport. She was fined $2500 for making a false declaration. International Airport. She had ticked “no” on her declaration card for bringing seeds or plant products into New Zealand. When the seeds were discovered she said she thought the bean and spinach seeds belonged to her sister and that her sister was taking them to Italy. Bean seeds are prohibited unless they have been treated, or additional official declarations are supplied, before entry as they have the potential to harbour high risk biosecurity pests. Anderson said the seeds had no identification. “Illegally and accidentally introduced organisms can have major consequences for the natural environment and the primary production sector of the economy. “Recent biosecurity breaches have had huge impacts on New Zealand businesses, the wider economy and the natural environment. “Biosecurity NZ takes its role of protecting New Zealand from biosecurity threats very seriously. “Our country is fortunate to be free of many of the invasive pests and diseases found in other countries. “For this reason, passengers who fail to declare items that could bring pests and diseases into New Zealand will be investigated and where appropriate will be charged.” ADVERTISEMENT Detailed Monitoring of the Joints, Bones and Muscles for Physical Fitness Anyone who loves exercising and looking fit and toned will love the Marvel Health Screening. 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Thursday October 8 2020 The Star WATER QUALITY in most Christchurch waterways has remained steady but the majority are still ranked as ‘poor’, a new city council report shows. The council has published its annual Christchurch Surface Water Quality Report, an analysis of water quality data collected throughout last year. Council waterways ecologist Dr Belinda Margetts led the research, and says water quality in most Christchurch waterways is unchanged from previous years. “There were some improvements and some declines in water quality at certain sites, but overall the quality is much the same as we’ve seen previously,” said Margetts. But improving water quality is a slow process, she said, as Christchurch’s waterways suffer from a condition known as ‘urban stream syndrome’. “The main contaminants in our waterways are from waterfowl droppings, dog poo and stormwater run-off contaminated with metals from cars and roofs, and sediment. “The contaminants of most concern include nitrogen, phosphorus, Escherichia coli (an indicator of faecal contamination that can cause illness), and dissolved zinc and copper.” Waterways are monitored at 42 sites across the district, with more than 11,000 tests being conducted. Of the samples tested, 20 per cent did not meet quality guideline levels and 98 percent of sites did not meet guideline levels for at least one of the quality factors measured. After all the data had been analysed, each monitoring site was scored, with most being ‘poor’. None were ‘very good’ and none were ‘very poor’. “The catchment with the best overall water quality was the Ōtūkaikino River catchment and the worst was the Ōpawaho- Heathcote River catchment,” said Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz Waterways still rated ‘poor’ – report QUALITY: The Ōtūkaikino River, which runs through The Groynes. PHOTO: NEWSLINE Margetts. Of all the sites monitored, the site with the best score was in the Pūharakekenui-Styx River at Main North Rd. The site with the worst score was in Curletts Rd Stream, with the next lowest being in the Ōpawaho-Heathcote River at Tunnel Rd, Haytons Stream and the Ōpawaho-Heathcote River at Ferrymead Bridge. Margetts says the priority areas for improving water quality are the Haytons and Curletts Rd streams and middle tributaries of the Ōtākaro-Avon River catchment – Riccarton Main Drain, Addington Brook and Dudley Creek. The council also produces annual waterway report cards, which combine these water quality results with other ecological data. The overall score for the Ōtūkaikino River catchment was B (good) and the Pūharakekenui- Styx River catchment was C (fair). The Ōtākaro-Avon River, Huritini-Halswell River and Ōpawaho- Heathcote River catchments all scored D (poor). In spite of there being room for improvement, Margetts says the city’s waterways, especially the more rural waterways of Banks Peninsula, are home to many threatened species. Some of these species were gathered by Māori as mahinga kai (food), including wai kōura (freshwater crayfish), kākahi (freshwater mussels), tuna (longfin eel) and inanga (a whitebait species). “Christchurch waterways contain many spawning sites for inanga, pockets of kākahi in large numbers, and one of the few known spawning sites for kanakana (lamprey),” says Margetts. “The important thing is to make sure our waterways don’t decline further and that everything possible is done to protect and improve them so that these and other species can continue to thrive.” NEWS 19 Wastewater discharge views to be discussed OPTIONS ON how Akaroa’s wastewater should be discharged are being mulled over next week. The Akaroa Treated Wastewater Options Hearings Panel will start hearing oral submissions on Monday. The city council sought submissions on the project over four weeks in July and August. Four options for dealing with highly treated wastewater from Akaroa were presented for feedback – three where the treated wastewater would be used to irrigate new areas of native trees and one where it would be piped out into the mid-harbour through a new outfall. At the close of consultation 341 submissions had been received from individuals, organisations and businesses, with 83 asking to speak at the hearings. Submitters were asked five questions. The two most pertinent were whether they favoured highly treated wastewater being discharged to land or to the harbour, and then, if the mayor and councillors decide it should go to land, which of three locations would the submitter prefer – Inner Bays (Robinsons Bay, Takamātua and Hammond Point), Goughs Bay, or Pompeys Pillar.
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The Star: October 08, 2020

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