Ashburton Courier: December 03, 2020
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www.ashburtoncourier.co.nz<br />
Citizens advice bureau opens<br />
The MidCanterbury Citizens<br />
Advice Bureau (CAB) is open<br />
for business after an official<br />
opening and celebration<br />
yesterday.<br />
TheCAB office is based at<br />
Community House Mid<br />
Canterbury and will provide<br />
advice on arange of issues such<br />
as debtmanagement and<br />
welfare benefits, housing,<br />
immigration and asylum,<br />
employment, consumer<br />
complaints and landlordtenant<br />
disputes.<br />
Theservice will be provided<br />
by trained volunteers and<br />
overseen by coordinator Sarah<br />
Clifford.<br />
Mrs Cliffordsaid theopening<br />
followed months of training and<br />
learning by apool of<br />
volunteers.<br />
Those volunteers were now<br />
readytolisten to people with<br />
their questions and would then<br />
research the issues to find<br />
relevantinformation.<br />
‘‘Our aim is to help people<br />
know their rights and empower<br />
them with the optionstotake<br />
the next step,’’ she said.<br />
Some 10 communityminded<br />
volunteers have beentrained to<br />
operate the new CAB office,<br />
which will be open from 10am<br />
until1pm Monday to Friday.<br />
Morevolunteers are<br />
expected to be trained next<br />
year and service operating<br />
hours could increase.<br />
Theopeningofthe new<br />
service was welcomed by<br />
Community House manager<br />
Mid Canterbury Citizens Advice Bureau coordinator Sarah Clifford (centre) with the first duty CAB<br />
volunteers Jeff Withington and Rosemary Moore.<br />
JohnDriscoll, who said the lack<br />
of aCAB in townhad been<br />
commentedonsome18years<br />
ago.<br />
He said it was an exciting<br />
time forCommunity House,for<br />
the communityhub and for<br />
<strong>Ashburton</strong>.<br />
TheMid CanterburyCAB has<br />
be supported with seedfunding<br />
from <strong>Ashburton</strong> District<br />
Council and and an updateof<br />
the community directory has<br />
received funding from COGS.<br />
The official opening was<br />
attended by <strong>Ashburton</strong>mayor<br />
Neil Brown,council staff,<br />
managementfrom CAB<br />
Canterburyand other invited<br />
guests.<br />
Mayor Brown and Citizens<br />
AdviceBureau chief executive<br />
KerryDalton cut acaketomark<br />
the opening.<br />
NEWS<br />
<strong>Ashburton</strong> <strong>Courier</strong>, <strong>December</strong> 3, <strong>2020</strong><br />
23<br />
Tahr cull<br />
completed<br />
DOC has completed its<br />
planned <strong>2020</strong> Himalayan<br />
tahr control operations<br />
within the tahr feral range,<br />
including the management<br />
unit area of South Rakaia <br />
upper Rangitata, that<br />
contains the Cloudy Peak<br />
Range and Two Thumb<br />
Range.<br />
Tahr programme lead,<br />
James Holborow says DOC<br />
hunters and contractors<br />
worked over four months in a<br />
range of alpine<br />
environments and<br />
challenging weather<br />
conditions.<br />
‘‘Between midJuly and<br />
early November, we aerially<br />
controlled 7481 tahr on<br />
public conservation land to<br />
protect alpine ecosystems<br />
from the impacts of high tahr<br />
densities.”<br />
Maps showing where tahr<br />
were controlled as part of<br />
the Tahr Control<br />
Operational Plan for <strong>2020</strong>/21<br />
have been uploaded to the<br />
DOC website.<br />
Sightings of identifiable<br />
males located outside of the<br />
national parks management<br />
unit have also been mapped<br />
to help hunters.<br />
“Hunters can head out on<br />
trips this summer on public<br />
conservation land<br />
throughout the feral range<br />
knowing DOC’s control work<br />
for the year is complete,”<br />
said Mr Holborow.
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