The Star: June 24, 2021

The Star Thursday June 24 2021
4
NEWS
• From page 1
“I think they’ve found a pretty
good balance,” said Greater
Hornby Residents’ Association
chairman Marc Duff.
He said 15 groups in
the area met to discuss
the implications of the
LTP when consultation
opened in March and
found some common
ground.
“One of the overriding
issues brought up at that
meeting was it’s really
important that we don’t
target zero rates, but a rate increase
than doesn’t burden future
generations.
“We could keep our rates down
really low but the cost of doing
that delays infrastructure and the
costs that come out of that will be
horrendous,” Duff said.
“Residents are always looking
for savings inside the council
chambers but at the same time
we’ve also got to address . . . we’ve
got roading issues and water
issues and we can’t fix those
without rate increases.”
The council identified
$18 million of savings
in running costs this financial
year and an extra
$27.3 million in 2021-22.
An estimated $268 million
of operational cost
saving had been factored
in over the decade, lower
than February’s assessment
of $329 million.
About $1.4 billion will
be devoted to transport
infrastructure, including
$241.2 million for cycleway
enhancements.
In a new development, residents
will be charged for excess
water use from July, although
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
Group divided on excess water charge
• From page 1
The Wellington region, including
Wairarapa and Kapiti Coast,
moved to alert level 2 yesterday
and will remain there until
11.59pm Sunday.
Up to 2500 people visited
Te Papa around the time a Sydney
tourist attended, the museum has
revealed. Te Papa is among 16
locations of interest released by
Marc Duff
health authorities yesterday.
The rest of the country remains
at alert level 1.
Hobbs believed the idea of
a quarantine-free transtasman
travel bubble was reasonable.
“We’ve still got to live,” he said.
“It was a good idea while it
lasted but there are things that
can go wrong.”
He believed the Government
penalties were not be issued for
the first year.
Ratepayers who use more
than 700-litres per day over a
three-month time frame will be
charged $1.35 for every 1000-litres
over the cap.
Duff said the group forum was
divided on the excess water charge.
Avonside Community Group
chairman Peter MacLauchlan
said rates increases were understandable.
“They city took a hell of a
hammering and unfortunately
someone’s got to pay to fix it,” he
said.
Halswell Residents Association
secretary David Hawke
was loathe to discuss the rates
increases.
“We’ve got people who couldn’t
care less about rates rises, others
do. It’s totally divisive so we leave
it alone,” he said.
was handling the situation well,
he said.
Testing centre service manager
Karyn Bainbridge said more
people than usual were taking the
test.
“We’ve probably done 150 today.
It would normally be 60-80.”
“It’s definitely busier.”
Director General of Health
Ashley Bloomfield said this case
Key features of the finalised
Long Term Plan include:
•$1.45 billion for transport
infrastructure, including
$931 million for roads and
footpaths and $242.8m million
for cycleways.
•$2.35 billion for upgrading
and protecting the Three
Waters (water, wastewater
and stormwater) network.
•A new excess water use
targeted rate for households
that use significantly more
water than average. This will
be $1.35 for every 1000 extra
litres used for those who use
more than an average of
700 litres a day over a threemonth
period.
•An extra $13.5 million for
climate change and environmental
initiatives.
•An average residential rate
rise of 4.65 per cent in the
2021-22 financial year, which
equates to an extra $2.54 a
Reminder to make use of Covid tracer app
was a reminder of the need to
use the Covid tracer app and
to have the Bluetooth function
turned on.
If people had been in the
Wellington region over the
weekend, they needed to take
the alert level restrictions with
them.
If someone had been in Wellington
over the weekend but was
week.
•The decision not to decommission
Wharenui Pool.
Funding after 2022 is not
guaranteed at this stage).
•A $5.5 million grant for the
Arts Centre , The decision
to keep the Riccarton bus
lounge
•A heritage targeted rate
that will be used to help
protect and preserve heritage
buildings, including the
Arts Centre and the Old
Municipal Chambers.
•Provision for the city council
to sell a number of properties
that it owns which are
surplus to requirements.
•The decision to retain library
services where opening
hour cuts were proposed,
including the mobile library,
Fendalton, Upper Riccarton,
South and Linwood libraries
and Te Hāpua: Halswell
Centre.
now in Christchurch, for example,
they should not go to big
gatherings, he said.
Contract tracers were tracking
down 58 passengers who were
on the Sydney flight the man
took.
The people on that flight were
close contacts and required to
isolate for 14 days and take a day
five and day 12 test.
Art Expo weekend - Saturday 26 & Sunday 27 June, 11am-3pm
Free Art Expo
Park Lane 2021
The first Park Lane Art Expo last year was a huge success,
so we’re doing it again. Come and see our permanent
works by Peter Geen of EarthSea Gallery, as well as a
selection from other New Zealand and international artists,
curated by Windsor Gallery. You can also watch resident
artists at work, enjoy a glass of bubbles and take a tour of
our new Living Well apartments.
Art Expo
Sat 26 & Sun 27 June, 11am-3pm
35 Whiteleigh Avenue, Christchurch.
Call Tara 021 489 784 or visit parklaneretirement.co.nz
An Arvida Living Well Community