Ashburton Courier: September 23, 2021

NEWS
6 Ashburton Courier, September 23, 2021
www.ashburtoncourier.co.nz
Catch up with
auditor-general
Ashburton District mayor Neil
Brown and district councillors
caught up with auditorgeneral
John Ryan last week
via Zoom and shared some
concerns andgripes with him.
Mr Ryan’srole was to help
Parliament ensure public
entities were effective,
efficient, andaccountable. It
was an independent,non­bias
role.
Among the concerns Mr
Brown said council was
currently asking for
community feedbackonthe
Three Waters reform and was
at the informationgathering
stage. No decisionhad been
made yet on whether to opt­in
or out.
Covid vaccine roll­out
numbersinthe district were
among thelowestinthe
country andvery
disappointing, he said.
Thebooking system was
clumsy, hard to work and
wasn’t improving.
Mr Brown told the auditorgeneral
that any assistance
withanew bridge would also
behelpful.
Another area of inquiry for
his officecouldbethe amount
of money given to maintain
localroads.
Mr Brown said current
funding wasn’t enoughand
roadshere were going
backwards.Roading issues
Mayor Neil Brown speaking to
the auditor­general via Zoom.
were Canterbury­wideand
assistance at ahigher level
was welcome.
Mr Ryan said roading was
an areahecould lookatand a
report had been done last year
by his office on state
highways.
There were issues with local
roading, achangetothe
standard of statehighways
andthe land transport fund
had somefunding challenges,
he said. Everycouncil has a
similartotell aboutroading
maintenance andco­funding,
he said.
Angus Laing in his greenhouse with the sunflower seedlings he’s growing to sell.
Sunflower seedlingssown
Five­year­oldAngus Laing is
back selling sunflower
seedlings and keen to make a
dollarortwo forhimself and
alsofor St John.
The Allenton School pupil
has been growing seedlings
from seeds he gathered from
lastyear’s sunflower crop and
othersgiven to him by his
aunty.
The seedlings are grown in a
greenhouse andhewatered
them daily.
Once big enoughthey are
transplantedinto pots.
Angus’former preschool,
Phoenix,issupplying yoghurt
containers as the pots.
Theseedlings are being sold
at $1 each.
Last year Angus also sold
lemons from hisgarden and
this year is cultivating garlic.
Astand has been setup
outside of his house on Allison
Street,Allenton andthe
seedlings will be sold over the
next fewweeks.
Aseparate bucketwill allow
people to make adonation to St
John if they wish.
Angus checks his stand
regularly and replenishesany
stocksold.
As well as supporting a
worthycause, the selling
venture will alsohelp fund
somenew toys for the budding
entrepreneur.
Aremote control boat is at
the top of hiswish list.
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