Ashburton Courier: October 28, 2021

COUNCILBRIEF
5BaringSquareWest, Ashburton |POBox 94, Ashburton, NewZealand 7740 | Telephone (03) 307 7700 | Website ashburtondc.govt.nz
Thursday,28October2021 | ISSUE 52
Walking week, Irish festival win tourism funds
A Methven and foothills walking
festival, an aviation and military
extravaganza and the South Island
Motor Home Show are among nine
events inMid Canterbury to secure
regionaltourismfunding.
Acollective $38,175 was allocated tothe
nine events, all of which will encourage
visitors to come and stayinthe Ashburton
district.
OthereventsincludedanIrish celebration
called the Opuke Gathering, two big
golf tournaments and a basketball
tournament.
Ashburton District Deputy Mayor Liz
McMillan is chairperson of the sevenmember
panel that decided the funding
applications.
“It wasgreat to see thatinthese uncertain
times people are looking ahead and still
planning positively for events that bring
people together, in asafeway.
“These eventswill all bring people to our
districtandourbusinesses canshareinthe
widereconomic windfall. Mid Canterbury
is definitely openfor business.”
TheMethvenandFoothillsWalkingFestival
isaproposedweek-longeventfeaturing10
walks in the Aprilschool holidays next year
and is modelledonthe town’s successful
walkingfestivals of the early 2000s.
The organiserssay an increase in walking
trails around Methven, andpeople looking
for alternative activities within New
Zealand, was added inspiration to reignite
the festival. It could grow over the
years toinclude walks around the rest of
the district.
The AshburtonAviation Museum received
funds to help stage its Militeria and
Aviation Extravaganzaon5and 6February
next year.
The museum is raising funds for a
new display hangar and hopes the
extravaganza will become a bi-annual
event thatwill encouragevisitorsfromall
overthe country.
Ashburton played a significant part
during World WarTwo in thetraining and
preparation of pilots for the RNZAF. That
aviation history will be on show, alongside
military displays.
Organisers say the event is not just
about planes and guns, but it willalso be
educational and informative.
The full listoftourism funding recipientsis:
South Island AG Summit, agricultural
conferenceinMethven on 27 and 28 May
2022.
Lions District 202J Convention, aLions
convention in Methven in April2022.
The Opuke Gathering, acelebration of
traditional Irish music and culture in
Methven on 8and 9April, 2022.
South Island Golf Tournament (Ashburton
RSA), achartered clubs mixed pairs golf
tournament at the Tinwald course on 4
and 5June 2022.
NZ Men'sInter Provincial Golf Tournament
(Ashburton Golf Club), being held 30
Novemberto4December.
South Island U13 Basketball
Championships, an event with teams
from all over the South Island at the EA
Methvenisplanningtobring back itspopular walking festival.
NetworksCentre.
South Island Motorhome Show, in
Ashburton 12 and 13 February.
Militariaand Aviation Extravaganza, at the
Ashburton Airport5and 6February.
Methven and Foothills Walking Festival,
April school holidays 2022.
The nine funding applications sought
about $60,000, but only $38,175 was
available.
The selection panel also included Jan
Cochrane (Sport Canterbury), Roger
Farr (Ashburton Trust Event Centre),
Bruce Moffat (Christchurch NZ), Simon
Worthington (Ashburton District Council),
Andrea Lee (Covid-19 Economic Advisory
Panel), Jen Parkes (Mid Canterbury
Tourism AdvisoryGroup).
NeilBrown -Mayor
Getting agrip on nitrates
A report to Council on the
economic impact of achieving
2.4mg nitrate in lowland streams
makes sobering reading: Dairy
farming and dairy support land
use will need to reduce by 50
per cent from current levels, the
district’sGDP will decline by $409
million and 1735jobswill be lost.
That’sifwedonothing. Ourfarming
community is already well on the
waytogoodmanagementpractices
thatreducenitratesleaching into
waterways or aquifers.Wejust
needscienceand time to gettothe
2.4mg target setbyGovernment
in itsNationalPolicyStatementon
Freshwater.
We were already on theway because
farmers were workingtoa6.9mgtarget
setbyEnvironment Canterbury afew
yearsago in itsregional plan. Ecanis
nowrewritingthatplan to take into
accountGovernment’snew 2.4mg rule.
The new2.4mg rule wasamong
blanket freshwatertargets setfor the
whole of the countryand farmersin
huge numbershavesaid thatwas
neveragood idea as different partsof
the country havedifferent issues.
Here in MidCanterbury, alegacyissue
with nitrate is the result of farming
practices of the past.Weknownow
thatirrigation actuallyhelps reduce
nitrate leaching compared to dryland
farming and fertiliser use need to be
carefully calaculated.
Government’s freshwaterconsultation
documentthatpreceded the NPShad
little in the wayofeconomic impact
analysis forMid Canterburysowe have
commissioned ourown reports.
We plantouse the 2.4mg report to
lobby Ecanfor time –wehavebeen
vaguelygiven “a generation”–for
farming to achievethe newtarget.
Thereisplentyofevidence to show
farming is alreadywalkingthe
talk to improve outcomesforthe
environment in our district.
Agricultureisasignificant contributor
to the Ashburton District’sGDP and
adecline in farm productivity and
financialperformancewould have
spinoffsfor the whole district.A
reductioninlivestock numbers and
lowervolumes of producewould
affectthe transport industry, irrigation
serviceindustryand businesses who
maintain vehicle andfarm equipment.
The regulations do notdefine a
timeframe by when theymustbemet
–ashorttimeframe will exacerbate
the negativeeffectswhile alonger
timeframewill enablebusinesses to
adjustand adopt newscienceand
technologytomeetthe regulations.
We see along-term viewwhere both
farming and the environmentare
winnersand we hope our reportwill
add to abody of information thatwill
engagepeople to change.
Maorinames
gifted for
newbuilding
Ashburton District Council has
accepted twoMaori names,gifted by
Arowhenua, forthe new libraryand
civicbuilding.
The library will be known asTePataka
okaTuhituhi and the civic centre asTe
WaharoaaHine Paaka.
Te Pataka o ka Tuhituhi means the
storehouse of written publications, while
Te Waharoa aHine Paaka derives from
an ancient matai tree that once stood at
Alford Forest. Known as Hine Paaka, the
tree was asignificant landmark toMaori
travellingthrough the district.
Ashburton Mayor Neil Brown said the
names celebrated tereo inaprominent
andobvious wayand linked to the history
andheritagethatmanawhenua had in the
district.
“Arowhenua have gifted two separate
namesonthe basis thatone namealone
could not capture all that the building
offered. We’re delighted to accept both
and will find asuitable place to display
them in the newbuilding.”
1 Thursday,28October 2021 |ISSUE 52
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