Ashburton Courier: March 31, 2022

COUNCILBRIEF
ASHBURTONDC.GOVT.NZ/NEWS
5BaringSquareWest, Ashburton |POBox 94, Ashburton, NewZealand 7740 | Telephone (03) 307 7700 | Website ashburtondc.govt.nz
Thursday,31March 2022 | ISSUE 72
Haveyoursay on our draft Annual Plan
AshburtonDistrictCouncil will begin
consultation on its Annual Plan
2022-23 with an online meeting
next week, followed byface-to-face
meetings in Ashburton, Methven
and Rakaia.
Mayor Neil Brown, Chief Executive Hamish
Riachand senior staff will be present and
able to answerquestions aboutabudget
that details $70.6 million spending on
day-to-day running costs and projects to
improve services and facilities.
MayorBrownsaidhighinflation,whichwas
out of Council’s control, had contributed
to an overall 9.4 per cent rate rise, but
rates bills would vary because of recent
revaluations.
“We’velookedcloselyatCounciloperations
and trimmed budgets wherever possible
to help keep rates manageable,” he said.
“We’re also proposing to defersome large
projects, like a new entranceway into
the Ashburton Domain, to help keep our
general spending down.
“Some projects can’t bedelayed though
and we need tocontinue upgrading our
water supplies tomeet stricter national
drinking waterstandards.”
Mayor Brown said consultation with the
community would allowresidentstohave
their say on the draft budget, and if they
wanted to see services further reduced to
help ease ratesrises theyhad to letCouncil
know.
Council also wants toknow ifresidents
support using money from forestry
NeilBrown, Mayor
High-tech screen keepsfish in stream
I’mlooking forwardtoafieldtrip
on Mondaywhen Councillors will
gettosee one of the largest and
most complexfishscreensinthe
southernhemisphere. And it is
in our patch, on the side of the
Rangitata RiveratKlondyke.
Waterfromthe river is drawn
under consent intothe Rangitata
Diversion Race,which distributes it
forhydrogeneration, irrigation and
stockwateruse around the Ashburton
District. Thatwaterhelps ensureour
farmers haveabuffer againstdrought
and canreliably deliver theircrops to
market, in NewZealandand aroundthe
world.
The newfish screen looksabit like
abullettrain. It has sevenseparate
cylinderscoveredwith fine mesh and
theyrotate to keep young salmon, trout
and nativefish in the riverand out of
the diversion race.The screenisalso
an essential part of the consenttotake
water, which is vitalfor oureconomy as
well as the ecosystemofthe Rangitata
River.
reserves toaccelerate the major repairs
roading programme.
The submission period will run until Friday
6May.
There will be an online virtual feedback
meeting on Thursday 7April which will
start at 7pm and people can watch on
Council’sFacebook or YouTubechannels,
or via the itsourplace.nz website.
Therewill be ashortpresentation followed
by atime for questions, which can be
submitted during the meeting. People
who can’tjoin livewill be able to watchthe
recording afterwardsatatime convenient
Council has ashareinthe company that
manages the race andthe fishscreen
is beingshown to awide rangeof
stakeholdersand interestedparties this
week and next,culminating in apublic
open day on Sunday10April.
Iencourageyou to take alook,as
this fish screen may possibly lead
theway forother fishscreens around
NewZealand andwhileitwasmade
in Australia,ithas been puttogether
onsitebyanAshburton company,Grant
Hood Contracting.
TheRDR wasbuilt80years ago
in Depression times to stimulate
agricultureand remarkably it remains
an important pieceofplumbingfor our
districtaswemove to afuturewhere
climate changeand protectingthe
environment have abig focus.
Acompletely different eraweare
hoping to see the back of soonis
theCovid-19 pandemic. While case
numbersare dropping and restrictions
areeasing, the virusisheretostayand
will hopefully evolveovertime into
nothing moreserious thanacold for
forthem.
People will also be able to ask questions
and share thoughts with councillors
and staff atcommunity meetings at the
Ashburton Event Centre onMonday 11
April at 7pm;atthe Mt HuttMemorial Hall
on Tuesday 12 April at7pm; and atthe
Rakaia Bowling Club on Wednesday 13
April at 7pm.
The consultation document and full draft
AnnualPlanwillbeavailableatitsourplace.
nz from 7April. Peoplecan engageonline,
or request aconsultation document and
submission form from the Counciloffice.
mostpeople.
Thankyou to everyone forplaying their
part in the past twoyears,for working
theiressential jobs, forstayinghome
when asked,for masking up,and
getting vaccinated and boosted–this
has helped our widercommunity.
We areseeing amove to more normal
timeswith the end of vaccine passes
and compulsoryQRcode scanning. But
don’t delete the app from your phone
…these areearly days yetand Nature
often has atrickortwoupher sleeve.
My Vaccine
Passes to be
removedat
facilities
Ashburton District Council will
remove My Vaccine Pass entry
requirements from seven facilities,
including the EA Networks Centre
and Ashburton Public Library, from
11.59pm on Monday4April.
The move is in line with Government
changes to the Covid-19 protection framework
removingthe requirement forsome
businesses to operate withvaccine passes.
At an Extraordinary meeting onTuesday,
Councillorsalsodelegatedfuturedecisions
regardingtheoperationofCouncilfacilities
in covid orangeand green settings to Chief
ExecutiveHamish Riach.
The removalofvaccinepasses alsoapplies
to Council’s administration building and
chambers, the Ashburton Art Gallery and
Heritage Centre, MtHutt Memorial Hall
andtheAshburtonHolidayParkat Tinwald
whentheyopenfor business on Tuesday 5
April.
The introduction of My Vaccine Pass
requirements last year meant everyone
who worked in or visited Councilfacilities
had to be vaccinated.
Mayor Neil Brown said there had been
someinitial angst aboutthe useofvaccine
passes to visit council facilities, but the
decision wasaccepted by the community
on the whole.
“Ashburton District ishighly vaccinated,
with98per cent of residentsaged12and
over double vaxxed and 74per cent of
those 18 and overboosted.”
He said that in the current Omicron
outbreak, 9.5 per cent ofthe district had
tested positive, with around twoper cent
of the population an activecase.
“Council’s own workforce reflected that
percentage, with 10 per cent of staff
affected.
"Going forward, wearing masks in indoor
public settings is still required and we
should stayhome if sick.”
The Mayor saiddelegatingauthoritytothe
Chief Executive about operations under
orange and green covid settings gave
Councilthe ability to reactquicklytofuture
changes to the protection framework and
newstrains of the virus.
“AsaCouncil we have worked very hard
to follow Government advice during the
pandemic and reviewing our policies is
part of the road toanew normal,” the
Mayor added.
Chief ExecutiveHamish RiachsaidCouncil
staff would soon be consulted about
whether or nottheysaw the health benefit
of continuing to be aworkforce which is
fullyvaccinatedagainstCovid-19.
1 Thursday,31March 2022 |ISSUE 72
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