Nor'West News: February 09, 2023
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NEWS<br />
2 North Canterbury <strong>News</strong>, <strong>February</strong> 9, <strong>2023</strong><br />
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Mental health support available<br />
By DAVID HILL,<br />
Local Democracy Reporter<br />
Jack Loganhopes otheryoung people<br />
will get to benefit frommental health<br />
support as they transitioninto the<br />
workplace.<br />
Mr Logan has benefitted froman<br />
onlinecounselling initiative piloted<br />
by the Hurunui District Council’s<br />
Mayor’s Taskforcefor Jobs (MTFJ)<br />
programme.<br />
Known as Clearhead, the online<br />
platform has beenbeen designed to<br />
make it easier for young people to<br />
accesssupport.<br />
‘‘I have beengetting help with eating<br />
problems,soithas beengreat. Ihave<br />
benefitted alot,’’ he says.<br />
‘‘It has been awesome.<br />
‘‘It would be good to see it made<br />
available for more youngpeople<br />
because it has been really helpful’’.<br />
Mr Logan,who livesatLeithfield<br />
Beach,has been supported by the<br />
MTFJ on andoff for thelast three<br />
years.<br />
He said the costofcounselling could<br />
be daunting, while ‘‘amping yourself<br />
up’’ to drivetoappointments couldbe<br />
stressful.<br />
The Clearhead platform allowed<br />
young people to choose from a<br />
selection of counsellors to find the<br />
right fit.<br />
‘‘It is abit like eBayfor<br />
counsellors.’’<br />
As the sessions wereonline, ‘‘you<br />
can be in your own environment’’, he<br />
says.<br />
Mr Logan has picked up afew jobs<br />
through the taskforce, includingasix<br />
month spraying contractwith the<br />
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Jack Logan<br />
Department of Conservationand tree<br />
planting for aseason in the hills near<br />
Kaikōura.<br />
He hasbeen working at Elliotts<br />
Nursery in Amberley for the past year.<br />
He hasalso been asked to mentora<br />
groupofyoungsters starting out in the<br />
SouthIslandCommercial Limited. Licensed under the REAA 2008.<br />
taskforce.<br />
‘‘Wehave done some cool things.<br />
‘‘I got thrown into aroom with some<br />
young kids and we were asked to<br />
comeupwith alogo for theHurunui<br />
taskforcefor jobs, and we came up<br />
withareallycool logo.’’<br />
Hawarden employer Chen Moked<br />
has takenonsome youngsters<br />
through the taskforceand said it was<br />
goodtohave the back up.<br />
‘‘Itishard to get anyone longterm,<br />
so thisreallyhelpstofill the gaps.’’<br />
He says it was goodtohave the<br />
option of getting support for<br />
employees, through Clearhead,as<br />
business owners did not always have<br />
the tools to offerthat support.<br />
The Hurunui District Council has<br />
beenanearly adopter of the service.<br />
Mayor Marie Black says young<br />
people in ruralareas battling mental<br />
health issues ran into many<br />
challenges, includingremaining<br />
anonymous.<br />
‘‘Wait times, travel distance, the<br />
lackofchoice of counsellor.These<br />
are all things thateffect the chance<br />
of whether our young people reach<br />
out for help.<br />
‘‘That stigma around asking for<br />
helpisstillvery real in small town<br />
communities, so havingthe option to<br />
speak with aspecialist from a<br />
different region will be empowering<br />
for these kids.<br />
‘‘Everyone should have access to<br />
mental healthcare, no matterwhere<br />
theylive. It is acrucialpart in<br />
making sure fewer young peoplefall<br />
through the gaps.’’<br />
Public interest journalism is<br />
funded by New Zealand on Air.<br />
Growth catalyst for plan changes<br />
By DAVID HILL,<br />
Local Democracy Reporter<br />
The Hurunui district’srapid growth<br />
could see somechanges in this year’s<br />
annualplan.<br />
Arecord numberofconsents(197) for<br />
new houseswere issued last year,<br />
which has led to anumberofcapital<br />
projects being brought forward, chief<br />
executive Hamish Dobbie says.<br />
Council staff are busy preparingthe<br />
draft <strong>2023</strong>/24 annual plantopresent to<br />
councillors in the coming weeks.<br />
‘‘Our mission focus is the<br />
continuation of the (2021/31) Long Term<br />
Plan and keeping ratesrisesaffordable.<br />
‘‘We have pulledanumber capital<br />
projects forwardbecause of the growth,<br />
so it might be alowercapital<br />
programme than we signalled.’’<br />
The bulk of Hurunui’s growth has<br />
been in Amberley and HanmerSprings,<br />
but there has beengrowthacross the<br />
district, Mayor Marie Black says.<br />
Last year’s 2022/23annual plan saw a<br />
rates hike of 10.5 percent, as<br />
councillors optedtostick to its<br />
commitmentsinthe Long Term Plan<br />
(LTP).<br />
Aratesrise of just 4.99% had been<br />
signalled in the LTP, but rising<br />
inflation and the impact of Covid19<br />
took its toll.<br />
Capitalprojectsincluded three<br />
waters infrastructure, roading,<br />
footpaths and building new public<br />
toilets.<br />
Roadingisset to feature again, as the<br />
councilfacesthe challenge of<br />
upgrading roads to be fit for purpose for<br />
today’stransport network.<br />
Mr Dobbiesays the recent heavy rain<br />
had demonstrated the vulnerabilityof<br />
the district’s roads.<br />
The Lake Sumner Road suffered<br />
extensive damage.<br />
‘‘The road mightonly service two or<br />
three properties, but for those<br />
properties the needs are equal to any<br />
other road,’’ he says.<br />
Hurunui received a52% subsidy from<br />
WakaKotahi New Zealand Transport<br />
Agency, but it was mainly for<br />
maintenance.<br />
Emergency funding was also<br />
available for severe weatherevents.<br />
‘‘This is an ongoing problem. We are<br />
seeing climate change in action,’’ Mr<br />
Dobbie says.<br />
‘‘Weare built for 1in20 or 1in50<br />
yearevents,but we are seeing alot<br />
moreevents and often quite localised,<br />
so just fixing things all the timeisnot<br />
the way of the future.<br />
‘‘Sofuture fundingoflocal<br />
governmentissoimportant.Atthe end<br />
of the day we wantresilient networks<br />
and our communities want resilient<br />
networks.’’<br />
Publicinterest journalism is funded<br />
by New Zealand on Air.<br />
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