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2 <strong>Ashburton</strong><br />
NEWS<br />
<strong>Courier</strong>, <strong>December</strong> 7, <strong>2023</strong><br />
www.ashburtoncourier.co.nz<br />
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2605355<br />
Rakaia Health, Photo and Post will close <strong>December</strong> 22.<br />
‘‘Nail in coffin’’ for Rakaia<br />
SUSAN.SANDYS<br />
@ashburtoncourier.co.nz<br />
Rakaiaresidents are fighting to<br />
retaintheir town’s sole<br />
pharmacy and post shop services.<br />
Rakaia Health, Photo and Post<br />
will close <strong>December</strong> 22.<br />
Rakaia Community Association<br />
chairman NeilPluck said he was<br />
in discussionswith two<br />
<strong>Ashburton</strong> pharmacies, in the<br />
hope they would consider adepot<br />
in the town to which they could<br />
deliver prescription medications<br />
two to three times per week.<br />
‘‘We are wanting to avoid<br />
people having to travel to<br />
Rolleston and <strong>Ashburton</strong>,’’ Pluck<br />
said.<br />
Rakaia Health, Photo and Post<br />
is operated by Leeston<br />
Pharmacy. Spokesperson Lynne<br />
Stevens said in anotice on the<br />
shop’s door the business was<br />
closing after having had to face<br />
‘‘adverse financial factors’’ for<br />
some time.<br />
‘‘Other options have been<br />
explored but are not viable due<br />
to legislative and safety<br />
requirements,’’ she said.<br />
Government decisions over the<br />
years had impacted the viability,<br />
including the Ministry of Health<br />
in 2010 removing the ability for<br />
depots such as Rakaia to sell<br />
cough andcold medicines, and in<br />
2008 removingarural subsidy.<br />
Pluck said in addition to losing<br />
the pharmacy, the town was<br />
losing about 50POboxes based at<br />
the pharmacy. With the business<br />
closing, NZ Post would lose<br />
access to deliver mail to the PO<br />
boxes from within the shop.<br />
Amemo arrived informing PO<br />
box holders last month their<br />
boxes would be moving to the<br />
Flying fox returns<br />
TONI.WILLIAMS<br />
@ashburtoncourier.co.nz<br />
Members of the public, still<br />
bemoaningthe surprise loss of the<br />
<strong>Ashburton</strong> Domain’s muchloved<br />
flyingfox in 2020, are ready for<br />
the openingofits new<br />
replacement.<br />
Two new 50m long flyingfoxes,<br />
running sidebyside, onthe<br />
eastern side of the walkway<br />
between the central car park and<br />
Walnut Ave will be officially<br />
opened today.<br />
The project suffered delays,<br />
originally planned to reopen<br />
months ago.<br />
Despite this, the removal and<br />
construction project will come in<br />
on budget $108,374.<br />
District council group manager<br />
infrastructure andopen spaces<br />
NeilMcCann said the former<br />
flyingfox did not meet modern<br />
health and safety standards for<br />
playgrounds.<br />
The replacements had dual<br />
carriages running 50m.<br />
‘‘The gantries are built ofsteel<br />
and cemented into the ground,<br />
and it has steel ropes on the<br />
carriageway. It is designed for<br />
people weighingupto130kg and<br />
has an artificial grass ramp, so<br />
that surface will be more durable<br />
when children are dragging the<br />
Neil Pluck.<br />
<strong>Ashburton</strong> box lobby.<br />
‘‘We want to at least chat to<br />
them to see if they have<br />
considered it,’’ Pluck said.<br />
‘‘It’s just another nail in the<br />
coffin of small town New Zealand<br />
in away.’’<br />
NEW: The twoflying foxes at the <strong>Ashburton</strong> Domain set to be officially<br />
opened today.<br />
seats back to the top.<br />
‘‘Unfortunately, there have<br />
been afew delays on this project,<br />
which is disappointing for us and<br />
the community, but we were in<br />
regular communication with the<br />
installer to understand what was<br />
holding things up,’’ McCann said.<br />
Wet groundconditions, and<br />
miscalculationswere among the<br />
issues.<br />
McCannsaid artificial grass had<br />
been laid on the ramp, but had to<br />
be rolled aside for some work on<br />
the ramp underneath, then it<br />
was relaid.<br />
‘‘The installer miscalculated<br />
the distance between the<br />
gantries which meant the ramp<br />
had to be recontoured to be able<br />
to meet certification criteria.’’<br />
He said open spaces staff had<br />
been making sure plantings on<br />
the side of the ramp were<br />
established. They had learned<br />
about the internal workings of<br />
the new flying fox for any future<br />
maintenance needs.
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