North Canterbury News: December 14, 2023

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6 The OPINION North Canterbury News, December 14, 2023 Around the electorate with STUART SMITH MP FOR KAIKOURA Nationaldelivering to get NZ back on track The last few years have been incredibly tough for many New Zealanderswith patience wearing thin waiting on afinal election result, and then, acoalition agreement. But, that time has been well spent on an ambitious plan for our first 100 days in Office, and starting to improve New Zealanders lives. While it is ambitious to deliver 49 actions in 100 days, we have had to hit the ground running and repealingThree Waters, stopping work on Auckland Light Rail, and withdrawingtaxpayer funding from Lets Get Wellington Movingare our top priorities. Because we believe that healthcare should be based on need, not race, we will introduce legislation to disestablish the Māori Health Authority. We have already started work to unravel Labour’s Polytechnic megamerger blunder, Te Pūkenga, which has been adisaster for New Zealand's vocational sector. Educational performance will be lifted by ensuring primary and intermediate schools acrossthe board, from the start of 2024, are consistently teaching an hour each day of maths, reading and writing, and banning mobile phoneuse in class —something that should never have been allowed in the first place. All of the above, and more, is in our 100dayplan, but it is the explosion in crime that is the most concerning. We all have the right to feel safe on our streets and in our homes, yet many communities across New Zealand live in an environment of fear and intimidation becauseofgang activities. This is not acceptable. We are going to crack downonthose gangs by banning their insignia from being worn in public and ensuring that gang membership is an aggravating factor during sentencing. Relief will come to our farming community, who, in recent years, have been made to feel they werepublic enemy number one. We recognise and value our farmers for what they are: that is, stewards of their land, striving to protect the land for future generations. It is an enormous responsibility and one they do not take lightly. New Zealand has some of the best farmers in the world, whose farming practicesare among the most efficient and innovative in the world, and developed here in New Zealand, by farmers. Ihave been humbled by the support shown by our rural communities for the new government, and, even more so, by their senseofrelief. For all that, there are detractorsout therewho are finding the changes difficult to accept. Thesechanges we are making were campaigned on and should be no surprisetoanyone. Our 100day plan shows we intend to move quickly to get New Zealand back on track. New Zealanders put their trust in National, Act and NZ First for amore prosperous future and we will not let them down. Reducing the burden By DAVID HILL, Local Democracy Reporter Reducingthe regulatory burden on ratepayers is in the sights of Environment Canterbury’s chairperson. The burden of constantreform has seen the councilmake submissions on 22 pieces of legislation over thelast two years, he said. The new coalition government has announced sweepingchanges includingthe repeal of the Resource ManagementAct (RMA) reforms, and changes to the National Policy Statements (NPS) on Freshwater and Indigenous Biodiversity. Chair Peter Scott said there were aspects of the Natural and Built Environments Act which would provide good outcomes, but the legislation was complex. ‘‘There was general agreement the old RMA was no longer fit for purpose, so the question is what will they replace it with. ‘‘I imagine it is relatively easy to repeal legislation,but replacing it will take time. ‘‘Rather than preparing areport and presentingittocentral Government for no particular reason, Iwould rather get on with the things which improve outcomes for our region.’’ Mr Scott said Environment Canterbury had a‘‘robust’’ planning framework in place before the NPS on Freshwater was introduced. ‘‘When you look at our Land and Water Regional Plan, it is really strong, probably the strongest in the country and in some cases it is maybe too strong. ‘‘The frustratingthingiswhen they developed the freshwater policy statement, they chucked in (water) allocation at the last minute.’’ While there was plenty of talk about ‘‘over allocation’’ of water for irrigation in Canterbury, Mr Scott said it was ‘‘paper allocation’’. A farmer might be granted aconsent for irrigation at 20 litres per second, but would only have the irrigators operating at certain times of theyear. ‘‘If you want to say to that farmer ‘we need to reduce it to 10 litres per second’ it is not going to work as the farmer will have infrastructure for 20 litres per second.’’ The council was anticipating a tsunami of consents between 2027 and 2032 as existing legislation meant the length of time consents could be issued for had been reduced to five years and was set to be reduced again. Environment Canterbury issued three times as many consents as any other regional council due to having 70 percent of the country’s freshwater allocation and because of its geographical size, Mr Scott said. He believed 85% of consents could be given for longer periods. ‘‘Before anyone was thinking seriously about allocation, our consents were agenerational thing, being issued for 30 or 35 years,’’ Mr Scott said. ‘‘But when it is only for four or five years it makes it difficult for abusiness to go to the bank for aloan.’’ To simplify the process, the council worked with irrigation companies to grant ‘‘global consents’’, instead of issuing individual consents, and auditing aselection of farms every second year. Public interest journalism funded through New Zealand on Air. Wind event in Waimakariri District averycostly blow ByDAVID HILL, Local Democracy Reporter The election day storm event proved to be acostly one for the Waimakariri District Council. The council incurred $245,000 in emergency response costs in the immediate aftermath of the Saturday, October 14, ‘‘extreme wind event’’, roading and transport manager Joanne McBride said. She said the costs included $195,000 to clear debris and get roads open again, while $50,000 was spent by the greenspace team clearing parks and reserves. ‘‘The extreme wind event resulted in significant tree fall along with road restrictions or closures,’’ Ms McBride said. ‘‘There were also significant areas where power lines were brought down with the trees.’’ Deputy Mayor Neville Atkinson said it was anecessary expenditure to keep the district working. ‘‘It is very obvious these events are coming more and more. ‘‘We don’t when the next event will be and we don’t whether trees are going to stand up. But the reality is we’ve got to get the roads cleared so farmers can keep operating and businesses can keep running, so it has got to be done and it has got to be done quickly.’’ The council has spent more then $10 million of unplanned expenditure responding to weather and flood events over the last three years. The increase in storm events resulting from climate change led to the council establishing a specialist infrastructure resilience team so it can better respond to future events. This Week Sun Fishing Guide Moon Wind Swell Pegasus Bay Tide Chart 3 2 Good Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Dec 14 Dec 15 Dec 16 Dec 17 Dec 18 Dec 19 Dec 20 Rise 5:43am Rise 5:43am Rise 5:44am Rise 5:44am Rise 5:44am Rise 5:44am Rise 5:45am Set 9:03pm Set 9:04pm Set 9:05pm Set 9:06pm Set 9:06pm Set 9:07pm Set 9:07pm Best Times 1:54am 2:25pm Rise 6:05am Set 10:42pm Moderate Sbecoming fresh E Ok Best Times 2:56am 3:28pm Rise 7:12am Set11:34pm Moderate S strengthening Ok Best Times 3:58am 4:28pm Moderate SWturning S Ok RANGIORA OCEANWATCH Best Times Gentle Sbecoming moderate SE Set12:48am Rise11:07am Moderate SWturning SE Set 1:13am Rise12:24pm Gentle SE becoming moderate E Set 1:36am Rise 1:38pm Gentle SE strengthening E0.7 mturning SE 0.9 m E 1.2 m E0.8 m SE E0.7 m E 0.7 m NE 0.9 m 3 6 9 NOON 3 6 9 3 6 9 NOON 3 6 9 3 6 9 NOON 3 6 9 3 6 9 NOON 3 6 9 3 6 9 NOON 3 6 9 3 6 9 NOON 3 6 9 3 6 9 NOON 3 6 9 4:57am 5:25pm Rise 8:28am Set12:16am Rise 9:47am Ok Best Times 5:51am 6:17pm Ok Best Times 6:42am 7:06pm Good Best Times 7:30am 7:54pm 1 0 Highs Lows Highs Lows Highs Lows Highs Lows Highs Lows Highs Lows Highs Lows Waimakariri 6:21am 2.4 12:03am 0.6 7:12am 2.5 12:54am 0.5 8:04am 2.5 1:45am 0.5 8:57am 2.5 2:37am 0.5 9:51am 2.5 3:30am 0.5 10:46am 2.5 4:25am 0.5 11:41am 2.5 5:22am 0.5 Mouth 6:40pm 2.3 12:41pm 0.6 7:34pm 2.3 1:31pm 0.5 8:29pm 2.3 2:22pm 0.5 9:25pm 2.4 3:14pm 0.5 10:19pm 2.4 4:08pm 0.5 11:14pm 2.4 5:04pm 0.5 5:59pm 0.5 Amberley 6:21am 2.4 12:03am 0.6 7:12am 2.5 12:54am 0.5 8:04am 2.5 1:45am 0.5 8:57am 2.5 2:37am 0.5 9:51am 2.5 3:30am 0.5 10:46am 2.5 4:25am 0.5 11:41am 2.5 5:22am 0.5 Beach 6:40pm 2.3 12:41pm 0.6 7:34pm 2.3 1:31pm 0.5 8:29pm 2.3 2:22pm 0.5 9:25pm 2.4 3:14pm 0.5 10:19pm 2.4 4:08pm 0.5 11:14pm 2.4 5:04pm 0.5 5:59pm 0.5 6:30am 2.4 12:12am 0.6 7:21am 2.5 1:03am 0.5 8:13am 2.5 1:54am 0.5 9:06am 2.5 2:46am 0.5 10:00am 2.5 3:39am 0.5 10:55am 2.5 4:34am 0.5 11:50am 2.5 5:31am 0.5 Motunau 6:49pm 2.3 12:50pm 0.6 7:43pm 2.3 1:40pm 0.5 8:38pm 2.3 2:31pm 0.5 9:34pm 2.4 3:23pm 0.5 10:28pm 2.4 4:17pm 0.5 11:23pm 2.4 5:13pm 0.5 6:08pm 0.5 6:32am 2.4 12:14am 0.6 7:23am 2.5 1:05am 0.5 8:15am 2.5 1:56am 0.5 9:08am 2.5 2:48am 0.5 10:02am 2.5 3:41am 0.5 10:57am 2.5 4:36am 0.5 11:52am 2.5 5:33am 0.5 Gore Bay 6:51pm 2.3 12:52pm 0.6 7:45pm 2.3 1:42pm 0.5 8:40pm 2.3 2:33pm 0.5 9:36pm 2.4 3:25pm 0.5 10:30pm 2.4 4:19pm 0.5 11:25pm 2.4 5:15pm 0.5 6:10pm 0.5 6:25am 1.7 12:03am 0.3 7:15am 1.7 12:54am 0.3 8:07am 1.8 1:46am 0.2 9:01am 1.8 2:40am 0.2 9:56am 1.8 3:34am 0.2 10:53am 1.7 4:30am 0.2 11:50am 1.7 5:28am 0.2 Kaikoura 6:48pm 1.5 12:44pm 0.3 7:41pm 1.5 1:36pm 0.2 8:35pm 1.6 2:29pm 0.2 9:29pm 1.6 3:24pm 0.2 10:24pm 1.6 4:19pm 0.2 11:19pm 1.6 5:13pm 0.2 6:08pm 0.2 *Not for navigational purposes. Wind and swell are based on apoint off Gore Bay. Maori Fishing Guide by Bill Hohepa. www.ofu.co.nz www.tidespy.com Graphic supplied by OceanFun Publishing Ltd. RANGIORA
NEWS The North Canterbury News, December 14, 2023 CHRISTMAS AT THE RACES 7 High standard ... The restored Jane Gifford which is the standard the trust is aiming for. PHOTO: SUPPLIED Restoration to begin Work on restoring the scow Success, which is now on the north bank of the Kaiapoi River, will start next year. The trust restoring the ship, which is one of the last remaining scows left in New Zealand, plans to employ an experienced shipwright to lead the restoration work. Once avery popular vessel, there were at least 130 trading on the New Zealand coast, with their shallow draft enabled them to navigate bars at the mouths of harbours and rivers. Originally powered by sails and motor Success was carted by road from Nelson to Kaiapoi earlier this year. Trust chair, Graham Robertson says a good deal of the restoration work will be done by volunteers, the project will be led by the part time professional shipwright. When completed the vessel will be one of only two original scows that have been restored, the other being the ‘‘Jane Gifford’’ in Warkworth. Mr Robertson, says Kaiapoi has arich heritage as aformer working port and is now regaining prominence with it becoming the home port for anumber of local craft. ‘‘This restoration will add value to Kaiapoi as amarine destination as well as preserving avalued link to the past,’’ he says. Anyone interested in finding out more about the position of restoration shipwright can Mr Robertson on 021 902 050 or gbrobertson1@gmail.com. Tourists coming back By DAVID HILL, Local Democracy Reporter Sunday 17 th December First Race 12.00pm Loads of entertainment for young and old including Santa, band, kid’s tote, B.Y.O. carparks only -Adult entry $10 First race in the New Year Monday 1 st January First race 1.00pm Quality Harness Racing action |Kid’s Bouncy Castle Free entry -Country racing at it’s BEST Full Bar and Cafe Service available 2637333 The return of cruise ships is helping Kaikōura to find its ‘‘groove’’, says Destination Kaikōura chairperson Lynette Buurman. Forward bookings are strong and staff recruitment is on track as the town gears up for abusinesssummer. Kaikōura is set to host awhopping 17 cruise ship visits, with the first one arriving last month, Mrs Buurman said. ‘‘It was just asmall one (around 100 passengers), but it meant we could just concentrate on hosting them really well to get us backinto the groovefor the bigger ones later in the season. ‘‘It is looking like astrongseason. We havebrilliant, forward bookings and recruiting has gone well. ‘‘I think the biggest unknown is the weather, but it is so good that the demand is there.’’ One cruise ship, Silver Muse,was scheduled to visit three times this summer and could carry more than 600 passengers, plus crew. But cruise ship visits were weather dependent and schedules could change at amoment’s notice. While operators had to operate with reduced staff last summer, there were plenty of young people arriving in town on working holiday visas. The biggest challenge was accommodating workers, due to the town’s housing shortage. Mrs Buurman said there were few rental properties available, with several properties being used for Airbnb. Overseas visitors were also returning in good numbers, keen to reconnect with nature. ‘‘It is not just about spending money, we have walking and cycling trails, Mt Summer fun ... Tourists are flocking back to Kaikoura to experience what it has to offer. FIONA WARDLE PHOTOGRAPHY Fyffe and the museum,’’ Mrs Buurman said. ‘‘Hearing our story is apart of the experience and we have just so much going on.’’ One Australian visitor recently commented about how much Kaikōura had changed since Covid and would be recommending to people to ‘‘stay at least two nights’’ to take in all the town has to offer. Mrs Buurman said tourism had a bright future with ‘‘some exciting projects’’ under way including the Whale Trail and the Wakatu Quay development. Destination Kaikōura is a partnership between the Kaikōura District Council and local tourism operators. ‘‘We are atiny organisation, but we offer some great experiences.’’ Public interest journalism funded through New Zealand on Air. until 24 December Only 10 days to go
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Page 3 and 4: Crate Day maybe on the move By ROBY
Page 5: Tooting for tucker throughout NC NE
Page 9 and 10: Merry Christmas, Meri Kirihimete! I
Page 11 and 12: LAWN & GArdeN CAre Sorted. Bloom As
Page 13 and 14: SUMMer SWIMS Sorted. Pacific Salt P
Page 15 and 16: Wetland governance By DAVIDHILL, Lo
Page 17 and 18: NORTH CANTERBURY’S BEST BUYS NICO
Page 19 and 20: NORTH CANTERBURY’S BEST BUYS
Page 21 and 22: Road funding By DAVID HILL, Local D
Page 23 and 24: NEWS The North Canterbury News, Dec
Page 25 and 26: 41749 Newsroom Van Usually $62.99 $
Page 27 and 28: Baby Sea friends Series Blind Bag U
Page 29 and 30: Tricks N Twists Marble Track Usuall
Page 31 and 32: WE’VE GOTALL TYRE NEEDSCOVERED MA
Page 33 and 34: NEWS The North Canterbury News, Dec
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Page 38 and 39: Season’s Greetings Wishing you av
Page 40 and 41: 40 The NEWS North Canterbury News,
Page 42 and 43: YOUR Christmas PARTYSTARTSS HERE $1
Page 44 and 45: from from RANGIORA MITSUBISHI 29 So
Page 46 and 47: 46 The SPORT North Canterbury News,
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Page 52 and 53: 52 The Situations Wanted GARDENER A
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North Canterbury News: December 14, 2023

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