North Canterbury News: February 01, 2024

Bird Song project grows
By SHELLEY TOPP
The Christchurch couple who
anonymously donated $100,000 to
Hurunui's Birdsong Project are
‘‘impressed’’ with the community
support it is receiving.
Since work began on the
restoration project at Scargill
Motunau Recreation Reserve, in
Greta Valley, last winter,
community membershave
contributed more than 300
volunteer hours planting around
2000 native plants.
The reserve, which has been
owned by the Hurunui District
Council since the middle of last
century, is already highly valued in
the community for the sports
facilities, the established exotic
tree plantings, the walking tracks
and the community hall.
The council’s water and land coordinator
Rima Herber says the
restoration of the wetlands and
stream areas will contribute to the
beauty of the reserve and create a
balance between the exceptional
exotic plantings and the native
biodiversity indigenous to the
area.
‘‘The Christchurch couple
wanted to put money towards a
project that had both community
and environmental outcomes,’’
Rima says.
‘‘Birdsong turned out to be
exactly what they were wanting to
support, and they have been very
impressed with progress and with
the wonderful community support
the project has received.
‘‘The reserve is the perfect home
for such awonderful community
investment, abeautiful destination
with tracks through mature oak
Community support ... Volunteers at aplanting day for the Birdsong
Project at the Scargill Motunau Recreational Reserve last year. PHOTO: SUPPLIED
and redwood forests, extensive
stands of various conifers, and a
view point across the Scargill
Valley to the mountains beyond,’’
she says.
‘‘As acontribution to the
environment, giving money to
community groups is agreat way to
maximise outcomes, as so much of
the labour input is given
voluntarily and the money gets
stretched to the max.’’
Environment Canterbury has
donated about 1400 plants for the
project. The Birdsong Trust, which
oversees the Birdsong Project, also
bought plants from Goughs
Nurseries in Swannanoa
The Birdsong Project ‘‘has the
potential to continue on all the way
down to Scargill, and eventually
the Ti Papa Stream will have
native vegetation present over long
stretches, continuing on from the
work already achieved in the Greta
Valley township’’, Rima says.
‘‘This will be along­term
undertaking, and if the project can
source the required funding, it will
continue indefinitely over many
decades.’’
Volunteers say afavourite part
of the project is people of all ages
joining in, from youngsters
enjoying the learning experience,
to more senior members of the
community who had planted trees
in the reserve 50 years ago.
Birdsong Trust co­chairperson
Jo Loe says care has been taken to
only plant species that flourished
in the landscape before humans
arrived, creating aplace where
birds and other native ‘‘critters’’,
will thrive, and people can connect
with nature.
NEWS
The North Canterbury News, February 1, 2024
11
Healthcare decisions
needed at local level
By DAVID HILL,
Local Democracy Reporter
North Canterbury’s Mayors
are calling for ‘‘local
accountability’’ to return for
healthcare provision.
Waimakariri Mayor Dan
Gordon and Marie Black, of
Hurunui, have welcomed a
suggestion by Health
Minister Shane Reti that
some health decisionmaking
will return to the
regions.
District health boards
were scrapped 18 months
ago to form Te Whatu Ora /
Health NZ and the Māori
Health Authority with the
aim of ending geographical
differences in the care
people were receiving.
On Radio New Zealand last
week, Dr Reti said some
aspects of healthcare needed
to be centralised, but he did
not elaborate on how much
local accountability would
be restored. There would be
no return to local district
health boards, and the Māori
Health Authority would be
scrapped.
While the old district
health board structure
‘‘wasn’t perfect’’, Mr Gordon
says he could raise concerns
with the board chair and
chief executive. ‘‘What I am
hearing from the new
Minister is encouraging.’’ He
said Dr Reti was aware of
communities like
Waimakariri with high
growth across the board.
‘‘Access to health care is a
high priority for our
residents.’’
Mr Gordon said he was
unsure what the
announcement meant for the
future of the Waitaha
Canterbury PHO (Primary
Health Organisation) board.
‘‘As deputy chair of the
Waitaha PHO board I am
well aware of the demands
on our health practises. I
think some of the key local
priorities are to ensure
access to after hours
healthcare and the staffing of
our medical facilities with
doctors and nurses to help
our under pressure medical
practises.’’
While she would welcome
areturn to local decisionmaking,
Mrs Black said ‘‘the
devil will be in the detail’’. It
made sense to centralise
aspects of the health system
if it produced better
outcomes, such as reducing
wait times and getting
resourcing to where it was
needed. But having local
people closer to the decisionmaking
tended to lead to
better outcomes for local
communities.
‘‘It is about getting the
money on the ground, so we
can make abetter difference
to the people in need.’’
Helmores
in your corner since 1884
The Partners of Helmore Stewart are pleased
to announce that the firm has changed its
name to HELMORES.
This change recognises the firm’s roots in
North Canterbury and the historic role of
the founding partner, George Helmore who
commenced practising law in Rangiora in
1884.
As the community has grown so has the firm.
Helmores has worked hard to become one
of the most respected law firms in the region,
with an experienced team providing awide
range of legal expertise to clients.
Helmores looks forward to supporting the
community for many decades to come.