North Canterbury News: April 18, 2024

6 The
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Sun
Fishing
Guide
Moon
Wind
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Pegasus Bay
Tide Chart
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OPINION
North Canterbury News, April 18, 2024
Mayor Marie Black
Tough time in HDC
as drought bites
With the intensely dry conditions, our
fire brigades have been called on to
attend numerous call outs to protect
life and property.
Across our district we arefortunate
to have men and women who exist in a
state of perpetual readiness to attend
callouts and protect us in times of
need.
These generous people arerarely
mentioned in the media, but for every
road accident, fire, or personal tragedy
they attend, they have contained the
damage, secured the site, taken care of
the victims, and all the time taking
measured confident steps, to balance
urgency with strict operational
procedures.
It’s atough old time outthere, with
much of our district under severe
drought conditions.
There is little or no changeonthe
horizon.
It is atime when we should be making
abit more of an effort to reach out to
our neighbours, and friends, and check
in on each other’s wellbeing.
There are simple things that can
make adifference.
Connect with others, take notice of
what brings you pleasure, give some
time to help others, keep learning and
be active.
These five steps are recognised
internationally to boost yourwellbeing,
and by being more aware will be
beneficial to everyone.
As many of you will be awareweare
in the middle of our consultationtime
for our Long Term Plan.
If you have not seen any of the
information Iurge you have alook on
the Hurunui District Council website
—‘‘We’re here to listen’’.
We are seeking feedback on five
consultation documents.
The Long Term Plan sets the
direction for the next 10 years for
projects that will be provided, what
they will cost and how they will be
funded.
The Representation review is a
requirement every six years under the
Local Electoral Actwhich considers
how the district is represented to
ensureitremainsappropriate andfit
for purpose.
The Draft Reserve ManagementPlan
review is to ensure the green spaces
are managed in the best way possible —
yourlocal community committees and
community board have been influential
in the developmentofthe draft.
The Draft Fees and Charges are
reviewed every year to ensure the fees
and charges remain current, and align
with budgetary needs.
Draft South ward Spatial plan —this
proposal gives consideration to the
development of growth for the next 30
years in and around Amberley and
Leithfield.
Thereare varying timelines for the five
consultation documents so feel free to
check it out on the website or drop into
aservice centre or library near to
whereyou live and most importantly
provide written feedback on the drafts.
We arehere to listen as we ‘‘Forge a
Future’’ together to ensure our district
is athriving and dynamic place to live,
work, and play.
Pre-hearing conference
By DAVID HILL,
Local Democracy Reporter
Amajor housing developmentproposed near Ohoka could soon have its day in court.
Rolleston Industrial Developments Ltd appealed against the WaimakaririDistrict
Council’s decision to decline its private plan change for an 850­home development. An
Environment Court spokesperson says the case is to be set down for apre­hearing
conference on Monday, April 22. The conferencewill determine the next steps for the
case.
The council voted unanimously to reject the proposed 850­home development on a156
hectare site in November, followingarecommendation from independent
commissioners.
LDR is local body journalismco­fundedbyRNZ and NZ On Air.
RANGIORA OCEANWATCH
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Gentle Sturning Gentle SWbecoming Moderate SWturning
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Solar power proposal
John McCaskey, along time
farmer, including viticulture, in the
Waipara area, gives his views on a
proposed solar farm in the area.
On Wednesday 11th April, as Iread the
North Canterbury News, Ispotted an
article about the ‘Spaces That Shape Us’.
Ilooked up from the table, out on the
southwest landscape of what had been a
family farm since the 1915 breakup of the
Glenmark sheep station, only to see some
heavy machinery going through apaddock
which, long beforethe Maori came, was
grazed by theMoas.
Much later the Maori walked across, on
their way through the Weka Pass via Lake
Sumner to the West Coast.
Apaddock that was in its total native
state and had through all the farming
generations that had been on the property
been kept as areminder of the past.
That evening there was to be a‘‘Save
Waipara’’ campaignmeeting in the
pavilion, at which some 50 plus people
voiced their concerns about the
establishment of asolar farm on the
Waipara Flat, which covers about 4km
down the Waipara straight on SH7. Hidden
from view there of course is the paddock
I've just described, that had the Matagouri
and native pasture that had been there
since coming up out of the sea.
That headline ‘Spaces that Shape us’
seemed to be avery apt title for many
stories to be told. You can imagine coming
out of the Weka Pass, driving down the 4km
strait and on your left will be awall of
hedge —3to5mhigh —whichwill blot out
180­degrees of landscape for the entire
distance, from the top of the hills above
Frog Rock, right around the North to
Mount Cass on the Eastern side. That
landscape will completely disappear and
just be roadside and sky.
The WaiparaFlat is, at the top end in
particular, very stony light soils, with a
very fragile amount of top­soils which were
attacked in the early 1970s drought.
Itried to irrigate some of the farm
during the 1970s, and with the
encouragement of the horticulture
department of Lincoln College, great
strides were made in alternative crops that
could be grown in the area, simply because
ofits climate, with the one restricting
factor —the availability of water. Idid
build asmall dam, which wasfilled during
the winter, and the resulting crops were
amazing. Maize, sorghums, and various
other crops grew up to 6ft tall from seed I
imported from Australia, butLincoln
convinced us to try growing field tomatoes,
which were drilled directly into the
paddock.
The year 1975 was amazing: 33­tonnes of
tomatoes off two acres. That paddock today
supports Waipara’s first vineyard, which
made its first wine in 1986,and went on to
win astring of New Zealandwine awards,
even aNZchampion in 1991. The Waipara
area was all family farms in those days but,
thanks to the 1980s policies of the
government, they all had their backs to the
walls, many left, many were amalgamated,
but the ones that went to vineyards are
pretty well still here today.
The valley’s cold easterly winds are kept
out by the Mount Cass range along the
coast, the warmth in the area that lingers
long into the night comes from the other
side of the valley on the northwest, where
the catchment of the Weka Creek bottles
up the day’s heat, which leaks out slowly in
the evenings right down the flat. Many
times you can see fog overlaying the Omihi
Creek part of the valley, and the top end is
beautiful and warm.
Everyone that turned up to that meeting
had some stories to tell about the effects of
solar farms in other areas. One
outstanding one Iread about was that with
the global warming that’s taking place,
many vineyards, including in
Marlborough, are finding it’s too warm for
the varieties of grapes they produce. In
South Australia, 50,000 hectares are
recommended to be pulled out because
grape prices have got so low due to the
warming of the area, and an export market
collapse, that it’s no longer aviable
industry.
Solar farms need good access to water,
because the efficiency of the panels dies
with the dust cover they get. They have to
be washed regularly. ECan already admits
water resources of this area are overcommitted.
Where will this water come
from?
The people promoting this, in their
application, say there are only three
properties that would have any sort of
disturbance from this exercise. But many
of Waipara’s vineyards are within less than
akmofthe proposed solar farm and they
will be impacted by an increase in
temperaturesimply through the presence
of these panels, and alikelihood of more
severe frosts in the winter —until the sun
gets on the ground the frostisgoing to
probably linger all day in many places —
which will quite likely have the effect of
shortening the growing season, that would
affect grapes and tomatoes, and all other
crops that are only viable for ashort period
in summer.
There is also the effect on the tax take
from the area. The vineyards within the
Waipara basin, at present on their
production of wine, contribute around
over $20million ayear in excise tax to the
country’s Treasury. What will be the
payment from the solar farm to the
Treasury? There won’t be any. With agreat
big river and alake at the river head in the
Hurunui, Iquestion whether hydro would
be ten times more advantageous to New
Zealand. It would supply power and
irrigation for at least the next 100 years.
0
Highs Lows Highs Lows Highs Lows Highs Lows Highs Lows Highs Lows Highs Lows
Waimakariri 12:28am 2.2 6:48am 0.7 1:18am 2.2 7:34am 0.7 2:04am 2.2 8:17am 0.7 2:47am 2.2 8:58am 0.7 3:27am 2.2 9:38am 0.7 4:06am 2.2 10:19am 0.7 4:46am 2.2 11:00am 0.7
Mouth
12:56pm 2.2 7:04pm 0.8 1:44pm 2.2 7:52pm 0.8 2:29pm 2.2 8:38pm 0.8 3:11pm 2.2 9:22pm 0.8 3:52pm 2.2 10:05pm 0.8 4:33pm 2.2 10:48pm 0.8 5:13pm 2.2 11:30pm 0.8
Amberley 12:28am 2.2 6:48am 0.7 1:18am 2.2 7:34am 0.7 2:04am 2.2 8:17am 0.7 2:47am 2.2 8:58am 0.7 3:27am 2.2 9:38am 0.7 4:06am 2.2 10:19am 0.7 4:46am 2.2 11:00am 0.7
Beach
12:56pm 2.2 7:04pm 0.8 1:44pm 2.2 7:52pm 0.8 2:29pm 2.2 8:38pm 0.8 3:11pm 2.2 9:22pm 0.8 3:52pm 2.2 10:05pm 0.8 4:33pm 2.2 10:48pm 0.8 5:13pm 2.2 11:30pm 0.8
12:37am 2.2 6:57am 0.7 1:27am 2.2 7:43am 0.7 2:13am 2.2 8:26am 0.7 2:56am 2.2 9:07am 0.7 3:36am 2.2 9:47am 0.7 4:15am 2.2 10:28am 0.7 4:55am 2.2 11:09am 0.7
Motunau 1:05pm 2.2 7:13pm 0.8 1:53pm 2.2 8:01pm 0.8 2:38pm 2.2 8:47pm 0.8 3:20pm 2.2 9:31pm 0.8 4:01pm 2.2 10:14pm 0.8 4:42pm 2.2 10:57pm 0.8 5:22pm 2.2 11:39pm 0.8
12:39am 2.2 6:59am 0.7 1:29am 2.2 7:45am 0.7 2:15am 2.2 8:28am 0.7 2:58am 2.2 9:09am 0.7 3:38am 2.2 9:49am 0.7 4:17am 2.2 10:30am 0.7 4:57am 2.2 11:11am 0.7
Gore Bay 1:07pm 2.2 7:15pm 0.8 1:55pm 2.2 8:03pm 0.8 2:40pm 2.2 8:49pm 0.8 3:22pm 2.2 9:33pm 0.8 4:03pm 2.2 10:16pm 0.8 4:44pm 2.2 10:59pm 0.8 5:24pm 2.2 11:41pm 0.8
12:34am 1.6 6:54am 0.4 1:22am 1.5 7:38am 0.4 2:07am 1.5 8:19am 0.4 2:49am 1.5 9:00am 0.4 3:31am 1.5 9:40am 0.4 4:12am 1.4 10:20am 0.4 4:54am 1.4 11:01am 0.4
Kaikoura 1:00pm 1.4 7:06pm 0.4 1:46pm 1.4 7:53pm 0.4 2:30pm 1.4 8:39pm 0.4 3:13pm 1.4 9:24pm 0.4 3:55pm 1.5 10:07pm 0.4 4:37pm 1.5 10:50pm 0.4 5:19pm 1.5 11:33pm 0.4
*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