North Canterbury News: May 02, 2024

Popular spot ... Gore Bay, near Cheviot, is an idyllic camping spot.
PHOTO: SUPPLIED BY HURUNUI DISTRICT
Flooding in spotlight
By DAVID HILL,
Local Democracy Reporter
‘‘Pragmatic’’ solutions have been
suggested for aflood prone North
Canterburybeach settlement.
GoreBay, near Cheviot, is apopular
coastal holiday spot, but faces threats
from flooding and sea level rise.
The Hurunui District Council is
creating acoastal adaptation plan for
GoreBay and is working with
Environment Canterbury to plan for
flood protection for the Jed River and
Buxton Creek.
Deputy Mayor Vince Daly said the
creek and river were prone to flooding
in heavy rain events, leaving the
Buxton Campground and the coastal
road vulnerable to flooding.
‘‘The creek builds up when it is in
flood, and the shingle builds up,
preventing it from flowing out to sea.’’
Mr Daly said an Environment
Canterbury river engineer provided
some ‘‘pragmatic’’ solutions at a
recent meeting with Gore Bay /Port
Robinson Reserve AdvisoryGroup.
AHurunui District Council report
presented to the Cheviot Community
Committee in February said the flood
hazard was increasing due to the
formation of alagoon between the
river and the creek mouths.
The intensity of recent rain events
was increasing the erosion threat to
the campground’s banks and to land
around the bridge abutments.
Mr Daly said the river engineer had
proposed building awall using natural
materials along the southern bank of
Buxton Creek from the bridge to the
campground.
It was also suggested an incident
officer could monitor weather
forecasts and arrange to open up the
creek before aheavy rain event, to
reduce the impact of flooding.
Longer term sea level rise posed a
threat to the access road and to the
Buxton and Gore Bay Camping
Grounds, Mr Daly said.
‘‘The elevation of the houses means
slips are probably abigger issuefor
residents than sea level rise, but it
does pose arisk to the road.
‘‘This is one of the best Canterbury
beaches and it is avery popular spot.’’
The Hurunui District Council began
its ‘‘Coastal Conversations’’ project
alongside five beach communities in
2020.
Three coastal adaptation plans have
been completed for Amberley Beach,
Leithfield Beach and Motunau, while
the council is also working with the
Gore Bay and Conway Flat /Claverley
beach communities.
Environment Canterbury has been
contacted for comment.
LDR is local body journalism cofunded
by RNZ and NZ On Air.
NEWS
North Canterbury News, May 2, 2024
27
The Conway Bridge
needs funding boost
Significant inefficiency and economic
loss will result if the Conway Bridge on
the Inland Road (Route 72), does not
get asignificant funding boost, says
Hurunui District Council chief
executive, Hamish Dobbie.
The bridge, which carries all the
over­dimension traffic between Picton
and Christchurch, is already weightrestricted
and Mr Dobbie says more
restrictions are likely as it ages.
Over dimension traffic has to use the
Inland Road route because the
vehicles can not use the coastal
tunnels.
It is also used as an alternative route
to State Highway 1when the highway is
closed through the Hundalees.
Mr Dobbie says since the Inland
Road was stripped of its Special
Purpose Road classification, flaws in
the way roading is funded in New
Zealand have been exposed.
This is in spite of the council
supporting the draft Government
Policy Statement (GPS) on land
transport released earlier in the year
outlining the government’s plan for
investinginland transport, prioritising
economic growth and productivity,
increased maintenance and resilience,
safety and value for money from
transport expenditure.
The council’s policy aligns with the
draft GPS’s top investment priorities,
but the council says in its submission
the problematic issue of funding a
replacement for the Conway Bridge,
since the Special Purpose Road
classification was removed, has meant
the status quo remains.
Roading, at present, is funded largely
from fuel excise and road user charges,
and this funding is focused on
operational maintenance which means
large infrastructure replacements are
largely funded through operational
cashflow.
These infrastructure assets are long
life assets with bridges for example
often having alifespan of 100 years or
more.
Mr Dobbie says anew class of equity
funding should be created for the
roading network, specifically to fund
replacement of longer life
infrastructure in the network.
The draft GPS has afocus on
improving public transport throughout
New Zealand via Rapid Transport
Corridors.
‘‘Our district is predominantly rural,
and does not have public transport
connections, therefore we are reliant
on private vehicles.’’
Mr Dobbie would like to see the draft
GPS consider enhancing funding for
community vehicle trusts, which have
proved agreat success in Hurunui.
In the submission he reaffirmed that
people from the rural Hurunui district
were entirely dependent on local
roads.
‘‘The predominance of low­volume,
high­value roads in Hurunui requires
greater investment in ongoing
maintenance, and renewals, to ensure
our network can continue to support
regional and national social and
economic outcomes’’
Submissions have now closed on the
draft GPS. Following consultation, the
MoT will use the feedback to provide
advice to the Minister of Transport on
the final GPS 2024 due to come into
effect by July 2024.
Duck hunting season opens
Duck hunters in North Canterbury will be
facing afew issues when they line up this
weekend to kick off the game bird season.
North Canterbury Fish &Game Officer
Matthew Garrick says while late summers
surveys indicated numbers of ducks were
on apar with last year, the continuing
drought conditions, low lake levels and
fine weather forecasted, will make the
opening weekend abit of achallenge for
hunters.
‘‘The extreme drought we are
experiencing means ducks will initially be
more concentrated in fewer places.
‘‘This can make for some really good
hunting but it will require extra effort in
scouting to find the birds.’’
Mr Garrick says that despite the low lake
levels now, the growing season means
there will be some excellent mid­ to lateseason
hunting opportunities as water
levels come up and flood new habitats
along the margins.
‘‘As always, don’t forget the duck season
is much longer than two days. When we go
into winter and get some rain, some of
those historical ‘‘honey holes’’ you know
about that may be dry now, will quickly fill
with our feathered quarry. Ducks find new
habitats quickly as they become available,
and the most successful hunters are those
who can adjust with the ducks.’’
Fish &Game New Zealand chief CEO
Corina Jordan says nationally they are
hoping for apromising start to the season.
‘‘It’s more than just opening weekend as
Kiwi hunters can hunt game birds
throughout the winter. The dry summer
has worried game bird hunters, but agood
rain fall would bring smiles to the faces of
the approximately 60,000 people who get
out in the wild this weekend,’’ she says.
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