Newsline 243 - 28 January 2011

Friday 28 January 2011

This page contains articles from Issue 243 of Newsline.
Download as a PDF: Newsline 243 - 28 January 2011

Once in 169 Years

Tuesday 28 December 2010 started rather early for many people throughout the Tasman District. Heavy rain hit the region on the night of the 27th. It was not unusual for rain to come in the middle of the holiday season. However, by 5.00 am the next morning it was apparent that this was not going to be an ordinary day.

Northern Golden Bay was reporting continuous very heavy rain, approximately 40 mm an hour, and after an hour the Anatoki and, in particular, the Aorere rivers were beginning to rise rapidly. In the next few hours it was apparent the Aorere river was not going to be able to hold the deluge. By 8.00 am the area was on the way to experiencing the biggest flood it had records for – a 1 in 169 year flood event.

Golden Bay was not the only area in the District to feel the effects of the rain with Murchison and surrounding areas also bearing the brunt with a number of bridges and fords made impassable and flooding causing a great deal of damage to houses in the area. Marlborough was not immune either, with great swathes of land under water and major slips occurring on the state highway to Nelson. Those slips combined with impassable roads in the south meant the Nelson-Tasman region was effectively cut off for what turned out to be the most of the day. Once one slip was cleared near Pelorus, another would cut the road off.

The most visible damage to the District was centred in two areas, Murchison and the Aorere Valley. The Aorere river rose from a height 9cumec/s prior to the event to 3560cumec/s in the morning. This rapid rise and increase in ferocity took everything in its path with it, including two bridges – the historic Salisbury walk bridge and the James Road bridge, effectively cutting residents, and tramping parties on the Heaphy, off.

Aerial shots of the area in the morning of the 28th showed a river that had inundated the area stretching its mouth on the coast from 150m wide to in excess of 3 kilometres. As well as covering farms, the flood waters prevented a large number of dairy farmers from getting to their herds for regular milking and marooned a number of people in their homes. The Collingwood Volunteer Fire Brigade once again did a sterling job reaching people, checking their safety and preparedness to stay in their homes if they chose to do so and assisting those who had to leave temporarily. The area was by this stage without power.

As the day wore on the sheer scale of the event became apparent with farms especially badly hit – fences were covered, stock was missing and there was no way of doing anything but to ride it out.

As the District was shown earlier in the year with the Tapawera flood rural communities have an inbuilt support network that kicks into gear whenever mother nature decides to shake things up a bit. Whether it was the volunteer fire brigade, farmers with heavy machinery or just people wanting to help, they were all there often forgoing personal comfort to help their neighbours and people they didn’t know. Again, as with the Tapawera flood, there was no need for a Civil Defence emergency welfare centre as everyone was catered for by family and friends in the community. One has to wonder how an urban centre would cope in comparison.

As the next day dawned the Aorere river had another surprise in store – it had changed its course quite significantly. It was a chance to survey the extent of the damage as the river levels dropped very quickly. With no rain to feed them the extent of the ferocity of the river in full flood was evident with the mangled wreckage of the Salisbury footbridge and James Road bridge spread for many metres down the riverbanks. Further footage has duly arrived on ‘Youtube’ showing the ferocity of the river as it bashed the Salisbury road bridge.

In the days after the major event the extent of the damage became apparent. In the Murchison area, a number of roads were rendered impassable with the sheer force of the water undermining roads, taking away the abutments to bridges and in one case taking the bridge away with it.

Just as in Golden Bay the community had rallied and made sure everyone was accounted for and safe.

The next step was the focus of the Council and its contractors. Throughout the District people were out there next day assessing needs and working to make sure residents and businesses could get on with their cleaning up and ensuring their businesses and workplaces were in a state to operate.

It became evident that immediate work to the Aorere River was essential to achieve two things; to retrain the river and claim back the inundated land and to rebuild the damaged banks to provide the area with protection from future events.

As it turned out the feared future event was not too long in coming with heavy rain in the new year testing the new channels and rock wall, which stood up to the test.

Shortly after new year the area was subjected to a testing rain episode, which in a community that was still cleaning up after the initial flooding saw tension levels running high. Luckily the rain was shortlived and had no negative impact but to remind people that nature is sometimes a fickle beast and has no favourites. There were reports however the light rain did some favours in washing away built up silt and mud providing some assistance in the clean-up.

On 18 January 2011 the area braced itself for another onslaught with three separate weather events converging and bringing with them predictions of very heavy rain and gale force winds. This triumvirate of storms heading towards an area already racked with stormed damage spurred the Council’s contractors to accelerate their work to ensure greater damage was not caused.

As the predicted deluge arrived Civil Defence, Council workers and contractors were hurriedly putting in place measures to ensure the work done in the last two to three weeks was not in vain. Despite the initial rainfall predictions being revised down the MetService predicted the rain would be heavy and would come in a relatively short timeframe exacerbating its possible impact.

The front arrived and slowly built in intensity over the day with a sting in the tail that hit after dark. Nearly every river in the District took the increased rain driven flows well within their limits, however, the Aorere began to rise dramatically. It rose very quickly and the now conservative alarm levels were tripped and people were called. Then at 9.15 pm it started to drop as quickly as it rose much to the relief of monitoring staff and locals.

Rebuilding the District

As the District dries out and people rebuild their daily lives, farms and businesses the Council has the task of replacing the infrastructure that was damaged and in some cases destroyed. While the obvious is easily spotted, there are a number of examples where the damage has only become obvious once everything has subsided and rubbish cleared away. This assessment work of the long term damage and associated costs will continue for some time and will often be hand-in-hand with the reinstatement work.

As the local authority the Council is continuing to inspect buildings and homes affected by flood damage and other built infrastructure to ensure structural integrity, safety and public health is maintained. Working with insurance companies it has been pleasing to note that, so far, everyone has been insured.

Effluent disposal systems for affected dairy farms have yet to be inspected. Staff are liaising with Federated Farmers representatives over timing, but it is not expected to be a significant issue.

Initial Cost Estimates

Preliminary inspections have been carried out with the initial estimated costs to repair the network to the same state as before the event happened being:

Roading across the District is around $1,300,000 excluding costs for consultants.

Bridging costs for the James Road Bridge vary depending on the solution, but the costs could be up to $1,600,000 for a full bridge replacement. It is hoped that there will be at least a temporary footbridge at James Road by the end of January. Costs associated with preparing a ford across the river for stock and vehicles have yet to be determined due to the complicated nature of the Aorere River. A special report to Council will be prepared on how best to address this issue. The river works where the Aorere River changed course will be around $1,000,000.

Other river works are expected to be needed and are yet to be determined, however, the costs could be up to around $1,500,000. These costs include areas where loss of rock wall work previously completed in River Z areas. The exact amount of work will take some time as full inspection of all Council’s assets will need to be undertaken. The difficulty of inspecting this river is making the job more difficult and time-consuming

Repairs to utility assets have been estimated at around $100,000, plus the cost of the Takaka wastewater treatment plant wetland.

Council staff are working with Government agencies and our insurers on what possible funding sources and assistance may be available. For example, the Council will be making a claim for funding from the New Zealand Transport Agency for repairs and reinstatement of the roading and bridge network. The work should be funded to at least a 49 per cent subsidy. There will also be a claim against the Local Authority Protection Programme (LAPP) and national civil defence funding for the river works. The LAPP fund has an excess of around $450,000.

Even with these claims, it appears that there could be a significant impact on Council’s General Disaster Fund and Classified River Protection Fund, on rates and on other resources.

This raises the question of whether it will be possible to reinstate all infrastructure to its original state in the near future. The District has been subjected to two severe weather events in the financial year and the resources required to reinstate infrastructure will be stretched. The funding required and where it comes from, whether it be from Central Government agencies, insurance and contingency funds or from other local sources will be an ongoing discussion and may have an impact on the Annual Planning process which is about to begin.

Whatever the outcome it is imperative that the ratepayers and residents of the District are part of the decision-making process.

Those affected by the recent events have displayed what makes Tasman unique in the region. Despite suffering two events in relatively short succession the people of Tasman have shown how resilient and community-minded they are. Without such qualities the very trying and testing times these events bring would become impossible. The District Council is well aware of its role over the next few months and will be working to support the reconstruction, major and minor, of the affected areas and the communities within them.

Mayor’s Comment

The deluge that hit the top of the South Island on the 28th certainly caught a number of people by surprise. It was a privilege for Jane and I to visit some of those affected by the floods and play a very small role as many in our community turned out to help others in need. Throughout the District, from Murchison to the northern part of Golden Bay, the rain-driven floods caused havoc and heartbreak, houses were inundated, farms were hit badly and roads and bridges were destroyed. Following the deluge I could see this was not going to be a normal event. As the area reeled from some of the biggest floods recorded reports came in far farther afield showing the West Coast and Marlborough were affected just as badly.

The attached story talks about the devastation, the clean-up and what is being done to reinstate what we can. We may not be able to replace everything that was destroyed, but in reinstating the infrastructure we are going to do so with the lessons taught to us by the event.

I always like to start the year optimistically and this year is no different. Yes we have had a quick, but very sharp, lesson from Mother Nature about who is in charge but it should not deter us from the work we need to do or the love of the place we call home. The work list is long but achievable and we will be looking to engage our local communities as we progress through the extensive programme.

The council work programme and the return of the Local Government Commission’s findings will be high on the list of community conversations in the first few weeks as will the number of initiatives happening throughout the region.

It is something we were acting on before the Local Government Commission came to town, but their visit reinforced our resolve to build sustainable and positive relationships with Tasman’s communities. Recognition of the role and its importance by all parties will be a key outcome I will be looking to achieve this year.

I wish you all the best for the rest of this year.

– Mayor Richard Kempthorne

Community Development Scheme 2011 Funding Round Open

Strong, sustainable communities contribute to the overall wellbeing of all New Zealanders. Shared identity, skilled leadership, capable organisations and access to adequate information and resources for all are essential building blocks for community wellbeing.

The Central Government’s Community Development Scheme (CDS) was set up to support communities to work together in new ways, to be innovative and to determine their own development priorities to achieve sustainable community outcomes.

The CDS funds communities to employ community development project workers to work on community-driven projects over three years. Each project receives funding of $80,000 plus GST per year to cover the salary of a community development project worker and project expenses.

Funding is available for allocation to 12 new community-based projects from identified priority territories. Tasman District is a priority territory for this round.

In 2011, a total of $2,560,000 exclusive of GST will be invested in 32 communities around the country through the CDS.

The 2011 funding round opened on 8 November 2010 and closes on 21 March 2011 at 4.00 pm.

Community development projects are funded for a three year period.

Scheme Guidelines

Priority is given to projects enabling strong communities / hapu / iwi that:

seek appropriate solutions together
provide people with a sense of belonging and purpose, shared vision and common values
have capable and enterprising leadership
have proactive, inclusive organisations
are resilient and resourceful
manage their own self-determined, sustainable development.

Applicants to this scheme should demonstrate:

their competence to host/manage a community or hapu / iwi development project over a period of three years
the support within their community or hapu / iwi to undertake the project proposed
a clear understanding of the project basis of this scheme and the funding available.*

For further information visit the Department of Internal Affairs website

Golden Bay Outstanding Natural Features and Landscapes Project

Tasman District Council is currently undertaking a study to identify the outstanding natural features and landscapes in Golden Bay and on the North West coast.

This project is being undertaken as a requirement of the Resource Management Act (RMA), which requires all councils to identify their districts outstanding natural features and landscapes and then protect them from inappropriate subdivision, use and development. The project also addresses additional requirements of the RMA relating to the preservation and protection of the natural character of the coast, wetlands, lakes and rivers.

Council has been working on this project since 2005 and since that time has consulted with the community at a number of different levels. The most recent meeting took place on 9 December 2010 when 70 people, with representatives from the Golden Bay Community Board, Council, Federated Farmers, landowners and representatives of key interest groups all got together to discuss the project and its progression so far.

A working group will get together during January/February 2011 to discuss options for defining outstanding landscapes and to consider what policy changes might be appropriate.

If you would like to be kept informed of the outcomes of this working group contact Shelagh Noble - Policy Planner, Tasman District Council

Schools are Back…

Schools are back next week, which means there will be more children out and about, especially in the mornings and afternoons.

To remind drivers about the need to be extra careful around schools there will be a herd of zebras visiting school pedestrian crossings. These zebras made their debut last year and will again be out and about in force this February.

Pedestrian crossings are places where pedestrians should be able to cross the road in safety. Drivers need to slow down as they approach them and be prepared to stop. Students and families will also be reminded of the importance of using the correct place to safely cross the road outside the school.

So watch out for kids, and watch out for zebras!

Some road safety tips for motorists:

Slow down around schools
Be alert and ready to stop
Make eye contact with children waiting to cross the road.
Stop when directed to do so by the crossing patrol
Be patient and wait for children to finish crossing before proceeding
Always slow to 20km/hr for a school bus that has stopped - no matter which direction you are travelling in.

Bowls Club Clocks up the Ton

The old steam engine that yanked out fruit trees to clear ground for the Wakefield bowling green 100 years ago will be back to celebrate the club’s centenary.

President Michael Stewart says festivities will kick off on the Nelson Anniversary weekend of 29-31 January 2011 with a parade on Saturday through the village, featuring vintage cars, steam engines and horse and carts. Passengers will include up to 40 club-members dressed in 1911 style to recreate that first game.

A centenary dinner will be held at the Brightwater Hotel on Saturday night, with the Sunday and Monday featuring one and two-day tournaments.

Michael says the history of the club “is as much about the history of the town”. Foundation members included well-known families such as the Baigents, Wilkins and Rutherfords.

The land was leased from the Hooper farm, though enthusiastic supporter Francis Hooper died between the initial meeting in February 1911 and the green opening that November. When his widow died later, the club bought the estate and sold the surplus land, which was subdivided for housing.

The club hits 100 in fine fettle. Membership has more than doubled in the last three years, thanks partly to an influx of British ex-pats. However, there will be plenty of familiar faces at the centenary because Wakefield is a remarkably stable community.

“Most people who have ever played here are still here. They never move,” Michael says with a laugh.

Club membership has also benefited from a new $350,000 synthetic “carpet” green, made possible in large part by a $100,000 grant from the Tasman District Council. The green can be played on year-round, with the faithful old grass green still doing service in the summer.

Motorbike Training Dates 2011

Registrations are now being taken for the Tasman District Council/Road Safe Motorcycle Riding Techniques motorbike training, up-skilling and refresher training courses. These courses are still heavily subsidised by Council and ACC and only cost $20 for each rider for each course.

Upcoming dates are:

Sunday 20 February 2011 – intermediate riders
Saturday 26 February 2011 – intermediate to advanced riders
Sunday 27 February 2011 - advanced riders
Saturday 2 April 2011 – intermediate riders
Sunday 3 April 2011 - advanced riders

These courses will be held in Richmond, but if you live in Motueka, Murchison, Golden Bay or outside of the Richmond area then courses can be organised on demand so please contact Krista for details.

For further information or to register contact Krista Hobday - Road Safety Co-ordinator, Tasman District Council

Alternatively you can register online at www.tasman.govt.nz/link/motorbike-course.

Tasman Cycle Trail Loop Progress

The last issue of Newsline (issue 242) highlighted the Richmond Deviation Cycleway project which is due for completion by the end of April 2011.

Another segment of the Tasman Cycle Trail Loop is being developed along Ranzau Road. Work involves the widening of the existing footpath and will provide a shared path for school children walking to Ranzau school as well as future trail cyclists. The work should be completed by mid-February 2011. For more information contact Bill Gilbertson, Contract Supervisor, Ph 021 262 8620.

The next link of the cycle trail will be from the Appleby Overbridge (SH60) to Ranzau Road along the old railway reserve. Council is in discussion with the New Zealand Transport Agency, which manages the state highway network and is the owner of the railway reserve, and it is hoped that this link will be completed by June/July 2011.

Get on Your Bike This February!

Bike Wise is back again this February so it is a great excuse to get on your bike and give cycling a go. You don’t have to wear lyrca and you don’t have to cycle endless kilometres to take part in one of the many free and fun activities happening during February in the Tasman District.

Go by Bike Day

The first Bike Wise activities to take place are the Go by Bike day breakfasts. These are being held at various places in the District and anyone out and about on their bike that morning will receive a free breakfast snack. Locations of these breakfasts are:

Takaka – Tuesday 15 February 2011 – outside The Quiet Revolution, between 7.30 am and 9.30 am
Murchison - Wednesday 16 February 2011 – outside the Tasman District Council offices on Fairfax Street, between 8.30 am and 9.30 am
Motueka - Wednesday 16 February 2011 – outside the Museum on High Street, between 7.30 am and 9.30 am
Richmond - Wednesday 16 February 2011 – outside Village Cycles on Queen Street, between 7.30 am and 9.30 am

Family Fun Rides

There will be Family Fun Rides in Takaka, Motueka and Richmond, similar to previous years. These rides are open to all cyclists from the young to the old and each ride has different length routes to suit all ages and abilities of cyclists.

The Takaka ride is on Sunday 20 February 2011. This ride starts from Central Takaka School at 1.00 pm and cyclists will ride together to East Takaka Domain, take part in one of the activities taking place at the Domain and then cycle back at their own pace to the school. Families are encouraged to make the most of the afternoon and bring a picnic to enjoy whilst at the domain and then take their time to cycle back to the school.

The Motueka Family Fun Ride takes place on Sunday 27 February 2011 from the Skate Park on Old Wharf Road at 1.00pm. Cyclists can either choose from a short route of approximately 4kms long or a longer route of approximately 11kms long.

On Saturday 5 March 2011 is the joint Tear Fund and Family Fun Ride. The ride starts at Annesbrook Church on Saxton Road at 9.00 am. There are three route options from a short 3km family loop, easy 13km loop and intermediate 38km loop. You can either just take part in ride as a fun family cycle or challenge yourself to raise funds for local and overseas Tear Fund projects. Everyone that registers for this ride goes into the draw to win an Avanti bike.
Register for free at www.povertycycle.org.nz

Bike Wise Challenge

The Bike Wise Challenge is running throughout the whole month of February. This is a fun and free competition open to any organisation in New Zealand. The aim of the competition is to get as many of your colleagues to ride a bike for just 10 minutes or 2 km over the four week Challenge period. Winners are calculated on the percentage of participation in their department or organisation (based on the total number of staff/members in the organisation).
To register for this challenge log in on the Bike Wise website www.bikewisechallenge.co.nz.

Hall and Reserve Management Committees - Triennial Elections

Management Committees are groups of volunteers who look after some of our Districts halls and reserves on behalf of Tasman District Council, taking care of bookings/usage and maintenance. The committees are elected three yearly and the next round of elections begin next month.

Pakawau Hall Committee Triennial Election Meeting to be held at Pakawau Hall at 7.30pm on Tuesday 8 February 2011.

Wakefield Village Hall Committee Triennial Election Meeting to be held at the Wakefield Village Hall at 7.30 pm on Monday 7 March 2011.

For further information please contact Francie Wafer - Community Services Administrator, Tasman District Council

Old Memorial Library Site Community Consultation

Council has requested that the Golden Bay Community Board conduct the consultation regarding the future use of the old library site in Takaka. The old library, which was leased at the time of the fire, was insured.

This is a Local Purpose Reserve and any use must be compatible with the principle or primary purpose of the reserve, which is “for the purpose of providing and retaining areas for such educational, community, social or other local purposes.”

Some options which may be appropriate for the site are:

Remove the hardfill, place topsoil in the area and develop to complement the existing reserve.
A new building which satisfies the requirement of a community building, either on the footprint of the existing building or elsewhere on the site. With any building option, parking requirements need to be factored in.
As the current playground is due for a substantial upgrade, there is an opportunity to site it anywhere within this reserve. Let us know what is important to you in the design of a playground and where on the reserve you think it should be sited.
A change of reserve status to enable alternative/commercial uses. This requires public notice and a council hearing with the Minister of Conservation making the final decision.
Any different suggestions /ideas.

Please let us know what you would like to see on the site by writing to:

Golden Bay Community Board, Tasman District Council, PO Box 74, Takaka or by emailing gbcb@tasman.govt.nz

Consultation closes 11th February 2010.

Tasman Nelson Environment Awards – 2010 Winner Profiles

Weedbusters Muster an Army

The Rocklands Road Weedbuster group in Golden Bay was started out of desperation, says facilitator Chris Rowse.

“Several properties were doing a lot to eliminate fruiting banana passion wine from their land, so we then started to have working bees at different properties to try and help the landowners to tackle hard areas.”

From there the Weedbusters – which shared the Community and Neighbourhood Group prize in the recent Tasman Nelson Environment Awards – gained three-year funding from the Department of Conservation’s Biodiversity Condition Fund. This money will be stretched to four years and has allowed the group to employ weed control workers to slash and poison banana passion vine, wonga wonga vine, old man’s beard and perfumed jasmine on 14 properties, a total area of 180ha that included challenging limestone cliffs and deep gullies. Those properties will be kept clear of seedlings.

The next stage is to include another 30 properties (300ha), on the western side of Rocklands Road, from Birds Road to Packards Road. A third zone is planned for the adjacent Pohara area.

“By bringing together a large group of people, a problem that many owners described as ‘overwhelming’ has been made manageable,” says Chris, who paid tribute to assistance from Tasman District Council biosecurity officers, DOC, Forest and Bird and the QEII Trust.

The Spinyback Tuatara Education and Conservation Charitable Trust

Award co-winner the Spinyback Tuatara Education and Conservation Charitable Trust was formed in 2007 to help manage the tuatara on Stephen’s Island in the Marlborough Sounds, and to promote the protection of tuatara generally. Waimea Estates winery donates 5c from the sale of each bottle of its Spinyback range to the trust, which includes members from educational, conservation and iwi groups.

A roadshow that goes into primary and intermediate schools across the Top of the South allows children to see and learn about the rare animals, which look like lizards but are in fact the only surviving representatives of the Sphenodontia order, common during the dinosaur age about 200 million years ago.

A pair of tuatara resident at Natureland in Nelson are the stars of the roadshow. Trustees Mike Elkington and Louisa Paul tell students the scientific background and life cycle of the animal. Mike and Louisa have been trained by the Department of Conservation in how to handle the tuatara.