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Otago Daily Times
7 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Wilding pine problem at ‘tipping point' in Southland
Wild conifer trees are running rife in Southland with fears some areas could be overtaken in the next 30 years. The region is now at a "tipping point" as trees spread aggressively through high country, farmland and conservation areas, councillors have been warned. These grisly details were captured in an Environment Southland report presented to council last Wednesday, which one elected member described as "sobering". A species of concern was the Douglas fir which was wreaking havoc for a number of reasons including the distance its seed could travel, a tolerance to the climate, and commercial popularity. Its spread was accelerating at a rate which current investment and control could not keep up with, the report said. "Without further intervention, vast areas of Northern Southland could be overtaken within 30 years, resulting in irreversible environmental and economic loss." Productive land, native ecosystems and landscapes were all at risk because of rapidly spreading conifers — especially Douglas fir, the report said. It noted that Southland risked passing a "point of no return" under its current response. Meanwhile, costs rose by 30% every year removal was delayed, and the $24.6 million spent on the problem since 2016 could end up going to waste without follow-up work. Councillor Eric Roy said the battle was being lost, and called for immediate action such as limiting where trees could be planted. "This is one of the most sobering reports I've read in some time," he said. Council chair Nicol Horrell said there had been conversations with Government ministers who were aware of the problem. The Government had committed "quite a bit" of money as part if its shovel ready projects, but it would all be wasted if control work couldn't keep up, he said. Mid Dome Wilding Trees Charitable Trust covers an area of more than 68,000 hectares in Northern Southland, and was one such example of a group struggling under reduced budgets. The trust aims to control wilding pines from the Mid Dome area before handing over the control of any wilding re-growth to landowners. Last year, it expressed concern all of its work was at risk and called on the council to increase its funding after 18 years of stagnancy. A series of recommended steps were included in the council report such as clarifying roles and responsibilities, securing long-term funding, and supporting landowners and community action. Wilding conifers are invasive weeds that threaten to permanently alter New Zealand's landscapes, the Doc website states. When conifer cones mature, they open to release masses of wind-blown seeds which can travel kilometres, according to Doc. — LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air
RNZ News
7 hours ago
- RNZ News
Homeless people ordered to leave church grounds by Christchurch Council have 'nowhere to go'
A group of homeless people living on a church's grounds in Christchurch will have nowhere to go if the city council moves against the impromptu encampment, advocates say. About ten people call a carpark at Holy Trinity Avonside home. The Christchurch City Council has issued an abatement notice "requiring the property to cease being used, or allowed to be used, as a campground". The council would consider further action if nothing changed by Friday. But church community workers said the group, who lived in tents, busses and - in one case - a shed, had complex circumstances that led to their living situation. But, most importantly, they had nowhere else to go. The carpark at Holy Trinity Avonside. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon Community worker River Rain said a trust - Te Puna Ora - was being established to take over the work of the church. "We're not a campground and we're very clear on the fact that camping is something you do as a leisure activity - that's not what's happening here. We are meeting a need for people who don't have anywhere else to go," Rain said. The church first allowed freedom campers to use the carpark, but increasingly it was the homeless who were turning up for help and a place to stay. Rain said he hoped the church - and the trust that would takeover its work - could find a "creative solution" with the help of the council. But those who now called the carpark home said they had few options left. Will Kenneally was one of those living in the carpark. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon Will Kenneally had been living at the carpark for about six months. He had health issues which prevented him working and about a year ago was attacked. Kenneally's head was stomped on, fracturing his skull and breaking his nose and a tooth. He felt safe staying at the church - the first time he had felt that way in a long time. "Now I can actually go to sleep and I don't have to worry about someone pounding on the window at three in the morning trying to hustle me or take things off me or trying to take the van off me," he said. A couple of the tents set up in the church grounds. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon The church had also provided the support he needed to heal. The idea of the council closing the site down was terrifying. "If you're cruel, you only hurt your own soul. But if you're kind, you will heal many souls. That's how I see it," Kenneally said. "Thoughtless words can destroy many hearts, but wisely spoken words will heal many hearts, and they're going out of their way to be cruel. "I only have to walk from there to there and I'm in a church - that makes a really big difference... When you have that emotional support, it means a lot more than even having a bed, in my eyes." Christina Karaitiana had been living in the carpark for about three months with her partner, who was currently in hospital. Christina Karaitiana had been at the carpark for about three months. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon Karaitiana also had health problems, including a pacemaker. "There's a lot of people not even helping us, but ever since we've been at this Holy Trinity Church, the people here have been really great - supportive. They've been really wonderful," she said. She feared what would have happened to herself and her partner if they had not had a bus to sleep in over winter. "Out on the street in the cold," Karaitiana said, when asked where she would be without Holy Trinity. "We could have ended up really cold, having pneumonia. We could've even died. If it wasn't for this place, we wouldn't be here." Alastair Linfoot, who would serve as a trustee for Te Puna Ora, said he understood what those staying at the church were going through. Alastair Linfoot would serve a trustee for Te Puna Ora. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon "A year ago I was in a similar position to these guys - living in my car," he said. "So it's relatable - it means a lot to me because I had people help me and people gave me hope and now I'm a full time student, doing really well, living in a house and hope for the future. I want to be able to help and pass on that hope through what... the workers here are doing." His experience demonstrated how precarious many people's lives were. "We're all just one, might not even be a bad, decision away from being homeless or living in our cars," Linfoot said. "It's really tough out there. We have people living out in tents who work full-time jobs, families living in cars that can't survive because of the cost of living. It's kind of atrocious really." One of the concerns raised about high concentrations of homeless people was crime. But Bryan Gilchrist, another trustee, said the work of the church was dispelling that myth. Bryan Gilchrist was a trustee at the church. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon "My office overlooks the carpark next to Beverly Park and for so long it was home to the unhoused and to freedom campers and I would witness drug deals, altercations, so much littering. It was mind boggling. Even when council posted the no camping notice it still occurred, it still transpired," he said. "Then these folks came into the picture and offered them a space here and ... it feels like it has changed the landscape for this area and for the better. "They have provided a community for these folks. A reason to be, a reason to do something, a reason to get up. They provide food, they provide the shelter, they provide that community support that these folks really lack when they are unhoused and that mahi has been terrific to observe." Iain MacInnes, another community worker at the church, said they had worked to build relationships with other community service providers so they could help those staying at the site with their physical and mental health, access to employment and, ultimately, housing. Iain MacInnes, a community worker at the church. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon Some who had stayed at the carpark had now found permanent homes, he said. But for those living at the church at present, it was about building a sense of community and belonging, MacInnes said. The advocates agreed homelessness was increasing. River Rain said they were guided by the church's principles. River Rain said she couldn't turn her back on those in need. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon "My boss - the vicar - is very motivated by a verse in Matthew that talks about Jesus commanding us to feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, and care for the sick, and at the core of our work that's what we felt called to do," he said. "At this point we've gotten to know the people, we've gotten to know the stories and we've gotten to know the need. And I don't see any way that I could turn my back on that." A Christchurch City Council spokesperson said an abatement notice had been issued. "Council has issued an Abatement Notice requiring the property to cease being used, or allowed to be used, as a campground. The compliance date is 5pm on 22 August 2025. If the notice is not complied with, further enforcement action will be considered," the spokesperson said. "As the compliance date has not yet been reached, we are unable to comment on the outcome at this stage. "Staff continue to liaise with community organisations who support the homeless community and currently contract Christchurch City Mission to deliver on-the-street outreach workers. "Council recognises the need for a citywide strategy including community providers to deliver a collective process to address the issue and is in the early stages of planning this." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
8 hours ago
- RNZ News
Erebus memorial: Christchurch City Council endorses Avon River, Cashmere sites
One of the sites proposed by the Ministry of Culture and Heritage and endorsed by Christchurch City Council is Cracroft Reserve. Photo: RNZ / Samantha Gee Two Christchurch sites have been formally offered as potential locations for a national Erebus memorial, one on the banks of the Avon River in the central city and another nestled in a Cashmere Hills reserve with views of the Southern Alps. Families of the 257 people who died in the Antarctic sightseeing flight that crashed into Mt Erebus in 1979 have advocated for a memorial for decades, with some saying they had given up hope of seeing one in their lifetimes. A proposal for a memorial in Auckland's Dove-Myer Robinson Park was abandoned in 2023 following significant public opposition and damage caused by Cyclone Gabrielle. At a Christchurch City Council meeting on Wednesday, councillors voted in favour of the Cracroft Reserve and Avon River sites proposed by the Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Staff recommended the council vote to offer a single site because offering two would introduce "additional complexity and delays" but councillors suggested a choice would be preferable, partly because of the short council consultation period with families. Office of the mayor and civic services manager Duncan Sandeman acknowledged the "strong preference" of many Erebus families to build the memorial in Auckland . "That is where the original commitment was made and that desire remains clearly understood and respected by us. However due to prolonged delays in securing a viable site in Auckland, [the ministry] has been exploring alternative locations," he said. The offer was made with care and respect and was not meant to replace Auckland, but to provide the ministry and families with a viable alternative should Auckland prove no longer feasible, Sandeman said. "The absence of a national memorial for 46 years is distressing for those affected and clearly unacceptable. Ultimately, our role is to offer a site, not decide whether or where a memorial will be built," he said. Hornby councillor Mark Peters asked whether the national Air Force Museum at Wigram had been considered but Sandeman said it had been ruled out because of concerns the memorial could struggle to establish its own identity and the disaster was civil, not military. A number of councillors spoke in favour of bringing families of the Erebus victims to Christchurch to view the potential locations. Cashmere Ward councillor Tim Scandrett told the meeting residents he had spoken to were highly supportive but wanted to be sure the wishes of victims' families were considered. "The majority felt the process had been almost disrespectful to the families, and wanted to make sure [the memorial] was always welcoming," he said. Photo: RNZ / Samantha Gee Friends of Cracroft Reserve, a volunteer group that assists with the care and restoration of the three-hectare reserve, supported the proposal, Scandrett said. The reserve was "a truly special place", with its views over the city and towards the Southern Alps and had strong connections to the Erebus flight, he said. Scandrett supported the amended recommendation but said he would have preferred a single Cracroft Reserve proposal. Councillor Sara Templeton moved an amendment to offer both the Cashmere and Avon options. "I really hope for the families' sake that having two genuine offers here actually does kick Auckland into gear, because that is where the families would really like it, and I really hope that's what happens, but we are here if they need us," she said. All councillors voted in favour of the amended recommendation, with the exception of Jake McLellan who abstained. McLellan said he was "not across the line" on the proposal but hoped to support it in the future. "I worry that the pride we have for the city is clouding our judgement in terms of what is most appropriate. I'm also concerned we're perhaps handing Auckland an opportunity to not do their duty," he said. He hoped the proposal would have the opposite effect and encourage the Auckland council to "do what they should do, and have some courage". The tailpiece of the Air New Zealand bearing the 'Koru' the emblem of the airline lies amongst wreckage on Mt Erebus. The crash killed all 257 people onboard. Photo: Associated Press Photo The government committed to building a memorial in 2017 but it has been mired in controversy, protest and delay ever since. Last month three potential sites were shared with the Erebus families via online workshops - two council-owned (the Cracroft Reserve and Avon River sites) and the St James' Church grounds in Harewood. Sixty-five percent of those who responded to a survey supported locating the memorial in Christchurch, with 9 percent conditionally supportive and 26 percent opposed to siting it in the city. The Christchurch offer would be open for a year, allowing more time for consultation with Erebus families. Air New Zealand and Qantas began offering sightseeing flights to Antarctica in 1977. By the time the flights ended - Air New Zealand's at the time of the Erebus disaster and Qantas' in February 1980 - more than 10,000 people had taken the trip. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
