Latest news with #Hewitson
Otago Daily Times
13-05-2025
- General
- Otago Daily Times
‘A nightmare every damn day': farmer
Poultry farmer Nigel Hewitson at his Tisbury poultry farm last week. PHOTO: NINA TAPU Invercargill poultry farmer Nigel Hewitson is living a "nightmare every damn day". Mr Hewitson spoke at the public forum of the Invercargill City Council's community wellbeing and regulatory committee meeting last week . Mr Hewitson said since September last year the noise from a nearby housing development had disturbed the 5000 hens on his Tisbury poultry farm, causing him and his employees distress. "The noise and vibration of the development stressed the hens out," he said. "They were attacking each other." The hens lost their appetite and their condition, and egg production dropped. In particular, the machine used to compact the construction site was "like earthquakes" to the hens. Hens had no muscles in their feet and felt the vibration throughout their bodies, he said. It was very upsetting for staff members to pick up the dead bodies of the chickens, he said. "I'm living this nightmare every damn day and it plays on you." When he talked to a council staff member in November he was told the project complied with the Resource Management Act (RMA), he said. "I'm tired of fighting people because all I ever get out of the city council office is 'there's nothing we can do ... oh, this is a unique situation'." He could not understand why the RMA part of the consent had been signed off as not affecting anyone else, he said. He believed the council was remiss because the welfare of animals had not been considered when the consent was approved. The poultry farm was established on the property in 1938 and was one of the oldest businesses in the region, he said. He was also concerned where the stormwater from the 40-plus houses in the development would go. Mr Hewitson said the birds were now so affected by noise even a cough or sneeze caused them to panic and run to the end of the shed, where they piled up. Some had died of smothering as a result of the pile-up. Mr Hewitson said he had been advised by a council staff member to contact the Ministry for Primary Industries as the noise was an animal welfare issue. After an MPI staff member visited they issued a compliance order to the developer giving it 14 days to work with him to resolve the issue, Mr Hewitson said. When the company failed to do so, he appealed to the High Court as his "only option", he said. "I was picking up deceased animals all the time and I had to do that because nobody had my back." The emotional and financial toll of the situation was high. He was still feeding the hens the same amount of food, but production was halved and there were lawyer's fees as well. Cr Grant Dermody asked how Mr Hewitson would like to see the situation resolved. Mr Hewitson said the only way he could make a living from the land was through poultry farming and he did not want to give up his business. Cr Dermody then asked if Mr Hewitson could co-exist with the development until it was finished. Mr Hewitson said it was possible. However, there would need to be give and take and at present it seemed like he was the only one giving, he said. After Mr Hewitson's presentation, committee chairman Darren Ludlow said it was important to acknowledge the distress Mr Hewitson was experiencing. Council consenting and environment group manager Jonathan Shaw was investigating the matter. Mr Shaw spoke to the meeting and said while he had met Mr Hewitson it was too soon for him to report what he had found out. Cr Ludlow asked for a timeline of when Mr Shaw would make his report. It was agreed Mr Shaw would share his findings with Mr Hewitson within 14 days and report back to the committee when it met next month.
Otago Daily Times
07-05-2025
- General
- Otago Daily Times
'A nightmare every damn day'
Invercargill poultry farmer Nigel Hewitson is living a ''nightmare every damn day''. Mr Hewitson spoke at the public forum of the Invercargill City Council's community wellbeing and regulatory committee meeting this week . Mr Hewitson said since September last year the noise from a nearby housing development had disturbed the 5000 hens on his Tisbury poultry farm, causing him and his employees distress. ''The noise and vibration of the development stressed the hens out,'' he said. ''They were attacking each other.'' The hens lost their appetite and their condition, and egg production dropped. In particular, the machine used to compact the construction site was ''like earthquakes'' to the hens. Hens had no muscles in their feet and felt the vibration throughout their bodies, he said. It was very upsetting for staff members to pick up the dead bodies of the chickens, he said. ''I'm living this nightmare every damn day and it plays on you.'' When he talked to a council staff member in November he was told the project complied with the Resource Management Act (RMA), he said. ''I'm tired of fighting people because all I ever get out of the city council office is 'there's nothing we can do ... oh, this is a unique situation'''. He could not understand why the RMA part of the consent had been signed off as not affecting anyone else, he said. He believed the council was remiss because the welfare of animals had not been considered when the consent was approved. The poultry farm was established on the property in 1938 and was one of the oldest businesses in the region, he said. He was also concerned where the stormwater from the 40 plus houses in the development would go. Mr Hewitson said the birds were now so affected by noise even a cough or sneeze caused them to panic and run to the end of the shed, where they piled up. Some had died of smothering as a result of the pile-up. Mr Hewitson said he had been advised by a council staff member to contact the Ministry for Primary Industries as the noise was an animal welfare issue. After an MPI staff member visited they issued a compliance order to the developer giving it 14 days to work with him to resolve the issue, Mr Hewitson said. When the company failed to do so, he appealed to the High Court as his ''only option'', he said. ''I was picking up deceased animals all the time and I had to do that because nobody had my back.'' The emotional and financial toll of the situation was high. He was still feeding the hens the same amount of food, but production was halved and there were lawyer's fees as well. Cr Grant Dermody asked how Mr Hewitson would like to see the situation resolved. Mr Hewitson said the only way he could make a living from the land was through poultry farming and he did not want to give up his business. Cr Dermody then asked if Mr Hewitson could co-exist with the development until it was finished. Mr Hewitson said it was possible. However, there would need to be give and take and at present it seemed like he was the only one giving, he said. After Mr Hewitson's presentation, committee chairman Darren Ludlow said it was important to acknowledge the distress Mr Hewitson was experiencing. Council consenting and environment group manager Jonathan Shaw was investigating the matter. Mr Shaw spoke to the meeting and said while he had met Mr Hewitson it was too soon for him to report what he had found out. Cr Ludlow asked for a timeline of when Mr Shaw would make his report. It was agreed Mr Shaw would share his findings with Mr Hewitson within 14 days and report back to the committee when it met next month. - By Sandy Eggleston
Otago Daily Times
07-05-2025
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Development noise ‘stressed hens out'
Poultry farmer Nigel Hewitson at his Tisbury poultry farm yesterday. PHOTO: NINA TAPU Invercargill poultry farmer Nigel Hewitson is living a ''nightmare every damn day''. Mr Hewitson spoke at the public forum of the Invercargill City Council's community wellbeing and regulatory committee meeting this week . Mr Hewitson said since September last year the noise from a nearby housing development had disturbed the 5000 hens on his Tisbury poultry farm, causing him and his employees distress. ''The noise and vibration of the development stressed the hens out,'' he said. ''They were attacking each other.'' The hens lost their appetite and their condition, and egg production dropped. In particular, the machine used to compact the construction site was ''like earthquakes'' to the hens. Hens had no muscles in their feet and felt the vibration throughout their bodies, he said. It was very upsetting for staff members to pick up the dead bodies of the chickens, he said. ''I'm living this nightmare every damn day and it plays on you.'' When he talked to a council staff member in November he was told the project complied with the Resource Management Act (RMA), he said. ''I'm tired of fighting people because all I ever get out of the city council office is 'there's nothing we can do ... oh, this is a unique situation'''. He could not understand why the RMA part of the consent had been signed off as not affecting anyone else, he said. He believed the council was remiss because the welfare of animals had not been considered when the consent was approved. The poultry farm was established on the property in 1938 and was one of the oldest businesses in the region, he said. He was also concerned where the stormwater from the 40 plus houses in the development would go. Mr Hewitson said the birds were now so affected by noise even a cough or sneeze caused them to panic and run to the end of the shed, where they piled up. Some had died of smothering as a result of the pile-up. Mr Hewitson said he had been advised by a council staff member to contact the Ministry for Primary Industries as the noise was an animal welfare issue. After an MPI staff member visited they issued a compliance order to the developer giving it 14 days to work with him to resolve the issue, Mr Hewitson said. When the company failed to do so, he appealed to the High Court as his ''only option'', he said. ''I was picking up deceased animals all the time and I had to do that because nobody had my back.'' The emotional and financial toll of the situation was high. He was still feeding the hens the same amount of food, but production was halved and there were lawyer's fees as well. Cr Grant Dermody asked how Mr Hewitson would like to see the situation resolved. Mr Hewitson said the only way he could make a living from the land was through poultry farming and he did not want to give up his business. Cr Dermody then asked if Mr Hewitson could co-exist with the development until it was finished. Mr Hewitson said it was possible. However, there would need to be give and take and at present it seemed like he was the only one giving, he said. After Mr Hewitson's presentation, committee chairman Darren Ludlow said it was important to acknowledge the distress Mr Hewitson was experiencing. Council consenting and environment group manager Jonathan Shaw was investigating the matter. Mr Shaw spoke to the meeting and said while he had met Mr Hewitson it was too soon for him to report what he had found out. Cr Ludlow asked for a timeline of when Mr Shaw would make his report. It was agreed Mr Shaw would share his findings with Mr Hewitson within 14 days and report back to the committee when it met next month. - By Sandy Eggleston
South China Morning Post
15-04-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Lyle Hewitson hopes Highland Rahy can elevate at Happy Valley, while Ricky Yiu cops a HK$75k fine
Highland Rahy breaks the Class Four 1,650m record at the Valley under Lyle Hewitson. Photos: Kenneth Chan Lyle Hewitson is hopeful Highland Rahy can dispel a class rise query when the in-form galloper chases a hat-trick at Happy Valley on Wednesday night. A winner at Gowran Park in Ireland pre-import, Highland Rahy took 13 starts to break his Hong Kong duck and made it back-to-back victories at the city circuit when eclipsing the Class Four 1,650m track record on his latest appearance. However, the Francis Lui Kin-wai-trained gelding faces a tougher test rising to Class Three in Wednesday night's Chamomile Handicap (1,650m). He bumps into several proven performers in the grade, headlined by last-start winner Aestheticism and the consistent Embraces. Hewitson believes Highland Rahy has to elevate on his two all-the-way victories at the course and distance of Wednesday night's race. Strong win! 💪 Highland Rahy makes all in the Ireland Trophy at Happy Valley with @LyleHewitson for Francis Lui... 🏆#HappyWednesday | #HKracing — HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) March 12, 2025 'I have my reservations of what he'll be like in Class Three but with that said, he's clearly started to acclimatise to Hong Kong as we've seen in his recent two runs,' Hewitson said. 'You can't take away from the fact that he's just run the class record last time out. It was a solid effort and I think one thing that will benefit him is being a strong galloper down in weight. 'There's a couple in there with chances and it's quite an open race. The difference between Class Three and Class Four for a horse like him is they are going to have a turn of foot and enjoy the pace that he sets, so it makes his task harder. 'But the fact he's got a lighter weight, he should be able to keep running. I think it will be a tough task, but I think he'll acquit himself well.' Highland Rahy drops 14 pounds to carry 118 and jumps from barrier seven. Of his other seven rides at the midweek meeting, Hewitson fancies the Lui-trained King Miles to run a bold race from gate nine in the first section of the Class Three Violet Handicap (1,200m). 'If I had to single one out on the night that can maybe take a step forward, it would be him,' Hewitson said. 'He's always getting bad barriers, always going back and looking quite good in the finish. I think we've got to start taking luck out of the equation and be more positive on him. 'He gives me a really nice feel. If he had an inside draw, I would think he'd be a leading chance. If he overcomes that, he could be one of the horses to keep an eye on.' Meanwhile, trainer Ricky Yiu Poon-fai was fined HK$75,000 on Monday for failing to ensure Dragon Air Force was free of any prohibited substance when he ran second on the Sha Tin dirt on February 12. An illegal level of omeprazole, which is used to treat gastric ulcers, was detected in Dragon Air Force's post-race urine sample. 'A comprehensive joint investigation conducted by Racing Security and Integrity Assurance and the stipendiary stewards, which included a detailed review of the stable close circuit television, interviews with stable staff allocated to Mr Yiu and a review of treatment and medication records, did not identify the cause of the detection of omeprazole in the post-race urine sample,' chief steward Marc van Gestel said in a statement. Dragon Air Force was disqualified from his second placing on February 12.
South China Morning Post
18-03-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Lyle Hewitson eyes Happy Valley feature before Hong Kong Derby bid on Steps Ahead
Lyle Hewitson has high hopes for Full Credit at Happy Valley and Steps Ahead in the Hong Kong Derby on Sunday. Photos: Kenneth Chan Lyle Hewitson hopes to strike on Full Credit in Wednesday night's feature at Happy Valley before chasing BMW Hong Kong Derby (2,000m) glory on Steps Ahead on Sunday. The South African jockey continues his association with Full Credit in the Class Two Sports Handicap (1,200m), having ridden the Mark Newnham-trained gelding in all but three of his 15 career starts. A three-time winner last season, the son of Va Pensiero has won on the Sha Tin dirt and added six placings in an ultra-consistent campaign heading into the highlight of Wednesday night's nine-race card. It will be his second start at the city circuit after he ran a close third to Brave Star on his first attempt in November. Nice one, Full Credit! 🙌 Mark Newnham scoops a double at Sha Tin as the speedster becomes a winner on the dirt as well as turf with @LyleHewitson... #LoveRacing | #HKracing — HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) December 29, 2024 'His form speaks for itself and he's a genuine horse,' Hewitson said. 'It's a very good race, he's got an awkward draw [barrier seven] and he's yet to win at the Valley, but he's just consistent and with a good run, I think he's an obvious chance. 'For me, it's working out where we're going to be on the speed map. He seems to have enjoyed sitting off them in recent times. Now up in class, a lot of these horses have early speed and this race looks no different. We're not just hell-bent on leading now, we'll just decide what's going to be the best option for him.' A fast-finishing third to Magic Control down the Sha Tin straight last start, Full Credit must overcome tough opposition headlined by the in-form Beauty Destiny and fellow last-start winners Aurora Lady, Son Pak Fu and Gustosismo in the Sports Handicap. Frankie Lor Fu-chuen's Beauty Destiny has won four of his past five starts – all over 1,200m at the Valley. Hewitson also rated Wonder Kit a top chance in the Class Three Tin Lok Handicap (1,200m) while Smiling Emperor, One For All, Casa Rochester and Notthesillyone are his other midweek rides. The 27-year-old will then switch his focus to an upset in the city's most prestigious race on Sunday, with Steps Ahead tackling the Derby after finishing strongly for fifth behind Rubylot in the Classic Cup (1,800m) on March 2. 'I'm realistic of the fact that his rating reflects his ability and he's up against it on the ratings,' Hewitson said of the 83-rater. 'But what I do like about him is he's a tactically versatile horse and he's very easy to ride, so I'm not going out there knowing I have to switch him off or I have to send him to the front. 'I can ride him completely according to the draw and how the race unfolds and I think that's a nice trick to have up your sleeve, knowing you're on a horse that can adapt to situations easily.' Hewitson believes the mile will be Steps Ahead's preferred distance in the future, but he doesn't need to be a stayer to make an impact in the Derby. 'We know that four-year-olds in their own age group and the Derby especially, you don't need to be a 10-furlong horse to go well in it,' Hewitson said. 'He's an 1,800m winner – yes it was off a slow pace and he had all the favours, but he also ran well in the Classic Cup. We're adding on an extra furlong and whether he gets it truly or not, I think his genuine side will help him get the trip.'
