Latest news with #MarlboroughDistrictCouncil
Scoop
a day ago
- Business
- Scoop
Marlborough Mayor ‘Disappointed' By Sounds Air Cuts
Marlborough mayor Nadine Taylor says the loss of some critical Sounds Air routes and reduction of its fleet is a sad day for the region. Sounds Air announced on Monday they would be selling their fleet of Pilatus PC12 aircraft and axing their Blenheim to Christchurch and Christchurch to Wānaka routes from September 28. Ten staff would be made redundant. Sounds Air managing director Andrew Crawford said he was devastated, but the company could not contend with mounting costs and a weak New Zealand dollar. 'It will mean the loss of a number of our dedicated and skilled staff, but we are also hugely disappointed for our incredibly loyal customer base who rely on us to get around New Zealand not only for tourism and leisure purposes but also for regional access to critical healthcare and higher education, and to do business that contributes to New Zealand's regional economies,' Crawford said. Taylor said that Marlborough Airport, a subsidiary of the Marlborough District Council, had been working with the airline to navigate through challenging times. 'It is disappointing and sad for Marlborough to lose the Blenheim to Christchurch route. This service was particularly important as it provided a vital air link for Marlborough people to get to specialist treatment in Christchurch,' Taylor said. 'There is no other option to fly direct from Blenheim to Christchurch – this is now a four-hour drive. 'That is going to put additional pressure and stress on those who are already at their most vulnerable.' Taylor said she was frustrated that Sounds Air did not receive any government support, given the company contributed to regional connectivity, tourism, and economic growth. 'There is often talk of the regions being our country's powerhouses to be that, we need infrastructure, services, and connectivity,' Taylor said. 'If regions are to grow in the manner central Government wants, investment in this space is warranted and indeed necessary.' Destination Marlborough general manager Tracey Green said the loss of a direct connection to Christchurch was a 'significant blow'. 'Recent challenges with Air New Zealand and ferry services have compromised our connectivity,' Green said. 'These are tough economic times for everyone and Sounds Air has been a strong strategic partner for Marlborough, connecting our region with two of our main domestic markets, Christchurch and Wellington. 'The full impact of this loss in connectivity may not be immediately clear, but it's a real shame this is happening just ahead of the summer season, when we rely on those connections the most.' The airline's challenges came to light during Covid, and it had continued to struggle over the past five years. Crawford said a Pilatus engine that cost US$850,000 (NZ$1.42 million) just a few months ago was now being quoted at US$1.4m (NZ$2.3m), and the passenger safety levy from the Civil Aviation Authority rose 145%. A PC12 aircraft was recently sold to help ease the financial burden, and last year Sounds Air axed its Wellington to Taupō and Wellington to Westport routes. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Scoop
a day ago
- Health
- Scoop
Havelock Residents Relieved By Drinking Water U-Turn
Havelock residents are welcoming the Marlborough District Council's investigation into a temporary ultraviolet treatment system for Havelock's drinking water supply. Locals were blindsided last week when the council issued a boil water notice after updated guidance from water regulator Taumata Arowai, due to the risk of protozoa which could cause sickness. The notice would likely last until a new $14 million treatment plant opened in 2028, the council said last week. While the risk of protozoa had not changed, requirements under the Water Services Act 2021 had become more stringent, requiring multiple barriers, the council said. Havelock's current plant only used chlorine, whereas the planned plant would use chlorine, ultraviolet (UV) and filtration. Since the notice was issued, residents and business owners were considering spending thousands on buying their own UV treatment systems, rather than boil water for three years. But on Monday, the council's infrastructure and services general manager Richard Coningham said the council was looking into whether a temporary solution could be found, so the boil water notice could be lifted in a matter of weeks or months. 'We are working through a number of options and council engineers want to determine whether we have a workable solution by the end of this week,' Coningham said. The council was in talks with a number of parties, including local businesses, he said. 'In the meantime I suggest residents and businesses in Havelock hold off and do not invest in their own UV treatment system until council has assessed these options. 'They should also continue to boil their water for now.' The council would not describe what options they were exploring, but said residents could expect an update on the situation no later than Friday. Mills Bay Mussels business development manager Carlie Verhoef said she welcomed the news. 'It would be great, I think it would be the right thing for [council] to do, provided people [are paying] for water that's not drinkable,' Verhoef said. Verhoef said that they had already decided to hold off on purchasing their own UV water treatment system, in the hopes that the council would step in. 'I guess when they're getting pressure put on them, they'll make the move, so hopefully we won't need to.' Havelock bed and breakfast owner Kelly Ellis said she was puzzled by the council's sudden U-turn towards looking at a temporary UV treatment option. 'I'd like to know what's changed and why we were told that it couldn't be done, and then within a few days, told that there is a possible solution. 'I'm concerned about the lack of transparency here.' She said she spoke to a council water engineer in town on Friday who said there was nothing they could do. 'We were told it can't happen,' Ellis said. '[They said] 'we've got no land, we've got no building, and it can't be done'. 'We need people who say 'this can be done', rather than people who say we can't.' Ellis said she also spoke to Kaikōura MP, National's Stuart Smith on Friday. '[He] basically was apologising on behalf of the council,' Ellis said. 'I said to him, 'start representing your constituents rather than the council'. If the council was caught off guard by the notice, they should have fought back against Taumata Arowai and sought an injunction against the notice, she said. 'On the other hand, [Taumata Arowai] might say 'we've been telling these people down in Marlborough for years that they needed to sort this stuff out ... and [council have] dragged the chain shamefully'.' Smith said Taumata Arowai's decision to ask the council to issue the boil water notice was a long time coming, and not easily reversed. The council could bulk buy UV treatment systems and provide them on an individual basis, he said. 'I asked them to use their ability to borrow at a lower rate [to buy the UV systems] and have that added to [targeted] rates.' Further information and frequently asked questions could be found on the council website.
RNZ News
2 days ago
- Health
- RNZ News
Havelock residents told to boil water as council seeks solution
Photo: AFP The Marlborough District Council is considering temporarily treating Havelock's water supply with ultraviolet light after the regulator issued a boil water notice. Taumata Arowai issued the notice last Wednesday as a precautionary measure due to the risk of parasitic contamination. A new treatment plant was due to be completed by 2028, however, if a temporary solution was found the notice could be lifted well ahead of that date. Council assets and services manager Richard Coningham said the risk of contamination in Havelock had not changed, but the drinking water requirements in the Water Services Act 2021 were more stringent. Water supplies in New Zealand required a multi-barrier approach - a range of processes, procedures and tools to protect and treat water. "Although chlorine is used in the Havelock supply, it doesn't protect from the risk - however small - of protozoa getting into the supply," Coningham said. Protozoa are single-celled parasites, like cryptosporidium and giardia, that make can make people sick. They can be removed from water with filters or inactivated using UV light so they do not pose a health risk. People in Havelock were being told to boil water used for drinking, cooking, brushing teeth and washing food. Coningham said the council was working through a number of options and planned to have a solution by the end of the week. The new $14 million water treatment plant planned for Havelock would use a multi-barrier approach, including filtration, chlorine and UV. "The plant upgrade has been planned for some years and budget is set aside in the council's Long Term Plan. However it has been difficult to secure a new site, with few land options available in the town or nearby," Coningham said. The council had now found a site and was planning and designing a new treatment plant, for completion in early 2028. Land purchase negotiations were in the final stages and a new road would be built to provide access. Construction tendering would follow.
Scoop
5 days ago
- Business
- Scoop
Council Pushes Ahead With Changes Despite Government's ‘Plan-Stop' Policy
Marlborough's council will charge ahead with changes aimed at airline safety, despite the Government pushing pause on plan amendments. The district council's environment plan changes aim to ensure buildings or objects that could compromise aircraft safety could not be built close to Marlborough's three airports. Resource Management Act (RMA) reform minister Chris Bishop announced on Wednesday the Government wants to stop councils from passing amendments to environment and land use plans. Councils should not be wasting resources on making changes to plans under the RMA, ahead of major reforms expected in 2027, he said. 'Even though councils know the RMA's days are numbered, many are required to continue with time-consuming, expensive plan-making processes under the RMA,' Bishop said. 'The Government's intention is that stopping plan requirements for councils will enable them to focus on critical work to prepare to transition to the new system.' Councils would be required to withdraw any planned changes that had not progressed to hearings within 90 days of the RMA Amendment Bill coming into effect in early August. The Marlborough District Council environment and planning committee unanimously voted to prepare a change to their Proposed Marlborough Environment Plan on Thursday, 24 hours after Bishop's announcement. Council strategic planner Clementine Rankin said the planned change would ensure buildings or objects that could compromise aircraft safety could not be built within the vicinity of Marlborough's three airports. 'For safety purposes, it's critical to provide protection for air corridors used in approaches to, and departures from, our airports,' Rankin said. 'It is a civil aviation safety issue when structures like buildings or frost fans penetrate into [air corridors].' Visual and structural objects that penetrated into an airport's approach air space were already prohibited under Civil Aviation Authority rules. But the council could not legally deny resource consents for people who wanted to build those objects without a change to the Proposed Marlborough Environment Plan. Rankin said there were recently constructed frost fans that had become a safety risk. 'This issue has occurred due to the focus [in rural zoning] on noise only. 'The controlled activity rule does not include an airport protection standard.' Rankin said that the council would move forward with the plan change, despite Bishop's announcement, and would ask the Environment Minister for an exemption if they had to. Only private plan changes, natural hazard changes, and changes directed by the minister were automatically exempt. All other exemptions had to be requested from the minister within three months of the policy becoming law. Councillor David Croad greeted the announcement with a shake of his head, calling it 'disingenuous'. 'I don't often participate in politics, but yesterday's plan-stop thing, [saying] 'we're stopping that because we want to save ratepayers' money', it's a little bit disingenuous in my opinion,' Croad said. 'Ultimately it implies that the staff that we have in our planning departments are going to go home and go off payroll for a period of time. 'We have great people in this building and it takes a while to build good teams. 'We just don't get to turn these things on and off at will.'
Scoop
5 days ago
- Climate
- Scoop
Northbank Road To Open Overnight
Press Release – Marlborough District Council From Monday to Friday the slip will continue to be open overnight and then closed from 9am to 4pm daily. Following requests from the community, there will be an additional opening on Wednesdays from 12pm to 1pm, starting this coming Wednesday 23 July. As crews continue to work across the region following the June-July weather event, there is some good news for Northbank Road residents today with the road now open overnight under stop/go traffic light management from 4pm today. 'Marlborough Roads' crews have continued to work at multiple sites on Northbank Road and its side roads to regain access. The crew at the slip, 2km from the start of the road have made some great progress this week,' Marlborough Roads System Manager Wayne Oldfield said. 'They have managed to establish a catch bench at the base of the slip to collect any uncontrolled rockfalls. This means that we can now open the road overnight under stop/go traffic light management so from 4pm the road will be opened under traffic lights for the weekend.' The slip will be inspected throughout the day and if deemed unsafe the road will be closed and an update sent via Council's Facebook Page and Antenno. Mr Oldfield said the slip was complex and had contained around 25,000 tonnes of rock, was around 40m in height and 60m in length. 'At this stage, we are unable to have a lunchtime opening every day due to the additional time this would add for the overall timeline of works. We want to get as much clearance works completed on the slip as we can while the weather is more stable. 'The openings will continue to be reviewed and if there is an opportunity to increase them safely, this will be done,' Mr Oldfield said. From Monday to Friday the slip will continue to be open overnight and then closed from 9am to 4pm daily. Following requests from the community, there will be an additional opening on Wednesdays from 12pm to 1pm, starting this coming Wednesday 23 July. Mr Oldfield said when people were travelling near or past work sites across the region, they should ensure they keep outside any fences or barriers for their safety and adhere to, and do not move, any traffic or safety management in place. Marlborough Roads' crews have also been working to clear a second major slip 17km from the start of the Northbank Road this week. This section of the road is now open to one lane and will remain under stop/go traffic light management. 'Work continues on Noel's Bridge, further down Northbank Road, to regain access. The bridge will be accessible to residents for essential travel including heavy vehicles from 4pm this afternoon. 'Next week, there will be rock protection work at both Top Valley Bridge and Noel's Bridge, along with other work sites so people should expect multiple delays,' Mr Oldfield said. Flyers have been distributed to the Northbank and Onamalutu community with Council's Facebook page, website, road Alerts and Antenno messages regularly updated.
