Latest news with #MaxFrethey
RNZ News
an hour ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
King runs for Tasman mayor one last time
Tasman's two-term incumbent mayor, Tim King, said this election will be his last. Photo: LDR / Max Frethey Tasman mayor Tim King has decided to run for the position once again, but he might not have if it wasn't for the two deluges which have left the district sodden and reeling. He said he had made the decision to seek re-election "27 times in the last six months". "I must have made it, and unmade it, and made it again multiple times." But the "final catalyst" for his decision were the repeated bouts of heavy rain which flooded communities across Tasman. "You do this job, obviously, as part of a community, and it is all about people," King said. "The last six weeks, [I've] definitely seen the people side of the community and all of its guises - the great things, the really difficult things, frustration, challenges, anger, all of the things that come out of these sorts of events - but it really reminds you of why you do this job." King, pictured ahead of surveying flood damage with Ministers David Seymour and Mark Mitchell, said Tasman's storms were the "final catalyst" to confirm his decision. Photo: Supplied/Tim Cuff He added that having several "very experienced" councillors choosing not to re-stand also played a role in his decision. "Providing people with the option of someone who has experience, both in the council generally and in the leadership role is, from my perspective, going to be quite important for the next council." That next council will have to grapple with a prolonged recovery from the June and July storms, similar financial problems to those faced by councils nationally, and significant central government reforms of the local government sector, King said. He saw his priority as moulding and leading the elected council "to get the best out of those people and all the different views that they're likely to bring to the table" as the council navigates though challenges. Despite his "umming and aahing" over whether he'll run again, King was certain that this election would be his last. "The one thing that hasn't changed in my mind is that, whether I'm successful or not this time around, this will definitely be the last time I put my name forward." He said the job had a "big impact" on your personal life. King also runs his own farm and was "passionate" about coaching children's sport. "This consumes a huge amount of your time, and you're never really off, there's no downtime, unless you get away, and I don't get away that often." King, pictured alongside Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Waimea Irrigators Ltd chair Murray King, opened the Waimea Community Dam earlier this year. King said he should be judged on his mayoral record. Photo: LDR / Max Frethey The "increasingly negative, and often quite personal" rhetoric about local government was also a factor weighing on his decision to run again. "It is quite a negative conversation around local government in general, as it has been for the last couple of years, and obviously this government has kind of amped that up to quite a degree over the last few months." King said that there was "no doubt" that atmosphere was dissuading people from running for council, beyond the time considerations. "I've talked to literally dozens of people who have thought about standing for local government in this election… there're maybe two people who have ultimately decided to put their hand up… which is very unfortunate, because the community deserves to have choice." King didn't think he would change many people's minds over the next few months and so his campaign was expected to be "pretty low-key" - "don't expect to see me popping up on social media, or popping up on Stuff ads, or too many billboards floating around" - as he relied on his track record over the last six years of his mayoralty. "As a sitting mayor… ultimately, you should be judged on what you have done, not necessarily what you say you might do in the future," he said. "Not everyone agrees with the decisions that I've made or the council's made. That is part of politics. If I didn't believe that I had done a reasonable job in the circumstances that have presented themselves in the last six years, I wouldn't have chosen to put my name forward." Running against King for mayor were Maxwell Clark, Richard Johns, Timo Neubauer, Richard Osmaston. Local Democracy Reporting is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air
RNZ News
21-07-2025
- Climate
- RNZ News
Popular Kaiteriteri Beach water quality downgraded to poor
The water quality at Tasman's popular Kaiteriteri Beach has been downgraded to "poor". Photo: Supplied / Max Frethey via LDR The incredibly popular Kaiteriteri Beach has had its water quality downgraded to "poor" after exceeding faecal bacteria standards too many times during the last swimming season. The downgrade is unrelated to recent flooding in the area with the faecal indicator bacteria - enterococci - being traced to a stormwater pipe which drains onto the beach. Between November 2024 and February 2025, 22 water samples were taken from the sea about 60 metres south of the pipe. Of the 22 samples, 18 were within the guidelines set by the Ministries for the Environment and of Health. But two exceeded the 'Alert' level, and a further two exceeded the higher 'Alarm' level, with only one of those four exceedances occurring during wet weather. Councillor Trindi Walker was concerned by the downgrade when presented with the information on Thursday. The downgrade is unrelated to recent flooding which left the beach littered with woody debris. Photo: Supplied / Max Frethey via LDR She wondered about the impact it might have on the popular destination next summer, especially when a local campground was already recovering from flooding during the recent severe weather. "Bethany [Park] got nailed," Walker said. "They believe they'll get back up ready to run for Christmas. I'm just wondering where that leaves Kaiteri with the water quality for people to even want to come back and camp there." It was important the council found a solution, she added. Trevor James, a senior scientist for freshwater and estuary ecology at the council, reassured the council that the water quality at Kaiteriteri Beach was generally "very good" and it was primarily the area around the stormwater pipe which had poor water quality. The faecal indicator bacteria has been traced to a stormwater pipe that drains onto the beach. Photo: Supplied / Bradley Reichert "From our sampling in the past, the southern part of the beach has very, very high compliance with the water quality guidelines, so we do need to put that in context. It was only three [fine-weather] exceedances over 22 samples, so the vast majority of the time the Kaiteriteri is compliant." The council was planning to adopt an additional sampling site next summer further south of the existing sampling site where water quality was expected to be better. Of the 11 samples taken at the stormwater pipe over the swimming season, two were at the 'Alert' level and nine were at the higher 'Alarm' level. Council staff considered there was a "reasonable likelihood" the stormwater was being contaminated because of uncontrolled discharges into the network through open grates in the Kaiteriteri Recreation Reserve campground. In December, the council received a report of a freedom camper emptying their blackwater into one or the roadside sumps that feed into the stormwater drain. Signs have previously been fixed to the pipe to tell kids not to plan in the stormwater which might be contaminated. Photo: Supplied / Bradley Reichert The council's group manager for environmental assurance, Kim Drummond, said that the report couldn't be substantiated, but the council had quickly responded to pump out the sump. Signage had already been erected around the campground earlier that year to dissuade people from dumping down the open grates. However, the council said that the grates are often hidden from view by campers and so there could easily be unnoticed dumping occurring. The council was continuing to investigate solutions, such as re-routing the outlet of the stormwater pipe so it didn't drain onto the beach, or installing solid covers over the grates. The organisation also continued to engage with the Kaiteriteri Recreation Reserve, Health New Zealand, and other stakeholders about the issue. The water quality might be improving at the Stephens Bay Lagoon. Photo: Supplied / Bradley Reichert Declining water quality at Kaiteriteri last raised alarm bells at the council in September 2024 after it was revealed the beach had seen three exceedances during the 2023/24 season. Nearby Stephens Bay Lagoon has seen a decrease in the number of exceedances of the faecal bacteria guidelines compared to last season, indicating that its water quality at the site could be beginning to improve. Elsewhere around the district, Pōhara Beach has been upgraded to "good" quality after seeing three seasons without any exceedances of the guidelines. Beach water quality tends to be the highest on the incoming tide, and people are advised not to swim during nor within 48 hours of rain. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Scoop
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
AI Gun Video Of Nelson Councillor Campbell Rollo Sparks Warning For Voters
Article – Max Frethey – Local Democracy Reporter The councillor says voters should always look for an authorisation statement or something that's genuine. Nelson City councillor Campbell Rollo has condemned an 'AI-generated' video of him that was posted to social media. The video, which featured the first-term councillor shooting a military-style firearm, was uploaded to a Nelson community Facebook page on Friday, but was later taken down. It had been posted by an account called Nelson NZ Video Game Buyer, with a caption: 'This is who your [sic] voting for Nelson community! How shameful, encouraging violence!' Rollo said the video was generated by artificial intelligence and was 'quite taken back' when he saw the video online. 'The video was not real. It was generated by someone using my Facebook picture without my knowledge.' A watermark reading ' – a generative AI website – appeared in the corner of the video, and the backdrop and clothing being worn by Rollo in the video match his Facebook profile image. 'I literally had no idea where it had come from. I quickly went back and kind of scrolled over it; could tell quite quickly it was AI-generated,' he said. 'I really just think someone was having a wee bit of fun. But yeah, in hindsight, probably a bit too far.' He said it was worrying to see that some commenters had wondered if the video was real and urged residents to be 'very mindful' of online content, especially as the local election approaches. 'If you see something come up of a political figure or someone who's running for council, I would certainly be looking for an authorisation statement or something that's genuine.' Nelson Mayor Nick Smith echoed Rollo's concerns. He said it was a good thing the video was 'so fake' and that most people would be able to determine the post was made by 'somebody being mischievous'. 'However, it's a real warning, particularly as we go into the local elections, for people to be cautious of false claims being made to besmirch people and to influence how they vote.' Smith added that Rollo, the Tāhunanui liaison councillor, was 'very effective' in his role. 'He's done a great job for Tāhunanui and associating him with gun violence is very unfair.' After the video was taken down, Rollo found the outpouring of support from residents and his fellow elected members 'super humbling'. 'The amount of phone calls and messages I had from people just reaching out, making sure I was okay. It's quite cool,' he said. 'At the end of the day, we are humans that are trying to do the best we can for the community.'
1News
06-06-2025
- Politics
- 1News
'Intensification on steroids': Nelson housing plan rejected
Nelson's ability to provide enough homes over the next 30 years is now uncertain after the city council's housing density plans were largely rejected. For almost two years, Nelson City Council has been working on Plan Change 29 – a controversial overhaul of its planning rules to make it easier to build high-density housing across the city. But many of the council's goals have since fallen over after the hearing panel that oversaw the process recommended that most of the plan change's proposals be rejected. Nelson's elected members accepted the panel's recommendation today which saw many elements of the plan formally scrapped. Opposition to the plan was widespread and vocal as submitters sought to protect their sunlight access, and councillors' commentaries often declared the result a win for residents. ADVERTISEMENT Mayor Nick Smith said the council had overreached by proposing "intensification on steroids". (Source: LDR / Max Frethey) Mayor Nick Smith described the plan as 'intensification on steroids' and said the council needed to learn from the 'strong kickback' from the public and engage earlier with the community in the future. Included in the scrapped measures were residential zones and overlays that would have allowed buildings of up to six storeys to be built on some sites without a resource consent. The changes that weren't rejected will focus intensification in the inner city and city fringe, and most natural hazard provisions were also kept. Councillor Pete Rainey said the changes for the central city were a 'really positive step in the right direction' but added that 'the issues facing the city are not going to go away. We need to do something about them'. More than 1200 households in need of affordable housing – survey The council's original proposal was deeply unpopular, with hundreds gathering to oppose the plan in September 2023. (Source: LDR / Max Frethey) ADVERTISEMENT A recent Nelson Tasman Housing Trust survey showed that 1222 households in the region were currently in need of affordable housing. Under the council's revised planning rules which have now largely been rejected, the number of commercially feasible dwellings over the next 30 years was expected to climb by 23,450 for attached homes and 6825 for detached dwellings. But the current planning rules only enabled 6500 attached and 3175 detached dwellings over the same period. Now that most of the new rules have been rejected, council staff were unsure how many extra dwellings would be feasible. Even though the changes for the inner city and city fringe were approved, they're only expected to provide 'relatively modest' boost for capacity. Housing demand was still expected to be met until 2027, but council staff were uncertain if the limited changes agreed to today would be able to meet Nelson's housing need over the next 30 years. The council had originally proposed the planning changes to adequately cater for growth as required by the 2020 National Policy Statement on Urban Development. ADVERTISEMENT However, the hearing panel's recommendation to reject large parts of the council's plan change essentially boiled down to the proposal not adequately considering urban form and amenity value provisions that were outlined in the council's own 1997 regional policy statement. That determination from the panel would be embarrassing for the council as it had paused work on updating its regional policy statement in 2021, which had been drafted and would have likely allowed many of the intensification proposals to go ahead. The pause was attributed to ongoing uncertainty from central government about Resource Management Act reform. Not the end of intensification Deputy mayor Rohan O'Neill-Stevens said the city's intensification didn't end with the Plan Change 29 process. (Source: LDR / Max Frethey ) Several councillors said the fault lay with the elected members of the current and previous councils who pushed on with the process despite the uncertainty. Smith added that the process had shown the 'fundamental problem' of the Resource Management Act, which needed to be reformed. ADVERTISEMENT 'Despite hundreds of thousands of dollars in investment, and some of the very best experts in the RMA… we've been tripped up by provisions that date back to 1997.' But despite the hurdles, elected members were clear that today's rejection of these specific higher-density zones was not the end of intensification in Nelson. The region's future development strategy expects about 78% of Nelson's long-term growth to be accommodated by intensification. 'We need to engage strongly with our community to shape future work, whilst acknowledging that status quo is not a static option,' said deputy mayor Rohan O'Neill-Stevens. 'Together, we can find a way forward that we can all be proud of.' The decisions are expected to be formally notified to the public on Tuesday, starting a 30-working day period where appeals can be lodged to the Environment Court. Approved changes: ADVERTISEMENT Increased building heights and revised development standards for the inner city and city fringe to enable greater residential and commercial development Updated flood, fault, and liquefaction hazard overlays and associated rules New provisions allowing papakāinga development within the inner city and suburban commercial zones Amended provisions for the Manuka St hospital site to provide opportunities to enable the on-going operation of the facility Rezoning of the St Vincent and Vanguard St industrial area from industrial to inner city fringe to allow more diverse and intensive land uses in this key location. Rejected changes: The general, medium, and high-density residential zones and their related rules for housing development Increased building heights in suburban commercial areas Most heritage changes, including the removal of the Church Hill view shaft The state highway noise overlay The slope hazard overlays and its associated rules. Local Democracy Reporting is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air
Scoop
28-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
New Lease To Return ‘Kiwi Camping' To Nelson
Article – Max Frethey – Local Democracy Reporter Nelson's Maitai Valley Camp has a new lessee and the company hopes to bring 'traditional Kiwi camping' back to the city. A new lease has been signed for the Maitai Valley Camp and the company that's taking over wants to see a return of 'traditional Kiwi camping' in the city. Nelson City Council has been managing the camp, but Kiwi Cash Limited, trading as Penny will take over on 1 June. Penny founder Chris Wagner said the Nelson Tasman region has been on the company's radar 'for some time'. 'We're really, really looking forward to it. If there was any spot to have it in New Zealand, having one in Nelson, and especially up the Maitai [Valley], is just awesome.' Wagner said that many travellers skip Nelson – 'vis-à-vis they come off the ferry and they go to Queenstown' – and he hopes to attract more visitors to the region. The Maitai Valley was 'absolutely beautiful' with great activities, like the nearby mountain bike trails and golf course, but was generally 'underused', and Wagner hoped a refreshed campground will encourage more visitors and locals to explore the area. He thought that 'traditional Kiwi camping' has been eroded around the country, and Penny hopes to offer that experience in Nelson. 'When I was a kid, we used to go out fishing, we used to light a fire, we used to be taught how to do it safely and properly… getting taught how to make a bivvy out of trees, getting taught how to hang your own hammock, and stuff like that,' Wagner said. 'Those kinds of spaces are getting lost, and that's kind of what we're really [promoting], is the idea of actually getting people to have that experience and get out of the comfort zone.' The council has undertaken $1.8 million of campground upgrades over the last two years, such as a complete replacement of the sewer system to enable the number of visitors being lifted from 80 to 400 campers a night. Other improvements include a new barbeque and picnic area, relocated cabins, and new taps and caravan dump stations. Penny also had plans for other installations, like a new playground, and its use of automated systems and a light presence on the ground aims to ensure that campsites are offered at 'reasonable' prices based on hiring the site, rather than per person fees. 'We're going to try and provide facilities and activities for Nelsonians to actually go up there and enjoy it,' Wagner said. Long-term residents at the campground aren't expected to see any 'dramatic changes', but will get upgraded Wi-Fi, fixed toilet blocks, and a new laundry machine to 'life the site up', he added. Wagner and Mayor Nick Smith signed the five-year lease, which includes the right to a five-year renewal, last week. Smith has welcomed the lease, saying running campgrounds are not the council's core business despite their importance to local tourism. 'By investing in upgrades and partnering with experienced operators like Penny, we're delivering real benefits for the city and our visitor infrastructure,' he said. 'Both the Brook and Maitai campgrounds have previously made losses and required significant upgrades after many years of deferred maintenance. Last year, we successfully leased the Brook campground to the Brook Waimārama Sanctuary Trust and since then camper reviews have been overwhelmingly positive. We're aiming for the same here.' The campground's rent is set at $40,000 plus GST for the first year, with subsequent years being either the base fee or 9.75% of the camp's gross income, whichever was higher. Kevrol Limited held the lease for the campground for 17 years. When the lease expired in 2022, they did not want to enter into a new lease as the company was moving away from the area. The council has run the campground since.
