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Otago Daily Times
14-05-2025
- Otago Daily Times
Canterbury bus proposal faces axe as public balk at funding options
A Darfield to Rolleston bus service may be abandoned before it gets off the ground. Environment Canterbury is currently reviewing potential public transport improvements for its 2025/26 Annual Plan. One proposed addition was to introduce a return bus service from Darfield to Rolleston two or three times a day. However, ECan staff reported that public submissions did not support the proposal. A key issue is funding – the service would need to be 100% paid for by ratepayers, as it does not qualify for a subsidy from the NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi. For the Darfield bus, ratepayers in Kirwee, Darfield and West Melton would face an annual targeted rate of between $140 and $178 a year. But Mayor Sam Broughton has urged ECan to trial the service to determine actual demand, pointing out that potential users may not have submitted feedback. 'If in 12 months time (you decide) that was the wrong decision, then you are going to have a different conversation with the community about saving rates,' Broughton said in his submission to ECan. After public submissions were reviewed, ECan staff said people were unwilling to pay for the bus service. 'We've looked at the people who pay this targeted rate, and we don't feel there is significant support showing the communities are behind paying this targeted rate,' ECan staff told councillors. Staff said submitters wanted the service to be user-pays, rather than funded by ratepayers. Despite the Darfield service being under threat, Selwyn may still see improved public transport. ECan is looking at adding an additional school bus from West Melton to Riccarton or central Christchurch to relieve pressure on the 86 route from Darfield to the city. There are also plans to increase services on the direct Rolleston-to-city Route 85, though details are still being worked out. ECan councillors will deliberate the annual plan on May 27 and 29, with adoption scheduled for June 25. From July, the adult bus fare from Selwyn into Christchurch will rise from $2 to $3. This follows an April decision to introduce a two-zone fare structure aimed at increasing fare revenue, a move requested by the Government. Among the submitters was 12-year-old Frankie Hindson, who spoke alongside Broughton in requesting improved services. Frankie asked ECan for a bus service to run to Tai Tapu. 'As I get older it would be fun to go out and socialise with my friends without my parents having to transport me everywhere.' ECan plans to conduct a broader public transport review, including requests like a Tai Tapu bus. The review is expected to be completed by December 2026.
RNZ News
08-05-2025
- Climate
- RNZ News
Selwyn mayor announced state of emergency from Wellington
An image taken by Selwyn Mayor Sam Broughton in a helicopter flyover shows the flooding around Te Waihora Lake Ellesmere on May 2. Photo: LDR/supplied A decision by the Selwyn mayor to fly to Wellington while his region was under a heavy rain warning has been defended by the council boss. Mayor Sam Broughton announced a state of emergency for his flood-hit region in a social media post on 1 May at 6.30am, from a hotel room in the capital. Broughton and councillor Elizabeth Mundt flew to Wellington on the afternoon of 30 April for the All of Local Government meeting - a gathering of council and government representatives. The MetService had issued an orange rain warning for Canterbury on the morning of 30 April. Locals have expressed anger on social media that Broughton was not in Selwyn during the emergency. Selwyn District Council chief executive Sharon Mason defended the decision for Broughton - who is the Local Government NZ president - to attend the event. "We had been watching the weather forecasts all week, and the advice was that the bulk of the rain would fall in Waimakariri, Hurunui, and Kaikōura, and it was okay to travel," Mason said. As the weather changed, Mason said she discussed with Broughton that it was better for her to remain in Selwyn. Selwyn Mayor Sam Broughton Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver "Sam stayed updated on developments from the team that evening and early Thursday morning when the decision was made to declare a state of emergency," Mason said. "As it became clear that the predicted rain was falling further south than anticipated by both MetService and ECan [Canterbury's regional council] Flood Controllers, every effort was made to ensure smooth communication, and Cr Sophie Innes was deputised with the powers associated with the state of emergency. The stormy weather in Wellington cancelled all flights in and out of the Capital, so the mayor drove to Palmerston North to catch a flight back on the afternoon of 1 May, she said. The state of emergency was lifted at 3pm on Friday. On his return, Broughton travelled in a helicopter with Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell , MP Vanessa Weenink members of the civil defence team. Mason said it "provided a clear view of the hardest-hit areas and an overview of where swollen rivers and streams had overflowed". "This was also an opportunity to explain to Minister Mitchell the dynamics of Te Waihora, particularly the importance of the lake's water level and the right tidal conditions for an effective opening." A week later, the district is still counting the cost of the heavy rainfall and flooding, but Mason said it was too early to estimate the cost of recovery. Mason said the focus is on supporting people who had homes and properties affected by flooding. The council was also assessing the damage to roads and bridges. Broughton said the goal is always to prepare early, communicate clearly, open the Emergency Operations Centre promptly, and take a precautionary approach. "While I believe we did these things well, there will always be room for improvement. "I am incredibly proud and thankful for the hard work of our teams, our emergency services, and the great work neighbours did with and for each other." The hardest hit areas were around Te Waihora Lake Ellesmere, including the towns of Leeston and Doyleston, which suffered severe surface flooding. There was some criticism that Te Wiahora Lake Ellesmere could have been opened to the sea sooner to avoid the water flowing down the bulging Selwyn River from backing up and causing surface flooding. ECan hazards general manager Leigh Griffiths said it was supposed to be opened before the heavy rain, but an opening wasn't possible. "We didn't attempt an opening at that time because of the sea conditions - the swell was too large, so we were confident any attempts at opening wouldn't succeed." The lake opening is jointly managed by Ngāi Tahu and ECan, and governed by the National Water Conservation Order and suite of Resource Consents. Griffiths said consultation for a lake opening started on 28 April, and a joint decision was made to open late on 29 April, with the heavy rain starting on 1 May. An opening was made on May 3, but the tide and waves closed it up again overnight, Griffiths said. The lake was successfully opened to the sea again on Monday and remained open for 24 hours. "Sea conditions are currently good. Machinery remains onsite to help the process along." The cost of each opening ranges from $20,000 to $150,000, depending on the amount of work. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Otago Daily Times
01-05-2025
- Climate
- Otago Daily Times
Flood-hit Canterbury: Rain eases, state of emergencies remain
Selwyn District in Canterbury remains under a state of emergency, as the district council monitors river levels and other issues following yesterday's heavy rain. A local state of emergency was also declared in Christchurch and Banks Peninsula last night as large parts of the country were hammered by torrential rain, gale-force winds, high seas and heavy snow. Selwyn District Mayor Sam Broughton, at Darfield, told RNZ's Morning Report programme the weather had eased overnight and the forecast for today was positive. "So, that's a good sign, but it is certainly very wet underfoot. There's a huge amount of surface flooding that's here, and I really want to thank everyone for the effort yesterday and overnight and appreciate what they did for our community, and to [Emergency Management and Recovery] Minister Mark Mitchell, who also visited - really appreciate the national and regional support in this." There were a few people who were forced to leave home, he said, and the Lincoln Events Centre remained open for those who needed somewhere safe to stay. "The state of emergency remains in place in Selwyn, and our emergency operation centre is fully operational and teams are out at first light again, checking and watching river levels particularly, which have peaked, but will only lower slowly as our rivers don't exit out into the ocean. "Halswell River in particular is high and will continue to sort of creep higher… over the morning until that can be open - and that could be not today. It could be tomorrow. It just depends on conditions. It might be, over the weekend." Christchurch Mayor Phil Mauger said the state of emergency, declared at 4pm yesterday, was due to the impact of the wet weather such as flooding, slips, landslide and falling trees, particularly on Banks Peninsula. Parts of the Banks Peninsula settlement of Little River were under water, with homes and businesses flooded. Canterbury Civil Defence and Emergency Management team leader Phill Mackay told RNZ this morning the situation in the region was improving. Mackay said he was not aware of any formal evacuations overnight, though some people had self-evacuated to safer homes. "I think the two biggest areas of concern is Banks Peninsula and the Selwyn District. I think the Banks Peninsula because they're totally isolated at the moment, obviously the priority is to get the roads reopened, and then start assessing these actual and potential landslide risks around the peninsula. "So I think one thing we really need is daylight for the teams to get out to have a look at that. "Within the Selwyn District it's the surface water, not so much the river flooding. The rivers are staying within their banks, even though they're extremely high, but there's just a lot of water out on paddocks across roads, within the district and the wider Canterbury region." Thankfully there had not been widespread power outages, he said. "We're lucky we've managed to keep the power on and the utilities have done a fantastic job in that space." There were a number of road closures and roads affected by surface flooding across our local roading network today. Some of these key roads include: Springs Rd between Boundary Rd and Tancreds Rd, Leeston Rd/Drain Rd Goulds Rd Old Tai Tapu Rd between Tai Tapu Domain and Early Valley Rd. State Highway 1 at Selwyn River remains open at this stage. The New Zealand Transport Agency/Waka Kotahi is continuing to monitor the situation and motorists should take care if you need to travel and drive to the conditions.
Otago Daily Times
01-05-2025
- Climate
- Otago Daily Times
Rain eases in flood-hit Canterbury
Selwyn District in Canterbury remains under a state of emergency, as the district council monitors river levels and other issues following yesterday's heavy rain. A local state of emergency was also declared in Christchurch and Banks Peninsula last night as large parts of the country were hammered by torrential rain, gale-force winds, high seas and heavy snow. Selwyn District Mayor Sam Broughton, at Darfield, told RNZ's Morning Report programme the weather had eased overnight and the forecast for today was positive. "So, that's a good sign, but it is certainly very wet underfoot. There's a huge amount of surface flooding that's here, and I really want to thank everyone for the effort yesterday and overnight and appreciate what they did for our community, and to [Emergency Management and Recovery] Minister Mark Mitchell, who also visited - really appreciate the national and regional support in this." There were a few people who were forced to leave home, he said, and the Lincoln Events Centre remained open for those who needed somewhere safe to stay. "The state of emergency remains in place in Selwyn, and our emergency operation centre is fully operational and teams are out at first light again, checking and watching river levels particularly, which have peaked, but will only lower slowly as our rivers don't exit out into the ocean. "Halswell River in particular is high and will continue to sort of creep higher… over the morning until that can be open - and that could be not today. It could be tomorrow. It just depends on conditions. It might be, over the weekend." Christchurch Mayor Phil Mauger said the state of emergency, declared at 4pm yesterday, was due to the impact of the wet weather such as flooding, slips, landslide and falling trees, particularly on Banks Peninsula. Parts of the Banks Peninsula settlement of Little River were under water, with homes and businesses flooded. Canterbury Civil Defence and Emergency Management team leader Phill Mackay told RNZ this morning the situation in the region was improving. Mackay said he was not aware of any formal evacuations overnight, though some people had self-evacuated to safer homes. "I think the two biggest areas of concern is Banks Peninsula and the Selwyn District. I think the Banks Peninsula because they're totally isolated at the moment, obviously the priority is to get the roads reopened, and then start assessing these actual and potential landslide risks around the peninsula. "So I think one thing we really need is daylight for the teams to get out to have a look at that. "Within the Selwyn District it's the surface water, not so much the river flooding. The rivers are staying within their banks, even though they're extremely high, but there's just a lot of water out on paddocks across roads, within the district and the wider Canterbury region." Thankfully there had not been widespread power outages, he said. "We're lucky we've managed to keep the power on and the utilities have done a fantastic job in that space." There were a number of road closures and roads affected by surface flooding across our local roading network today. Some of these key roads include: Springs Rd between Boundary Rd and Tancreds Rd, Leeston Rd/Drain Rd Goulds Rd Old Tai Tapu Rd between Tai Tapu Domain and Early Valley Rd. State Highway 1 at Selwyn River remains open at this stage. The New Zealand Transport Agency/Waka Kotahi is continuing to monitor the situation and motorists should take care if you need to travel and drive to the conditions.
Straits Times
01-05-2025
- Climate
- Straits Times
Wild weather in New Zealand disrupts flights, shutters schools
Weather forecaster MetService said the high winds in Wellington are set to last until the early hours of April 2. PHOTO: REUTERS WELLINGTON - Schools were closed and flights cancelled as New Zealand's capital Wellington was hit by its strongest winds in over a decade on May 1 while a state of emergency was declared in parts of the South Island after 24 hours of heavy rain. Average wind speeds reached up to 87kmh in Wellington, the strongest since 2013, while gusts south of the capital in coastal Baring Head touched 160kmh, the government forecaster said. The highest possible red wind warning has been put in place for Wellington. "This is certainly bigger than your average bad Wellington day," said Mr Dan Neely, a spokesman for the Wellington region's emergency management department. "Few roads are closed in different parts of the region. We've got some waves overtopping coastal roads and dumping some debris." The department asked people to stay indoors where possible and to secure outdoor furniture and trampolines. Flights at Wellington International Airport had been cancelled by the afternoon and ferry service between the North and South Islands was suspended. A number of local schools and the Victoria University of Wellington said they had shut for the day. MetService, a second government forecaster, said the high winds in Wellington are set to last until the early hours of April 2. It added heavy rain was also coming down in the Canterbury region on the South Island where a local state of emergency has been declared due to flooding and rising river levels. The island's central Selwyn District declared a state of emergency after rain caused flooding and rising river levels. The district council said sandbags had been distributed and people were asked to conserve water. District Mayor Sam Broughton said in a Facebook post that significant flooding risks had developed across Selwyn, particularly in low-lying areas and people in most at-risk areas were being asked to evacuate. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
