Latest news with #SumnerCommunityResidents'Association
Otago Daily Times
22-05-2025
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Tsunami warning sirens could be reduced
A major shake-up looms for the tsunami warning system after testing failed. There are concerns the siren network along Canterbury beaches is unfit for purpose as a primary emergency mechanism due to its age and outdated technology. A scheduled testing of 45 tsunami sirens between Brooklands and Taylors Mistake failed in April when the sole operator of the technology, based in Auckland, was dealing with a car accident outside their house at the time the sirens were scheduled to go off. The current multi-modal warning system incorporates emergency mobile alerts (EMAs), radio broadcasts, emergency services, traditional and social media, and sirens. There is a proposal to reduce the 45 sirens to about 10 located at specific points where the efficiency of alerting systems such as EMAs may be reduced. It will be discussed by the city council on June 10. Locations of the 10 sirens may include areas where people are less likely to have cell phones. Sumner Community Residents' Association chair Andrea Davis and New Brighton Residents Association spokesperson Brian Donovan are welcoming the proposed changes. They say reliance on the current manual system for the sirens was flawed. Said Davis: 'It (siren test failure) highlighted the fact the system is not automated. From our point of view, a foolproof automated system is what is needed. 'Quality over quantity, the more people who are prepared the better – you have a text and a siren, there is no indecision.' Said Donovan: 'You cannot rely on one system, our view is a multi-functional response is best and this is along the right lines. 'Find the most effective way to alert people in a combined fashion which is the tsunami alarm going off and the cellphone buzz. 'As long as people know the processes it will be effective, last time was a bit of a wake-up because it's an awareness we have to live with. 'Getting an effective alert system is a good starting point and other discussions will flow from there,' he said. The sirens were installed in 2012 and 2015 are coming to the end of their operating life of 15 years, with upgrades planned in 2027 and 2030. Coastal Ward city councillor Celeste Donovan said the proposal was a start but more detail would be needed. 'It is a useful starting point, an introduction to the key issues and what will be useful to understand going forward. 'Sirens are one tool, we need to look at the bigger picture of where the sirens are and why they are there and how they will operate.' She said the issues with the sirens was known, but how the new technology would look like was not. 'Nationally we need to be consistent, but be sure to cater to what the local communities need they are serving – what is an emergency plan in Sumner with the hill will be different compared to open coastlines. 'Part of the puzzle is updating the sirens.' The sirens help provide an early warning for distant-source tsunamis, which could take more than three hours to hit Christchurch's coastline. Siren tests are done twice a year at the start and end of daylight savings to check the system is functioning. During a test, residents hear a tone and the message: 'This is a test of the tsunami warning sirens. Do not be alarmed. This is only a test.'
Otago Daily Times
15-05-2025
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Keep the lights on
Sumner residents have given their verdict on the issue of the Cave Rock mast. They say the status quo should remain: Keep the lights on every night from dusk until 11pm, except for when a request is made for them to be turned off and during Matariki. It comes as the Waihoro Spreydon-Cashmere-Heathcote Community Board is seeking public feedback after some people in the community raised concerns over the brightness, configuration and frequency of the lights. Some residents have also taken issue with the mast shape having religious connotations. The solar powered lights were installed in 2021, after lobbying from the Sumner Redcliffs Historical Society and the Sumner Community Residents' Association. The board is inviting feedback on how the lighting should be managed, including the daily operating hours and how often the mast should be lit. Deputy chair Keir Leslie told The Press the board 'inherited' the lighting problem. When the previous board signed a deed of accessibility with the Breakfree Foundation in November 2020, it stipulated that the foundation was solely responsible for operation, maintenance, and repair of the lights. Leslie said a 'change of language' in the deed meant the foundation could have the lights on every night, as opposed to just on holidays like Christmas and Easter. 'This is an opportunity to have a conversation with the community that possibly didn't happen at the time of the change.' Bay Harbour News spoke to residents to get their views. Sebastian Koburg 'It doesn't bother me at all. I think it's a good thing that the rock is illuminated. I don't really mind if it looks like a cross, it's a free country.' Gordon Minns 'It's 160-years-old. It's part of Sumner's history, given it was used 160-years-ago, it should get to stay. I have no problem with it whatsoever, my wife and I love looking at it from our house and, if we've been away for a while, it reminds us we're home.' Shellie Pounsford 'I think it should stay, I'm a Christian and personally I like it. If it bothers people they need to find a different way of looking at it.' Kate Livingston 'I don't feel very strongly about it. I suppose it is a bit imposing of Christian beliefs on to people.' Pam Sundstrum 'I like the cross and I'd hate to see it go. Anti-Christian people don't like it and I say too bad. The locals put a lot of work into it, it's been there for a long time, it would be a shame to see it go. I think the minority get too much say.' Lis Bennett 'The first time I came to Sumner I had to ask my partner if it was a religious cross, so if you want it to have religious meaning it has religious meaning. I've never been faulted by it, as long as it doesn't effect wildlife it's fine.' Ivana Aisen 'It doesn't offend me. I guess I would ask why that religion, and not any other? But Christianity is the most popular so it makes sense. I don't live super close to the lights so it doesn't bother me.' Bobbie Jones 'I don't look at as a religious symbol and the lights make it a cool beacon for when I'm driving back. It symbolises that I'm coming home, I don't understand why people are upset.'
