The last opportunity to pass a Special Housing Accord (SHA) development in Tasman (before the Government change the rules) was turned down recently. Unfortunately, this was the only SHA where the developer was making some attempt to provide affordable housing. The developer, the owner of a building company, was having trouble attracting staff because of the high … [Read More...]
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More of the same – or time for a change?
Today Richard Kempthorne announced he will be retiring as Mayor at the end of this term. So after much consideration, I have decided to take the Deputy Mayor’s … [Read More...]
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The Pigeon Valley Fire – Take Two
Photo by Joel Scott The effects of the fire continue to bite into the community as some residents still have homes and livelihoods behind the cordons and the … [Read More...]
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Pigeon Valley Fire
From the perspective of a Wakefield resident, I can say the Pigeon Valley Fire has been an emotional roller coaster. For those residents of the various valleys most affected one can only begin to imagine the toll that the past week or so has had. While I was … [Read More...]
Confessions of a First Term Councillor
When I took on the role of Councillor, I thought people wanted me to battle the red tape and get rid of the multitudes of rules that plague us every time we so much as sneeze. But, that is not what I discovered! Everyone wants more rules. They don’t want them … [Read More...]
Dam Myths and Other Effects
One side of the Waimea Dam argument claim that it is an environmental benefit for our region (hence the district-wide rate increase). The other side of the argument is not so convinced, in fact, Dr Joy speaking to a packed crowd at Mapua said the claim is … [Read More...]
NZ Rivers Of Death
Dr Mike Joy spoke, by Green Party invitation, to a crowded Mapua Community Centre (standing room only). His main area of expertise is in river health – or in our case river sickness. It was quite eye-opening to learn that clean green New Zealand has some of … [Read More...]
McKee Memorial Reserve Reopens
The McKee Memorial Reserve opens the gate to campers again this Friday October 19th. It has taken a mammoth effort after the effects of ex-Tropical Cyclone Fehi in February this year to get it back to a habitable state. Storms of this magnitude have not … [Read More...]
13 Reasons Why-The Waimea Dam
Waimea Irrigators Ltd (WIL) have announced a new funding model for their share of the dam. The institutional investor that rode in on a white horse the day after the Council voted the Waimea Dam funding and governance model down has been side-lined. … [Read More...]
Dam Decisions
Congratulations to the Waimea Irrigators who have secured a subsidized water supply for the next 100 years (assuming the dam can be built, functions as intended, and lasts for 100 years). I hope the smaller shareholders in WIL are informed as to what risks … [Read More...]