MESSAGE ON DAM: USERS TO PAY FOR IT

The community’s message to Tasman District councillors is unmistakable – the Waimea Community Dam should be funded by users and not general ratepayers.  The view emerged from Tasman ratepayers at the first day of hearings on the proposed dam’s governance and funding, which opened in Richmond yesterday. Redwood Valley’s Mike Waring handed Tasman mayor Richard Kempthorne a 73-signature petition collected at last Friday’s Waimea Water Users and Irrigators meeting, calling for a district-wide referendum before the council made any commitment to the dam.  The project would see private business profit from the community resource, with little benefit flowing back to the wider community, he said.  Further public hearings will be held in Richmond, Motueka and Takaka through to next Monday.

What is the dam project?

The proposed $74.6 million run-of-river Waimea Community Dam in Tasman's upper Lee Valley is tipped to supply enough stored winter water to support urban, horticultural and business growth across the Richmond/Waimea region over the next 100 years.

What are the hearings for?

The current hearings are on proposed governance and funding options for the dam.  The two funding models are based around a 30/30/40 funding split for future capacity, environmental capacity and current capacity paid for by irrigators, urban and rural residential users and the whole district through charges based around per hectare, land value or as a uniform annual general charge.  The governance models include a shareholding council controlled organisation or the dam being built and managed by the council.

(The Nelson Mail Tuesday, November 25, 2014) 

MUSEUM EXTOLS BREWING HISTORY

The 170-year-old connection between Nelson and beer and the city’s status as the craft brewing capital of New Zealand have been officially celebrated and conserved with the opening of the Hop and Beer Museum. Yesterday Nelson Mayor Rachel Reese joined hands with Founders Book Fair volunteer Murray Farrant to cut a red ribbon hanging across the door of the museum, which is next to Founders Brewery, Bar and Cafe at Founders Heritage Park. Founders brewer John Duncan, a member of the country’s longest continuous brewing family that spans six generations and 160 years, said the museum was the ‘‘the icing on the cake’’ for the craft brewing capital of New Zealand.  Three rooms, a replica kiln, a brew house and a brewer’s office, make up the museum, which tracks the history of brewing in the region and marks the end of Nelson’s craft beer trail. 

(The Nelson Mail Wednesday, November 26, 2014) 

TASMAN WATER RATIONING COMING

Tasman district will start water rationing from Monday after weeks of persistent drying winds and little rain. That will mean an alternate-day hose ban for households in Richmond, Mapua, Ruby Bay, Brightwater, Hope and Wakefield, as well as a 20 per cent cut in allocated water takes on the Waimea Plains. Tasman District Council’s Dry Weather Taskforce convenor Dennis Bush-King said the Waimea River was expected to reach the 2500 litres/ second stage one rationing trigger on Monday.  Information on the changes to the water plan can be found at: tasman.govt.nz (search Plan change 45-48). 

Water Rationing

From Monday:

• Richmond, Mapua, Ruby Bay, Brightwater, Hope and Wakefield: handheld hosing only permitted on odd and even days corresponding with street numbers.

• All water zones within the Waimea Plains: Upper Catchments, Reservoir, Waimea West, Golden Hills, Delta, and Upper Confined Aquifer: a 20% cut in allocated takes.

(The Nelson Mail Thursday, November 27, 2014) 

BURNERS COULD MAKE A COMEBACK IN CITY

Low levels of air pollution mean new woodburners could be installed in homes in some areas of Nelson city, but more research and a plan change are needed before any changes can be made, city councillors have heard. The woodburner working party, set up to review air pollution and burner regulations over winter, reported its findings to the council’s planning and regulatory meeting yesterday. Its recommendations are to bring a review of the Nelson Air Quality Plan forward from 2018 to 2016, and to provide further assistance for insulating homes. Working party chairman Luke Acland said the group had found ‘‘capacity’’ in airsheds B2 and C, meaning there was the opportunity to relax regulations in these areas. Airshed B2 includes Stoke, Wakatu and Enner Glynn, and airshed C includes the Port Hills, the city centre, The Brook, The Wood and Atawhai. Acland said having ‘‘capacity’’ meant air pollution was below the national environmental standards for air quality.  Councillors voted unanimously to send the working party report and recommendations to a full council meeting, agreeing that it was the only way progress could be made. 

(The Nelson Mail Friday, November 28, 2014) 

GROWERS ANXIOUS AT WINDY, DRY SPELL

The Waimea Plains are bearing the brunt of the current dry weather with rainfall at the fourth-lowest level in 30 years. Tasman District Council hydrologist Matt McLarin said only 80mm of rain has been recorded at Wai-iti in the past 50 days. ‘‘We’ve had rain coming in from the west but it hasn’t reached the Waimeas.’’ Tasman’s eastern Wai-iti, Waimea and Wairoa river levels have dropped as a consequence and stage one water restrictions, with a 20 per cent cut in allocated takes, will come into force for permitted plains irrigators from Monday. An alternate-day hose ban will also imposed from Monday in Richmond, Mapua, Ruby Bay, Hope and Wakefield. The Nelson City Council is also warning of possible water restrictions for about 500 Nelson residents who take their water directly from streams and wells.  The council noted that the restrictions do not apply to those on the reticulated supply, and water levels in the Maitai Dam, Maitai and Roding rivers are now adequate. 

(The Nelson Mail Friday, November 28, 2014) 

HOUSING COSTS HIGHER THAN RISES IN INCOME

Housing bills are eating up a greater share of the household budget, even as average income rises and many retail prices fall. Housing costs have jumped more than 11 per cent in two years, outstripping the percentage lift in incomes. People are also spending more of their money paying off their mortgage principal, rather than just interest. The latest Household Economic Survey shows average annual household income rose 9.1 per cent in the two years to June, to $88,579. So average incomes rose $7352 over the two years. But Statistics NZ figures also show that in the same period, average household weekly spending on housing costs rose 11.1 per cent, to $284. That is equal to a $1456 a year rise in housing costs, to an average of almost $14,800. The average weekly mortgage payment was up from $357 in the year ended June 2012 to $389 in 2014. This was due to a 14.8 per cent increase in expenditure on principal repayments, as well as a 5.9 per cent lift in interest payments. Average weekly rent payments rose from $273 to $290, a rise of 6.3 per cent over two years.

WHERE IT GOES

MONEY IN

(for the two years to June 2014)

ANNUAL

Total regular sources of income up 9.1 per cent to $88,579

NZ Superannuation and war pensions: up 5.9 per cent to $23,654

MONEY OUT

(for the two years to June 2014)

WEEKLY

Total housing costs up 11.1 per cent to $284

Mortgage payments up 9.1 per cent to $389

Spending on property rates up 12.5 per cent to $47

Source:  Statistics NZ 

(The Nelson Mail Friday, November 28, 2014) 

TASMAN DEVELOPMENT COSTS SET TO RISE

Tasman developers are set to pay 14 per cent more for development contributions from July next year as the district’s council moves to offset development account deficits. Tasman District Council’s activity planning manager Dwayne Fletcher said lower than ideal fees over the last few years and spending on big ticket items were behind the increased charges. Development contributions were estimated to earn the district about $40.5 million over the 10 years from next July. They are charged on a per average household basis over subdivisions and new homes to offset the cost of building new, or upgrading existing, water, wastewater, stormwater or roading infrastructure in response to growth. The policy is reviewed as part of every three-year Long Term Plan ( LTP) cycle. Fletcher said while the council earned a set amount each year from the contributions the associated capital spending was ‘‘lumpy’’ – which created deficits in some accounts. The new draft policy will be out for protracted public consultation from Monday and will be washed up as part of next year’s LTP. New Government requirements mean the proposed policy has to be before the public by December 1. 

(The Nelson Mail Saturday, November 29, 2014) 

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK

Take time to live and enjoy your life. It is a gift not to be taken lightly. Cherish it and make good use of it.