The controversial Waimea dam project was a hot topic of the 2016 Tasman District Council elections, and it seems that little has changed in 2019.

A query about the $104.4 million dam, now under construction in the Lee Valley, was the first of seven questions from the community at a gathering of the four mayoral and 10 Moutere-Waimea Ward candidates in Mapua on Monday evening.

Mayoral candidate Tim King, a long-time deputy mayor and supporter of the project, said he was 100 per cent committed to ensuring the dam was completed ‘‘hopefully, on time and on budget’’. The public could hear regular reports presented to the council from joint venture company Waimea Water Ltd to stay informed about the project’s progress, he said.

(The Nelson Mail, Wednesday 28 August 2019)

A former Nelson mayor has ambitious plans to build the South Island’s first medicinal cannabis facility.

Nelson-based company Medical Kiwi has secured $1 million and is looking for new shareholders to raise a further $15m.

It has been granted a cultivation licence by the Ministry of Health, allowing it to establish a cannabis breeding programme for research and development for medicinal cannabis.

Medical Kiwi chairman and former Nelson mayor Aldo Miccio said land for a facility had been secured in Brightwater. ‘‘Designs are completed, global networks are established, and investors are lined up.’’

Under current regulations, cannabis can only be grown for research purposes. Miccio said amendments to the bill were expected in December, including how it could be sold, who could sell it and what sort of delivery devices could be used.

(The Nelson Mail, Friday 30 August 2019)

A multimillion-dollar application will go to the Government’s Provincial Growth Fund for the proposed redevelopment of Port Tarakohe in Golden Bay.

However, at just over $22 million, the requested grant is lower than the $28.3m initially proposed as a PGF contribution to the project.

Under a revised financial model, Tasman District Council is set to provide, via loan funding, a capital contribution of $3.36m, while an industry contribution of $2.84m is indicated.

Huge growth in the mussel industry is the focus of the draft business case, though other industrial uses for the port have been factored in, including the movement of dolomite and quarry rock.

The revised financial model also proposes TDC loan funds operational working capital of up to $2.6m for the council-owned port.

(The Nelson Mail, Saturday 31 August 2019)

It’s the time of year when puddles get rimmed with yellow and pollen covers vehicles parked outside.

Metservice pollen forecaster Dr David Fountain said the annual pollen release from pinus radiata was a phenomenon that occurred across New Zealand.

‘‘All of a sudden there’s an abundance of tiny pollen grains. Billions are released in every region in New Zealand – literally billions.’’

Pine trees dominate the Nelson area, with planted production forests covering approximately 100,000 hectares. Ninety per cent of the region’s exotic forests are radiata pine.

(The Nelson Mail, Saturday 31 August 2019)

Thought for the Week