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FIRST PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 27, 1879
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Thursday, March 28, 2013
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Police rule out Facebook By Sam Morton Social media will not be a priority for Mid Canterbury police. Police stations in Mid-South Canterbury will not be establishing Facebook pages any time soon, according to the district’s boss. Inspector Dave Gaskin, who looks after Mid-South Canterbury, has slammed the effects of social
media, pointing out the service would cause more problems than it would solve from a police perspective. The area includes all police stations in Timaru, South Canterbury and the Mt Cook/ Aoraki National Park, as well as the Ashburton, Geraldine, Rakaia and Methven stations. Social media sites have been creeping up throughout the country in districts such as Auckland, Thames, Waikato and Wellington
– but Inspector Gaskin is not supporting the tool at all. In fact, he is dead set against it. “I’m really not a big fan of social media and from a police point of view, we need to be really careful not to lose sight of the messages we put out – it simply requires too much work,” Inspector Gaskin said. “You need someone dedicated to regularly updating it and you need the commitment and resources to
do that - right now we don’t have those here and it is certainly not something I would be pushing for.” Last week, some frontline officers throughout the North Island tweeted for a day, informing the public of their everyday happenings on the beat. Earlier this year, it was announced all frontline staff would be receiving iPads and smartphone technology, but according
to Inspector Gaskin – social media sites certainly won’t be a ‘favourites tab’ among his staff. “We can’t afford to be losing control of a social media page and I don’t see a Facebook page having any value in what we do in Mid-South Canterbury,” he said. “We have looked at it in the past, but right now it’s not a reality for us, as we have better ways to utilise our staff and resources. I can see in other centres it would
have benefits, but certainly not for our district or for our workforce. “We’re doing a great job without it and there are so many different issues associated with Facebook or other sites that we can do without.” So clearly, Inspector Gaskin and his troops will not be clicking ‘Like’ on the NZ Police Facebook page – or that link on any of the 30-odd Facebook profiles throughout New Zealand either.
Ploughman has home paddock advantage By Linda Clarke Wakanui farmer Alan Begg is past getting butterflies prior to big ploughing matches. He is Mid Canterbury’s only ploughman at the Silver Plough next week and is relying on experience to execute the perfect furrow. Mr Begg has already represented New Zealand at world ploughing events in Australia, France and Switzerland and is a regular top finisher in district matches. He also has years of ploughing on the farm under his belt and a home paddock advantage at this year’s nationals. He has already been over to Lincoln to check the competition plot. Organisers have been keeping water up to it so soil quality is not affected by the lack of rain. Mr Begg will head back to Lincoln on Tuesday with his trusty Ford tractor and Kverneland plough for the official practise days, then join competitors from all over the country for a trip to Akaroa and Christchurch city’s quake-damaged centre. After plots have been drawn on Friday, the competition proper starts on Saturday April 6. The ploughmen and one ploughwoman are competing for a trip to France next year as national champions in the conventional and reversible ploughing categories. Contestants plough both stubble and grass paddocks, with judges scrutinising each furrow for form and shape. “I am past getting worried about these types of events,” a relaxed Mr Begg said. “Some of the new ploughmen might struggle, but that is where my experience comes in.” He says the skill of ploughing will always be valuable on farms, despite the push to minimum-tilling and direct drilling practices. Competition ploughing requires extra care and attention though. Mr Begg, who will compete in the conventional class, had his plough hooked up yesterday for some serious practice. He is looking forward to a close contest. Another Mid Canterbury ploughman Gordon Carter will be competing in a national vintage ploughing competition being held in conjunction with the Silver Plough. The many visitors expected at the nationals in Lincoln are being encouraged to stay in the district for another week to attend the Mid Canterbury Vintage Farm Machinery’s wheat and wheels rally, when farming machines of yesteryear will line up beside some of the most modern tractors on the planet.
Alan Begg is a cool customer leading up to the national ploughing championships in Lincoln next week.
Photo Joseph Johnson 270313-jj-019
Two DOC jobs to go By Myles Hume At least two jobs are set to go at the Department of Conservation office which oversees Mid Canterbury, it was confirmed yesterday. The Department of Conservation’s (DOC) media advisor Fiona Oliphant released proposed changes to the operational structure of the Canterbury region which is set to gain 2.8 jobs overall. Nationally, there are 140 DOC jobs expected to go. Although the plans show some offices across the Canterbury region are expected to gain job positions, the Raukapuke area office, which is responsible for conservancy from the Rakaia River to the Waitaki River and to the main divide, could lose jobs. Ms Oliphant said the Raukapuke office currently had 13.8 permanent staff on site, but the proposed overhaul of DOC’s structure could take that number down to 11, culling 2.8 jobs. “At this stage it’s too early to say what the final structure will be or what impact it will have on individual staff. DOC is consulting with staff about the proposed structure and will consider feedback before making any final decisions,” Ms Oliphant said. It will be a significant blow to the office which has been undergoing expansive projects in the Ashburton Lakes District. But Ms Oliphant said if the proposals go ahead, the impact would be watered down by DOC’s decision to “freeze recruitment” in December, which left four vacancies at the Raukapuke office which is funded to employ 17.8 staff. “As with most regions, there is a small change overall with some sites getting more roles and some getting less – based on an analysis of the work to be done in each region and the locations that the department believes it would be best to do work from,” Ms Oliphant said. With the cuts set to ensure DOC meets its $8.7 million savings target, it would also reduce its 11 existing regional conservancy boundaries and replace them with six regions – three in the South Island and three in the North Island. Also under consideration is the formation of two new groups to deal with field work and external relations. Ms Oliphant said the Raukapuke area would likely fall under the Eastern South Island umbrella. The Twizel office is set to lose 1.4 jobs while Aoraki Mt Cook and Christchurch are set to gain jobs with 1.5 and 9.5 positions respectively.
Baillie’s ready to hit Methven streets By Jonathan Leask Baillie Perriton will be proudly displaying the New Zealand number two on his bike in this weekend’s Mountain Thunder Street Race in Methven. The 15-year-old Perriton is fresh off finishing second in the 250 production class in his maiden New Zealand Superbike Championships and will compete in the Bucket and Formula Cams class around the tight street circuit.
At 13 years of age Perriton raced in the Mountain Thunder in 2011 and was still the youngest rider last year but with a national superbike series under his belt he will be one to watch for a different reason this year. Perriton had misfortune follow him through the first four rounds in his maiden superbike championship but still entered last weekend’s fifth and final round in Taupo in third place. In the first race Perriton was third for most of the race but pulled a spectacular overtaking
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manoeuvre into the last turn on the last lap to take second place. In the second race he came in third and then with a 16 point lead going into the final race it was crucial just to finish in the points and Perriton rode a comfortable race to finish fourth and seal second place in the 250 production championship. This season was originally supposed to be a development season but Perriton’s performances surpassed Team Kiwistars director Merv Orford’s expectations. “Baillie has surpassed every
goal that I had at the start of the year. He shows such maturity in the way he approaches his racing and has already got people talking. “Most are surprised when they learn he is still only 15 as his level of skill and off track presentation is that of a much more mature rider. I have no doubt that this young lad will represent New Zealand in the next few years in overseas competition.” But this weekend he returns to the streets of Methven where he and more than 50 other riders
will be reaching speeds of up to 200 kilometres per hour on the one kilometre street circuit right through the Methven town centre, featuring all classes of bikes, ranging from classics to formula one. Racing starts at 9am on Easter Saturday. RIGHT: Baillie Perriton goes toeto-toe with a rival rider in Taupo last weekend and will be doing the same on the tight street circuit in Methven’s Mountain Thunder on Saturday.
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