Harvest strife

Wet summer leaves harvest in strife

Chairman of the United Wheatgrowers NZ Ltd, Brian Leadley, says it’s not just some farmers who are affected, it’s all of them.

Pat Deavoll

Grain and seed farmers in Mid Canterbury are in strife with the constant wet, humid weather preventing them from harvesting their crops.

“It wouldn’t be some [grain and seed farmers], I’d say all of them,” chairman of the United Wheatgrowers NZ Ltd, Brian Leadley, said. Leadley farms just out of Ashburton and is a past vice chairman of Federated Farmers’ arable group.

“With the continual wet weather, combined with the humid air conditions between the rains, we just can’t get harvested,” he said.

“We need a prolonged period of warm sunny weather, preferably with some dry nor‘west winds to get going.

“Unfortunately, sometimes if you get a hot, sunny day, the humidity can get up to 70 per cent and farmers will still not get the grain dry. The humidity needs to be down around 50 per cent for this to happen,” he said

The ongoing conditions were causing grain and seed to sprout standing upright, unharvested, Leadley said

“The quality of the grain is deteriorating. This won’t affect feed grains, although it does lose some yield.

“But milling wheat and malted barley can’t be used if it has sprouted. All it can be used for is stock feed.”

And it’s not just grain, but seeds that are sprouting, he said. Grass seed that has been cut and laying on the ground has sprouted and will need to be re-cut before it can be harvested. This is an added expense and a delay, Leadley said.

“You also lose a bit of seed doing this. It’s a reasonably desperate measure, but you have to do what you can to recover.”

None of the other seed was doing well, he said. Any humid conditions put plants under threat of sprouting, mould, or disease.

“Clovers, for example, will grow a lot of leaves, whereas we want to keep this growth down and develop the seed.”

There is not a lot farmers can do in this situation other than be proactive, Leadley said.

“Have machinery well serviced so you can get going when the time comes.

“Have a drying system organised because grain harvested out of condition won’t store. It needs to be dried in a silo with a big fan. This is another added cost. If you don’t have a system, fi nd someone who can do it for you.”

“The weather looks to be good for the next few days so farmers will be trying to harvest. It will be pretty tough hard going but anything done is good.”

Critical location for Fire and Emergency

Malcolm Hopwood

Finding the ideal location has been crucial for Ashburton’s new Fire and Emergency headquarters.

District manager for Mid and South Canterbury, Rob Hands, wanted somewhere close to the fi re station, other response agencies and accessible to the public.

Late last year Fire and Emergency took over Burtons Electrical in Havelock Street and is carrying out seismic strengthening and redeveloping the building for an increased 15-member staff. Hands is hoping work will be completed and staff can move in by the end of next month.

The yet-to-be-named headquarters is two blocks away from the fi re station and St John, 100 metres from police and next door to the council’s partly constructed Civic Administration Building. It’s also close to Ashburton’s retail and business heart and will have a strong community focus.

“Its purpose is to support the community’s readiness and response in case of fi re and emergency,” Hands said. “We’ll have a reception team available throughout the day for people calling in and staff who’ll make contact with the community and local organisations.

“We’ll be an upfront organisation able to cover areas of education, culture, safety, risk assessment and public health.”

Key staff will handle issues such as property, training, fl eet management, HR, planning and performance, health and safety and voluntary development on a local, regional and national basis, Hands said.

Ashburton is a key location for the Canterbury region which extends from the Waitaki River to the top of the South Island.

Hands said that previously staff have worked out of the fi re station, but that would now be a purely operational area.

COUNCIL BRIEF

5 Baring Square West, Ashburton | PO Box 94, Ashburton, New Zealand 7740 | Telephone (03) 307 7700 | Website ashburtondc.govt.nz ASHBURTONDC.GOVT.NZ/NEWS

Thursday, 17 February 2022 | ISSUE 66

Supply chain delays for civic building

Delays in the construction industry caused by global and national supply chain issues mean Ashburton District Council’s new Library and Civic Centre is unlikely to be completed until the second quarter of 2023.

Its original completion date was the end of this year. The $56.75 million building is like many other construction projects around the country and is facing a number of challenges as a range of issues put pressure on completion timeframes and cost. Council Chief Executive Hamish Riach said that supply chain issues were well documented in the media, and it was not unexpected that there are impacts for Council’s new building. He also noted that the highest rate of inflation since 1990 and an extremely tight labour market were also having an impact. "There has been significant escalation in all construction materials, freight costs and procurement delay due to national and international supply chain shortages across the wider New Zealand construction industry. "This is compounded by national building consents and construction activity being at an all-time high." While the national average on construction costs rose by 6.1 per cent in 2021, inflation impacting the project is much higher due to timber prices, record building consents, and supply chain and labour shortages in the Canterbury region. “These covid-related pressures have been seen across New Zealand and certainly Council’s own project is feeling the impact,” Mr Riach said. “It should be noted that while Council’s budget has not been exceeded to date and is not currently subject to any change, the cost pressures are very real. We will continue to update the community on these pressures as the build continues throughout the year and into 2023,” he added. The May 2021 flooding event also contributed to delays onsite. As a result of all these pressures, the timeline for completion has been pushed back from late 2022 to a likely second quarter 2023 completion date. Council continues to closely monitor budget and progress of the project, with the Project Control Group (representing Councillors, senior Council staff, and external design and project management experts) meeting on a monthly basis. Council was awarded $20m for the building from Government in July 2020, under the Covid stimulus “shovel-ready” project scheme.

Council's new library and civic buidling under construction on Baring Square East.

Chemical containers in recycling

A truck-load of recycling from the satellite recycling sites at Mayfield and Staveley has been rejected at the Timaru recycling sorting facility because it contained plastic chemical containers, some with hazardous labels.

The load was immediately rejected when emptied from the truck, and the contents were sent to landfill, at a cost of about $1500 for Ashburton district ratepayers. Council Infrastructure Services Group Manager Neil McCann said the satellite recycling sites are only for domestic/ household recycling grades 1, 2 and 5, and no lids of any shape or size. Large chemical containers can be dropped off at the Ashburton Resource Recovery Park, Ruralco or NZ Farm Source for free. “These containers need to be triple-rinsed to ensure no residual chemicals are left in them, and these can easily be sold at the reuse shop. There is also an avenue to dispose of farm wrap at the Ashburton Resource Recovery Park through the Plasback scheme.”

Neil Brown, Mayor Buckle up to ride the Omicron wave

New Zealand has now moved to the second phase of its Omicron response, and that means measures to slow the spread of the coronavirus rather than stamp it out.

As we work, live and move about the Ashburton district, it means continuing to scan into the places that we visit, wearing a proper mask and getting your booster, if you haven’t already. In Canterbury, 98 per cent of our eligible population is double-vaccinated and so for most of us Omicron will result in mild to moderate symptoms. But remember, we are following the rules because we want to protect the most at-risk in our communities and not overwhelm our health services. In phase 2, people need to be prepared to isolate if they are test positive and to largely look after themselves, except if they are very ill. There is also a greater use of rapid antigen testing, and these will keep critical workers at work if they test negative – and that is important to businesses and supply chains in our district. So buckle up, be prepared and keep an eye out on people close to you who might need a hand as Omicron washes through. If you are isolating, make good use of digital messaging to keep in touch: Send a text, make a call or catch up on a video call. The use of digital messaging, like a text straight to your cellphone, is also a fast and easy way for authorities to share important information. Council used text messaging at the weekend to advise that precautionary boil water notices were in effect for Mt Somers and Methven drinking water schemes following heavy rain in the foothills that caused rivers to rise. Those schemes take their water from rivers. If you haven’t signed up already, then all you have to do is text your postcode to 4196 and you will receive important alerts. The text alert service is free and signing up gives you an important head start in the case of various emergencies. For the people of Methven, it may have felt like “here we go again”, but they should remember that work has begun on two projects that will upgrade their drinking water scheme and bring an end to boil water notices in big rain events. Contractors are already doing groundwork for a new water reservoir and tenders will be awarded next month for contractors to supply and install membrane equipment for both Methven and Mt Somers water treatment plants. That work should begin at the start of next year.

Improved top, drainage for Christys Road

Work to improve the road surface and drainage on a section of Christys Road is on target to finish in March. A 1.8km section of the road, on either side of Winters Road is being rehabilitated with a granular overlay. That means contractors working for the Ashburton District Council have been digging out the failed pavement and potholes and replacing them with a strong base material. Infrastructure Services Group Manager Neil McCann said 100m sections of Winters Road, either side of Christys Road, were also being rehabilitated. “Another part of the work on Christys Road is to take out some of the undulations, or bumps, so we have lifted a couple of sections. “The road had many pavement failures and was causing issues for motorists.” Fulton Hogan started the project in January and it is on track to be completed in March. The rehabilitation is costing about $400,000. Mr McCann said the road would only require minor routine maintenance and reseals for the next 20-25 years. “The end result will be a better quality and safer road between Seafield Road and Pendarves.” Council’s works programme for its transportation network involves rehabilitation, resealing, heavy maintenance and watercutting on its sealed roads. The district has 2623km of roads, with 1507km sealed. Rehabilitation involves the complete reconstruction of a section of road. Resealing of roads involves overlaying the existing sealed surface with another layer of seal. Heavy maintenance involves repairing weak sections of pavement by either digging out failures or cement stabilisation. Watercutting involves using high pressure water to remove excess bitumen from the surface to improve skid resistance.

Contractors are improving a section of Christys Road, at Wakanui.

PUBLIC NOTICES

REMOVAL OF PARKING STANDARDS

The Ashburton District Council gives notice that, in accordance with the requirements of the National Policy Statement - Urban Development 2020, the Ashburton District Plan is required to be amended to remove minimum car parking requirements and that the Plan will be so amended from 20 February 2022. The District Plan may be viewed on the Council's website www.ashburtondc. govt.nz. JANE DONALDSON Group Manager Strategy & Compliance

FUNDING ROUNDS OPEN

Applications are now being invited from individuals, groups and organisations for grants from the Ashburton District Council. We are inviting applications for the following funds: Community projects, Community events, Biodiversity, Heritage, Community development (infrastructure and agency), Community libraries, School holiday programmes. Applications for these grants close at 5pm, Monday 28 February. For further information, go to ashburtondc.govt. nz or contact Council on 307 9646 , or email grants@adc.govt.nz.

Brush with the past at working bee

An enthusiastic group was planning to meet at the Ng King Brothers Chinese Market Garden Settlement in Ashburton today (Thursday 17 February), armed with paintbrushes and buckets of stain and whitewash.

The King Brothers market garden operated from the early 1920s until 1964. It quickly grew to be the largest Chinese market garden in the South Island. By the late 1940s there were about 12 houses in the settlement and at least 80 people living on site. Now the Ng King families have handed over stewardship of the site to Ashburton District Council so it can become a community reserve. Staff from Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga’s Christchurch office, members of Ng King families and volunteers from Council were painting the newly repaired and partially rebuilt buildings on the site. A generous donation of black stain, whitewash, and oil from Resene has provided the means for supporters of the site to start work painting and preserving the timber buildings. HNZPT Conservation Advisor Francesca Bradley has been working with Resene representative Melanie Tracy to source the correct paint products. “This is a complex site as we want to preserve the patina of this heritage site, but also conserve the timbers so the local community can enjoy this reserve for many years to come.” Arlene Baird from Era Consulting coordinated the event and said painting was a chance to get up close and see the innovation and creativity the family displayed in their day-to-day lives. "These buildings were just built over the years from whatever materials were available as they were needed.” It’s all part of progressing the site to a stage where it can be opened to the public. Council's Open Spaces team has given the site a good tidy up and the work repairing and stabilising the historic buildings by Joseph Builders Ltd is almost complete. The Ng King family members have all been meeting regularly to work on interpretive panels that will tell the story of the site. Council Community Services Group Manager Steve Fabish said it was great to see the project moving forward. “This will be a neat place and green space that tells the story of these market gardens, and the people who developed and worked in them many years ago.”

Heavy traffic banned from rebuilt CBD

Ashburton District Council is amending its Transportation Bylaw to keep heavy traffic out of the newly revitalised central business district in Ashburton.

Heavy traffic, which is any vehicle more than 3500kg, will not be permitted on East Street, from Moore Street to Havelock Street, unless it is delivering goods. Buses are allowed. The bylaw already prohibited heavy vehicles on Tancred and Burnett Streets, and gives an exemption to emergency vehicles or vehicles doing vital work like rubbish trucks and some delivery trucks. Council Infrastructure Services Group Manager Neil McCann said the amended bylaw would better protect East Street in the new CBD, which featured new essential underground infrastructure as well as new streets, pavements, furniture, and landscaping. “The upgrade also created a 30 kilometre an hour zone to encourage more pedestrians and cyclists. “Council is looking to ensure the safety and longevity of the revitalisation work and a key part of this is ensuring that the area is not used regularly by heavy vehicles.” He said stock trucks had recently been seen driving on East Street through the CBD, as well as other heavy vehicles. Council also decided to bring forward a review of the bylaw in its entirety from 2025 to 2022-23.

COUNCIL OFFICE

5 Baring Square West Mon, Tue, Wed & Fri 8.30am - 5pm Thursday 9am - 5pm

ASHBURTON PUBLIC LIBRARY

180 Havelock Street, Ashburton 7700 Mon - Fri 9.00am - 8.00pm Sat 10am - 1pm | Sun 1pm - 4pm

EA NETWORKS CENTRE

20 River Terrace Mon - Fri 6.00am - 9.00pm Sat & Sun 7.00am - 7.00pm

RUBBISH AND RECYCLING

Can't remember if it's your recycling day? Check our website or pop into the Baring Square West building and grab a Bin it Right kerbside collection calendar.

COMMUNITY NOTICEBOARD

UPCOMING MEETINGS

Meetings are at Council Chambers, 137 Havelock Street, unless specified

Ashburton Water Zone Committee meeting, Tuesday 22 February, 1pm

Council Agencies six-month report presentations, Wednesday 23 February, 9.30am

Council meeting, Wednesday 2 March, 1pm (live-streamed)

Youth Council meeting, Tuesday 8 March, 4pm

Methven Community Board meeting, Monday 14 March, 10.30am at Mt Hutt Memorial Hall

Council meeting, Wednesday 16 March, 1pm (live-streamed)

Ashburton Water Zone Committee, Tuesday 22 March, 1pm

Council Activity Briefings, Wednesday 23 March, 9.30am

Audit and Risk Committee, Wednesday 23 March 1.30pm (live-streamed)

These news pages are created and supplied by the Ashburton District Council. For more information and the latest news, visit our website ashburtondc.govt.nz/news