Headliners

What made news in our region

Record weather

Last month was certainly a month like no other in Nelson Tasman with the weather bomb devasting homes and hillsides and causing evacuations across the region. After ten weeks of wet weather, a further 700mm of rain fell over a three-day period which resulted in 350 significant slips and affected 570 properties. Nelson mayor Rachel Reese says the clean-up for this record-breaking weather event will take “not a matter of months, but a matter of years.”

Name Nelson Airport’s fire truck

Nelson Airport’s new $1.4million Rosenbauer Panther fire truck is due to arrive in the country by mid-late October, and the airport wants help from the community to name the state-of-the-art firefighting vehicle. The new truck will be operated by the Nelson Airport Rescue Fire Service for use in a range of airfield responsibilities. It has some impressive specs, including being able to throw water up to 80 metres. Name submissions for the new vehicle are open until September 7. The washed-up whale

The 17-metre-long sperm whale carcass that washed ashore at Moturoa/Rabbit Island last month has been tethered in place to allow it to decompose naturally. The whale is believed to have died of natural causes. Officials made the decision to leave the whale in the tidal zone to decompose, they say to avoid touching it for health reasons. The whale’s jawbone is regarded as taonga by iwi. After a karakia, it was removed and will be kept for cultural purposes.

Candidates announced for local elections

A total of 42 candidates are vying for a spot as either mayor or councillor for Nelson City Council in the upcoming elections. The seven standing for mayor are Matt Lawrey, Kerry Neal, Rohan O’NeillStevens, Richard Osmaston, Tim Skinner, Nick Smith and John Wakelin. For Tasman District Council the five confirmed mayoral candidates are Maxwell Clark, Aly Cook, Mike Harvey, Tim King and Richard Osmaston.

Arts Festival is back

The Nelson Arts Festival is back in action this year. After being affected by Covid-19 for the previous two years, this year’s festival is hotly anticipated. From 20-30 October, 58 events with more than 200 artists will be held, with attendees being told to ‘pay what they can’. There is something for everyone with the festival, featuring exhibitions, performances, workshops, whispers in the streets, parties, discussions, and rituals, to be held throughout the city centre.

Rates increase a shock

Nelson City Council’s rate revaluations have come as a shock for some. Nelson moteliers feel ‘blindsided’ after receiving significant rate increases in their commercial rates of more than 50 percent and are ‘unsure where the extra money will come from’. Nelson City Council sets rates based solely on the latest land valuation figures and revaluations occur every three years. The Quotable Value revaluated Nelson’s properties in 2021 which saw commercial land value increase by a significant 31 percent.

Things we love

The stories of local heroes have been pouring in over the past couple of weeks. From people helping to clear drains and evacuate people to those helping with clean-ups, providing housing, supplies and donations. Our Nelson Tasman community has shown once again that when disaster strikes, we pull together to help those in need.

QUOTE OF THE MONTH

“I didn’t understand my culture or what it meant to be Māori. Because our whole family was so affected by colonisation, I thought I wasn’t Māori, and I remember thinking, ‘I want to be Māori when I grow up’.”

Craig (Shep) Shepard Page 19 - 21