Nelson Weekly Locally Owned and Operated
tuesday 22 november 2016
Big year for A&p Show
nayland college
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GATEWAY PROGRAMME
Giants looking for new coach
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Pie sales jump 500% Simon Bloomberg
Businesses in Murchison and St Arnaud are booming, with traffic driving through the two small towns increasing by more than 2700 vehicles a day after slips caused by last week’s massive 7.8
earthquake closed State Highway 1 near Kaikoura. New Zealand Transport Agency figures show that 2700 vehicles, including 550 trucks, were travelling on SH1 between Christchurch and Picton every day. Those vehicles are now using the short-
est alternative route though Murchison and St Arnaud, almost tripling the traffic volumes through those towns from 1500 to 4200 vehicles a day. If anything, NZTA spokesman Andy Knackstedt, says that figure is an underestimate because
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there will be “a larger number of trucks than the pre-quake counts as the rail freight traffic, which used to be carried along SH1, is transferred onto trucks.” Andy says the traffic numbers will also be boosted by the earthquake response and recovery traffic using
the SH7 Murchison Highway. And that’s not about to change anytime soon with NZTA regional performance manager Pete Connors saying that the “scale and the complexity of the slips
SEE PAGE 2
Who’s our strongest? Nelson’s Alex Way competes in the strongman competition at the A & P Show which proved popular with crowds over the two days. Photo: Barry Whittnall/Shuttersport.
Jacob Page As far as weekends go, Richmond’s Alex Way had one out of the ordinary at the Nelson A & P Show. The 18-year-old flexed his muscles pulling farm machinery and lifting tyres at the annual strong man competition.
A field of 20, split across both genders, took on the challenge and Alex wanted to make sure he looked the part.“The blue bucket hat and thick beard, strong man code.” Continued on page 2.
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