Sun Views
thewanakasun.co.nz
THE WCB WORD
A regular update from Wānaka Community Board Chair, Barry Bruce
Sponsored by
Crimeline This week saw a couple of people walking as a result of their speed. Please remember the limit in nearly all the streets around the Wānaka, Lake Hāwea and Cardrona areas are 40km/h. If you drive more than 40km/h over any speed limit you will lose your drivers’ licence for 28 days. It’s going to be a cold walk. There were two Crashes on the Crown Range Road this week. Please slow down on the bridges and please take extra care over the nights now that the roads are getting wet and Jack Frost is visiting. The snow has arrived and the guys at the station are all competing over the old Wānaka snow rhyme. Snow in May won’t stay… and it just goes on from there. Winter driving should now be looked at. Check the tyres, have a go at putting the chains on. If you have a new car or are new to the south then get some chains. Learn how to put them on yourself as there is not much help out there in the early hours of the morning or a cold winter’s night. A couple of cars have had their identity markers removed, one after a crash and one after it broke down in a remote car park. What this does of course is perk our ears up as to whether or not the cars are stolen. Where are the people and are they OK? Are they lost in the wilderness? So please take responsibility for your things. And let us know what is going on, we don’t bite. An incident of shoplifting was reported at Mitre 10 on Tuesday. We have an identity of that person and will be looking to locate them shortly.
LETTERS
I don’t understand… I don’t know about you, but I don’t understand what’s happening. Day after day we are hearing and seeing on the news dire predictions of global warming, and the destruction of our protective vital atmosphere. On television the presenters introduce very serious articles on global warming with
PAGE 8
PHOTO: Wānaka Sun
Drink driving is still a thing apparently. Of to court go a couple of people and some are getting a $250 ticket and 50 demerit points for blowing between the 250 and 400 micrograms of alcohol per litre of breath (that’s the adult limits). Walk …Run …or get a ride home. The weekend didn’t cause Wānaka Police too many dramas, however there is a worrying number of people who are drinking too much and not making arrangements to get home. If you are too intoxicated, you may be refused a ride with a taxi. Aggression towards taxi drivers in these circumstances will not be tolerated. Please take responsibility for how much you are drinking and have a backup plan to get home. Good luck to the kids doing Blast this week. They are testing themselves against the Police Physical Competency Test (PCT) which is what we use to ensure we’re fit for chasing offenders and eating donuts. We’ll have some future Police officers in the making. – By Ian Henderson Senior Constable, NZPD such painfully unhappy faces. Then, in the next article to come up, their faces brighten up and they happily comment on new developments on the potential booming of international tourism to New Zealand. The government has even bailed-out the massive Air New Zealand company. We also continue to hear about how the Queenstown Lakes district needs another airport which should be based in the Upper Clutha region.
After such a lovely autumn, last week’s sudden chill was a bit of a shock. It was also a reminder that frost and snow can create dangerous driving conditions, so if you haven't already done so, sign up to Queenstown Lakes District Council's free Winter Road Report at www.qldc.govt.nz/winter-road-reports. Emailed every morning through winter, the report gives an overview of road conditions across the district. I also recommend you sign up for Council's community text alert system. Supply your phone number and the locations you're interested in, and the team will flick you a text when there's a road closure you should know about, icy and snowy conditions, or other emergencies affecting our community. Sign up for free at www.qldc.govt.nz/text-alerts. Lakefront development Construction on Stage Two of the Wānaka Lakefront Development Plan is racing along and remains on track to be complete in September. The temporary closure of Ardmore Street between McDougall and Dungarvon streets continues, and I'd like to thank both pedestrians and drivers for their patience while the detour via Brownston Street is in place. Youth and community facility Good progress to turn the old Mitre 10 building on Plantation Road, Wānaka, into a youth and community centre is being made. If you’re a local group looking for new or additional space for your activities, watch for an expression of interest process, starting on May 30. While we won’t be able to accommodate every activity, this process will ensure we’re capturing a broad range of local groups and understanding demand. Full details of the expression of interest process will be available at letstalk.qldc.govt.nz. Bin checks Council is running a kerbside recycling bin check trial to help reduce contamination. Bin checkers, wearing high-vis vests with Save Our Stuff logos, will be out early before the recycling trucks do their rounds. If a bin is heavily contaminated with rubbish, it will not be emptied. If you are unsure what to recycle, check www.qldc.govt.nz/services/ rubbish-recycling, or call the recycling hotline (03) 443 0024. Mount Iron Council continues to work on acquiring nearly 100ha of land around Mount Iron and Little Mount Iron. We have until November 8 to gain all necessary consents, and settling the deal may take a further six months. During this time, it's important we remember large parts of land on Mount Iron and Little Mount Iron are privately owned. If you're climbing Mount Iron, please stick to the public track and abide by signage along the way identifying where private property begins. If you want updates on Council's acquisition of the land, sign up at www.qldc.govt.nz/mount-iron. Building consents and inspections Our building consent team works hard to
There are predictions and indications of even greater numbers of tourists planning to leave our country and fly all around the world polluting the atmosphere and adding to global warming. Can you see where I am heading? My wife and I have decided that we cannot justify ever again heading back to England to see my aging siblings – we have done a lot of travelling in the past so must have created terrible damage, but in those days we have an excuse – we did not know about the catastrophic
THURSDAY 26.05.22 - WEDNESDAY 01.06.22
meet statutory timeframes for processing consents and MBIE guidelines for inspections. In the past 12 months, just over 97% of consents were processed in less than 20 working days. However, both staff and contractors have been affected by Covid-19, which means it may take a little longer to process consents and complete inspections over the next two months. Council will be doing everything it can to reduce the impact and appreciates your support and patience. Celebrate Arbor Day I’ll be celebrating Arbor Day with Deputy Mayor Calum MacLeod by planting a deciduous tree at Wānaka Station Park on Friday June 3. If you're keen to celebrate too, why not check out one of the amazing organisations that work with trees in our district, like Te Kākano Aotearoa Trust. They're always looking for volunteers to lend a hand with nursery sessions and tree planting. Adult Reading Challenge Are you up for QLDC Libraries’ reading challenge this winter? Tackle that to-be-read pile. Read something you wouldn’t normally choose. Tick off at least six categories and you could win a book voucher. Collect a challenge card from your local library or download one from codc-qldc.govt.nz. Election 2022 This year is a local election year, so if you know someone who would make a great community board member, councillor, or even mayor, talk to them today. Nominations open on July 15. For more information, go to www. qldc.govt.nz/elections. Now is also the time to check you are enrolled to vote. To be eligible, you must be: 18 years or older a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident and have lived in Aotearoa New Zealand for one year or more continuously at some point. To enrol or update your details, go to www. vote.nz. Or freephone 0800 36 76 56 or free text 3676 to get a form sent to you in the mail. Next drop-in session If anyone wants to discuss a Council issue with the Wānaka Community Board, call into the Wānaka Recreation Centre between noon and 1pm next Wednesday 1 June. No appointment is necessary.
consequences it would cause to our planet. All people of today do know, but few seem to care – not yet. Their actions indicate no thought of the future of their children, grandchildren, and future generations. Soon, the reality must set in, and longdistance travel will be the first to suffer. So – we don’t need another airport in the Upper Clutha. Stuart Landsborough Wānaka
THE WĀNAKA SUN
