Waimea Weekly Locally Owned and Operated
Wednesday 14 July 2021
Reggie’s young heart
Tom brings up Giant century
Page 6
Land change plan ‘kick in the guts’ Sara Hollyman Reporter
sara@nelsonweekly.co.nz sara@nelsonweekly.co.nz
Plans for new land classifications in Tasman have been labelled as a “kick in the guts” for rural land owners. Tasman District Council earlier this year released draft maps of areas to be labelled Outstanding Natural Landscapes, Outstanding Natural Features, or the Coastal Environment area. According to council, the move was part of a project “to protect the district’s special places for future generations”. The classification has been created to protect land from “inappropriate subdivision, use, and development”. However, rural landowners say the restrictions under the classification will be the nail in the coffin for many farmers, with increased costs and restrictions on land use. Three Tasman landowners, who all asked not to be named, are concerned over what the changes will mean for their properties. They say they are worried they will no longer be able to build a new shed, build a home, or add roading
infrastructure across their farms. One is concerned for the future of his farm that has been in the family for more than 100 years. “We have heavily invested in a new venture that we are not sure is going to be viable yet, but potentially we could now have a big chunk of our land that’s locked up in a venture that’s not viable and not be allowed to change it back. It puts us in a real bind.” Tasman District Council environmental policy manager Barry Johnson says it’s too early to say exactly what will and won’t be allowed under the classifications. “Generally, if you’re doing things now you should be able to carry on doing them.” Barry says some of the restrictions will be site specific, such as building a house or putting in a road, and would then be dealt with through the resource consent process. “Within reason, if you’re building a new house on the farm to accommodate workers, with the same intensity and scale that you have now, then generally we want to provide for that.”
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Page 22
Frozen lake dreams at Rotoiti July’s freezing temperatures gave locals and visitors the chance to enjoy a skate on the pond at Lake Rotoiti. There were different levels of skill, from those who had skated before to men who took a few steps and fell over, but everyone had smiles on their faces. Four-year-old Maple Smith loved being pulled around on a sleigh. The temperatures dropped to around -9 degrees earlier this month, but it was the consistent lows that strengthened the ice. A few skaters learned that it wasn’t as solid near the edges, falling through and getting wet to their knees. Photo: Jenny Nicholson.
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