Waimea Weekly
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Wednesday 30 September 2015
Jazz Fest returns
Waimea Weekly Wanderers Sports Club
PIG HUNT Page 6
Population boom helps TDC books An bump in population has help Tasman District Council record a unexpected $21 million surplus. The council announced the surplus last week, along with the news that total debt was at $145 million, down from the projected $172 million. Among the reasons for the larger-than-expected surplus were operation savings, higher than anticipated population growth and the rates income that came with it, low inflation and interest rates, a revaluation of forestry assets and a larger-than-expected dividend from Port Nelson, which the council co-owns with Nelson City Council. Tasman Mayor Richard Kempthorne says the council is committed to maintaining the district’s finances on a sound footing. “It’s a key focus for us. While achieving a bigger surplus is really pleasing, we will continue to concentrate on repaying debt where we can, re-
building our emergency fund and keeping rate increases as low as possible.” The council has capped rates rises at three per cent a year, with an allowance for growth. “We are constantly reviewing the delivery of our core services and facilities to find cost savings and efficiencies”, he says. “The district’s new recycling service is an example of this, which will reduce waste to landfill and costs to ratepayers.” Richard pointed to the replacement of nearly 2400 streetlight bulbs in the district with more energy-efficient LEDs is another example of on-going savings. “It is not just about saving money, we also need to be efficient. One example is the improvement in building consent processing times, with 100 per cent of consents processed within the statutory time-frames in the past two months.”
CHALLENGE
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Blacksticks in Nelson
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Ivan Schroder and Mary Harwood play the part of the groom and bride during the Oakwoods Hospital and Resthome wedding reception on Friday. Photo: Jessie Johnston.
Resthome wedding ‘just for fun’ Oakwood Resthome residents love a spring wedding, even if it isn’t legally binding. As a way to welcome in spring and wash away those winter blues, the month of September and start of October have had a festive wedding theme. First on the list was creating the wedding cake, a task the residents took charge of, then the ladies organised a dignified hens party with drinks, nibbles and games. The men’s stag do was less reserved,
Jessie Johnston Reporter
reporter@nelsonweekly.co.nz a couple of men from Oakwoods Village lending a hand to the celebrations with some homemade whisky. For the mock-wedding everyone had a role, whether it was parents of the bride and groom, bridesmaids, groomsmen, guests or the bride and groom themselves. The reception was based on a wed-
ding from 1958, which featured songs sung by key wedding attendees instead of speeches. Ivan Schroder and Mary Harwood played the role of the happy couple, both wearing wedding attire salvaged from the Hospice Shop in Richmond. To wind up their wedding month, the staff will be putting on a fashion show on Friday, October 2, featuring wedding dresses from residents, staff, and family and friends outside Oakwoods.
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