Taking the Plunge FULL STORY P18 Fairton Sale Gains Interest
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Tuesday, Feb 18, 2020 Since Sept 27, 1879 Retail $2.20 Home delivered from $1.40 THE INDEPENDENT VOICE OF MID CANTERBURY P2 Perfect setting Eagle on trial P3 Taking the plunge FULL STORY P18 Fairton sale gains interest BY HEATHER CHALMERS Fairton plant $18.1m. which processes lamb, goats, private treaty, closing on March consents and engage with the [email protected] Sheepmeat processing at the bobby calves, cattle and deer and 26 at 4pm, unless sold prior. Ashburton District Council re- National interest is expected in plant stopped in 2017, with the employs about 1000 people in O’Sullivan said the preferred garding possible commercial and Silver Fern Farms’ mothballed loss of 370 jobs, following a con- peak season. option was for the site to be sold industrial uses, O’Sullivan said. Fairton meat plant and surround- tinued decline in regional sheep While a real estate sign was in one piece, “but if it needs to be Staite said Ashburton was expe- ing rural land, valued at almost numbers following land use erected on State Highway One at broken up to attract a better price riencing near record low vacancy $40 million, which is now being change, particularly to dairying. the Fairton turn-off just before we will certainly entertain this”. across its commercial and indus- advertised for sale. The plant’s final death knell was Christmas, the sale is only now As Overseas Investment Office trial asset class and demand was The 485 hectares of land, just last year, following the closure of being publicly advertised. approval would be required for a strong for all areas of property in north of Ashburton, comprise Fairton’s pelt processing opera- Marketed by Colliers Interna- foreign purchaser, he believed the the region. 32ha at the former Fairton plant tion with the loss of 44 jobs. tional directors, Sam Staite, in- buyer would come from within and 453ha of adjacent rural land. SFF has instead consolidated dustrial, and Richard O’Sullivan, New Zealand, or be an expat Kiwi. At July 2018, the rural land had processing at its multi-species rural and agribusiness division, Potential buyers would need to a capital value of $19.8m and the Pareora plant, south of Timaru, the site was for sale by deadline look at the site’s zoning, resource CONTINUED P2 Ph 03 307 7900 Mid Canterbury. to subscribe! That’s our Heartland. Earn 1.60%p.a. with Heartland’s Direct Call Account. Find out more at heartland.co.nz Direct Call Account terms and conditions apply. News 2 Ashburton Guardian Tuesday, February 18, 2020 www.guardianonline.co.nz Setting perfect for painting Heifer Y USAN ANDYS contest B S S [email protected] Top New Zealand watercolourist Jacky Pearson passed on her pas- back after sion and skill to Mid Canterbury artists this week. The Carterton-based painter was in town for a three-day work- three-year shop, hosted by the Ashburton Society of Arts. Yesterday students took a field- trip to local café Nosh, and used break each other and fellow café pa- trons in the picturesque outdoor setting as subjects. BY SUSAN SANDYS “Painting from life is my big [email protected] push in my classes, you get inspi- Methven A&P Association mem- ration from being out and about,” bers are thrilled to be bringing Pearson said. back their annual on-farm dairy This involved using real people heifer competition after a three- as subjects, and she had a rule year hiatus. that if ever she was going to paint Spokesperson Phil Lowe said someone who would be recognis- yesterday he was pleased to an- able in her artworks, she would nounce the good news, following ask them first. the association having to shelve She would also sometimes ask the competition due to Myco- in the case of feeling it would just plasma bovis. be the sensible thing to do. “We have some great sponsors This was the case yesterday coming on board,” Lowe said. when a couple and their children Farmers had developed a good were having morning tea at a understanding of biosecurity nearby table. She said she asked practices relating to M. bovis, them if it would be okay if they Bryan Coulter and Lee Muckle are among pupils in a sell-out art class taken by New Zealand meaning the competition could were subjects, telling them they watercolourist Jacky Pearson (right). PHOTO SUSAN SANDYS 170220-SS-004 return after being last held in would be quickly sketched, and 2017. not to worry about staying still or therefore they are very support- are dry. And I think they are vi- The class is among a programme “It’s all about putting a bit of changing their pose. ive and interested,” she said. brant, and they are not given of workshops run throughout the positivity back in the dairy sector Like most people, they had Pearson said she was obsessed enough credit for their compli- year by the society. after what we have been through been more than happy. with watercolours due to their cated nature and how many years It generally holds one work- with bovis,” he said. “People are very supportive of transparency and ability to cap- it takes to master them.” shop per month, with topics in- “It would be great to see as artists. Deep down I think a lot of ture moods and atmosphere. Pearson’s class sold out with the cluding sculpture and print mak- many people come along and people want to paint and draw, “And they are alive until they maximum number of 12 enrolled. ing. support the day as possible.” At the last competition, judg- es visited about 20 farms in the Methven A&P area and category winners went on to the Canter- National interest expected for SFF Fairton bury contest. Once again organisers are hop- ing for good support from farm- From P1 income while other areas of that demand will continue,” Staite viding high levels of reliable ara- ers, and are expecting anything “Astute buyers with logistics in same site may have refurbish- said. ble and pastoral production. from 20 to 30 entries. mind will appreciate the prized ment or redevelopment poten- The Fairton plant contained A SFF spokesman said that There will be three categories position of the Fairton plant, tial for the new owners.” two and three-storeyed process- given the company had ceased – rising one-year-olds, rising two- bordering the Ashburton Busi- Talleys Frozen Foods was a ing areas, stock yards, offices, all processing at the site and had year-olds and best grazier of ris- ness Estate and featuring more major commercial user of the freezers and amenity buildings. completed the decommissioning ing two-year-olds. than 1km of main south rail line site’s cold stores. It also included 10 houses situat- phase it was seeking expressions The competition will be held on frontage. “The demand in Ashburton ed on about 2ha of land, of which of interest with a view to a sale of March 5, with judges and specta- “Situated about halfway be- industrial continues to outstrip the condition varied, with some the site. tors going from farm to farm and tween the ports of Lyttelton and supply as is evidenced with the needing significant work to get to The company was commit- the prizegiving held at the end of Timaru, it’s easy to see the appeal vast uptake of land in the Ash- a habitable standard. ted to preserving items from the the day. for large-scale producers and ex- burton Business Estate. The The block of rural land had plant that had historical interest Lowe said entries were already porters. Significant cold storage council is pushing forward with productive soils, regular crop for the local community, as the rolling in, and he urged anyone improvements on the plant site the development of future stages rotation, as well as 383ha of bor- facility had been operational for wanting to register to contact him generate a strong monthly rental here and we believe this strong derdyke (flood) irrigation, pro- more than 100 years. on 0272214068. Local news for local people Mid Canterbury’s only locally-owned daily newspaper Motoring Friday, July 5, 2019 Jenny’s XK8 Jaguar is her dream car. FULL STORY P21 www.facebook.com/ashguardian www.guardianonline.co.nz 0800 ASHBURTON News www.guardianonline.co.nz Tuesday, February 18, 2020 Ashburton Guardian 3 Eagle to be trialled in Canterbury BY JAIME PITT-MACKAY in Eagle attendance (after Waika- [email protected] to). Local police are welcoming the It is also well positioned in the decision to trial the police air middle of the South Island to support unit – commonly known provide support to other south- as Eagle in the Canterbury re- ern locations. gion. “These factors make Canter- Commissioner of Police bury Police District the obvious Mike Bush announced from a location of choice for a possible Christchurch hangar on Monday expansion of Eagle,” he said. morning that the Eagle would be The sound of the Eagle heli- trialled over a five-week period in copter was heard multiple times the Canterbury policing district. in 2019 following the March 15 The helicopter will be avail- terror attack when the Eagle was able to be called in by police in deployed in Christchurch. the Ashburton District, and is The Eagle helicopter was twice very welcome says Ashburton called to Ashburton in one night Sub-Area Supervisor Senior Ser- to assist police with tracking geant Leigh Jenkins.