Ag 22 January 2021
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Since Sept 27 1879 Friday, January 22, 2021 $2.20 Court News P4 INSIDE FRIDAY COLGATE CHAMPIONSFULL STORY P32 COUNCILLORS DO BATTLE TO CAP RATES RISE P3 Ph 03 307 7900 Your leading Mid Canterbury real estate to subscribe! Teamwork gets results team with over 235 years of sale experience. Ashburton 217 West Street | P 03 307 9176 | E [email protected] Talk to the best team in real estate. pb.co.nz Property Brokers Ltd Licensed REAA 2008 2 NEWS Ashburton Guardian Friday, January 22, 2021 New water supplies on radar for rural towns much lower operating costs than bility of government funds being By Sue Newman four individual membrane treat- made available for shovel-ready [email protected] ment plants, he said. water projects as a sweetener for Councillor John Falloon sug- local authorities opting into the Consumers of five Ashburton gested providing each individu- national regulator scheme. District water supplies could find al household on a rural scheme This would see all local author- themselves connected to a giant with their own treatment system ities effectively hand over their treatment plant that will ensure might be a better option. water assets and their manage- their drinking water meets the That idea had been explored, ment to a very small number of highest possible health stand- Guthrie said, but it would still government managed clusters. ards. put significant responsibility on The change is driven by the Have- As the Ashburton District the council. The water delivered lock North water contamination Council looks at ways to meet the to each of those treatment points issue which led to a raft of tough- tough new compliance standards would still have to be guaranteed er drinking water standards. required by the Government’s high quality and if it wasn’t the Because there was so much Three Waters Reform, solutions council would be liable, he said. uncertainty around the future of need to be found for quality and The timing of the budget and drinking water supplies’ owner- supply issues for Methven, Meth- the amount of work still to be ship, councillors decided to push ven/Springfield, Montalto, Mt done on the super plant meant any work on membrane schemes Somers and Mayfield consumers. the council had no option but to out to years two and three in the And one of those options could build the membrane plant costs long-term plan and leave only be developing a super treatment PHOTO GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCKPHOTO into its budget. enough money in for planning plant on a site between Methven Currently the council has and research costs in next year’s and Ashburton that would see ply and could come with a similar schemes, but a super plant could budgeted to spend $14 million on budget. water treated and then piped to price tag, he told district council- see Mayfield also able to hook four membrane treatment plants This will allow council staff those rural areas, council assets lors on day two of this year’s long- into the new supply. for rural water supplies over the time to complete their investiga- manager Andrew Guthrie says. term plan budget discussions. “We’ve done some desk-top next three years. tion into the viability of the super The super treatment plant The current plan is to construct calculations and they suggest it The issue of finding the right treatment scheme. could be a viable alternative to membrane treatment plants might cost less or be compara- supply options for the district A report on the super treat- the membrane treatment plants for Methven, Methven/Spring- ble,” Guthrie said. was complicated by the Three ment scheme will be completed planned for each individual sup- field, Mt Somers and Montalto The super plant would have Waters Reforms and the possi- by May. Just call me Trevor BY MALCOM HOPWOOD going to stop?” way only to northbound traffic “It’s summer, it’s when they do while part of the work is taking I’m a District Council cone. Call the work. They don’t like being place. Detours will be in place. me Trevor, Trev for short. out in the cold.” Several of my clones will do that, I’m particularly busy around You’ll have to get used to me in Trevor Junior and his team. Ashburton at the moment. Too East Street. I’m part of the two- While that’s happening, I’m a busy. You’ve seen me far too of- year streetscape revitalisation bouncer. I bounce. I’m keeping ten in East Street and I’ll be there project. It’s already transformed motorists away while new kerbs, for a few months yet. But I’m all- Cass and Tancred Streets. That’s gardens and footpaths are in- round town, in Cameron Street, council-speak. They’ve told me to stalled. It’s all part of revitalising Elizabeth Street, Burnett and say there’s wider footpaths, new East Street. That’s council-speak Tancred Streets, Grigg and Philip street furniture, plantings, a new again. So give me a break. Streets and beyond Ashburton. road surface and one-way access If I have a message it’s treat me I don’t speak. I’m a red and along some of the streets. with respect. I’m there to keep white cone of silence. And they’re right. It looks good. you safe. When you see me, slow Fortunately I’m cloned, so But I was out there in all weather down, because I’m telling you there are more than one of me. If before the work was completed. there are roadworks ahead. If you you start counting you’ll find me I was battered, injured, removed ignore me, you could damage in my hundreds. I come and go, and lay on my side for hours on your vehicle and injure yourself. get damaged, need repairing, I’m end. If I was street furnishing, I’d I don’t want that. pinched far too often, appear in be picked up. But I’m a cone so I What I’d like you to do is call the front lounge of a student flat lay there. me Trevor. Just lean out your win- and get sworn at by motorists. One of my major jobs is to ad- dow and say “Hi Trev, how are you “Another bloody cone, that’s vise motorists that the upgrade today? Keep up the good work”. It means road works. When are they means East Street will be one- makes me feel good. ONLINE SHOPPING @ WISES PHARMACY Order your healthcare essentials online at www.wisespharmacy.nz Click & collect Free delivery* Caring for you and your family Convenient* Terms and conditions and great apply value! CONTACT US OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK 03 308 6733 Monday to Friday 8.30am – 6pm Countdown Complex, Saturday 9am – 1pm East St, Ashburton Sunday 10am – 1pm Friday, January 22, 2021 Ashburton Guardian NEWS 3 Knives out as councillors try to cap rates rise By Sue Newman [email protected] An attempt by three Ashburton District councillors to strip the district’s economic service of funds, failed during the second round of discussions on this year’s council budget. Councillors started discus- sions with a potential 8.27 per cent rate rise on the board for the 2021/2022 year and are working their way through each area of expenditure, line by line as they seek to make cost sav- ings. For councillor Angus McK- Susie Nordqvist ay, the answer was simple – cut $100,000 from the economic de- velopment’s salary budget and remove the $25,000 that was tagged as “international” costs while New Zealand’s borders Nordqvist’s were closed. Instead of cutting wages, new role why not cut promotional costs, Rodger Letham said. Mid Cantabrian Susie Nordqvist The $133,000 in this budget will step into a new role at the line funds a range of commu- end of the month when she be- nity events such as Light up comes host of TVNZ 2’s A Current the Night, the Employment Ex- Affair. change and several other Christ- Letham suggested councillors to name just a few and we have council is supposed to be do- An experienced journalist, mas type events. needed to have a philosophical existing levels of service we’re ing,” he said. Nordqvist has an impressive line- discussion on what it was the committed to and we have to Service delivery manager Ste- up of roles behind her in newspa- council actually did so they un- work out the resources we need ve Fabish said that cutting staff pers, online and in broadcasting derstood at budget time what to deliver those. costs in economic develop- – most recently as the presenter costs could be removed without How do we deliver the levels of ment would have an immediate and producer of Newshub Live at actually affecting the services it service you and the community impact for the community, as 4:30pm. delivered. expect if the resources needed to there would be events and pro- A Current Affair will bring Budgets were built by senior do that are greater than what’s grammes that would have to be viewers the latest in local and in- staff and the executive team acceptable?” canned. ternational consumer affairs, en- based on what the council need- While it wasn’t up to coun- Rather than picking on just tertainment and real-life stories ed to deliver to meet the com- cillors to decided who was and one area of the council, it would for everyday New Zealanders and munity’s stated wishes, chief ex- who was not employed by the be better to ask staff to make a Nordqvist is looking forward to ecutive Hamish Riach said.