Monday, Nov 4, 2019 Since Sept 27, 1879 Retail $2.20 Home delivered from $1.35 THE INDEPENDENT VOICE OF MID CANTERBURY Show 140 YEARS scorcher FULL STORY P7 The All Blacks may not have won the Rugby World Cup, but Ben Wilson, 5, and his All Black-themed pet lamb called Archie were winners at the Ashburton A&P Show on Saturday, the pair judged the best in the fancy dress pet lamb aged seven years and under. Ben, who is an All Blacks’ fan, lives on a Wakanui farm which is mainly Protesting cropping, but also has a few sheep. PHOTO HEATHER CHALMERS gun laws P3 District sizzles BY LINDA CLARKE precaution. Quinn said initial inquiries were blamed for overheating, which [email protected] suggested the fire started from a fault caused the box to smoke. EA Networks is taking a closer look at on lines on Crows Road, though crews Quinn said staff had replaced the box two fires that started from faults on its would be at the scene today looking yesterday and tried to find the exact lines at the weekend. for more detail. “Potentially a bird has cause. An area of grass at the foot of a pow- carried a bit of wire or straw up on the Both incidents would be further in- er pole on Coldstream Road caught line and it has caused a fault. When you vestigated, though it looked more like alight about 1.15pm on Saturday and have a fault, a lot of excess current flows coincidental bad luck. six hours later a transformer box on the down the network and it burned off The network is heading to its busi- Mayfield-Valetta line was burning. a connection outside the Coldstream ness time, when demand for irrigation EA Networks network manager Bren- substation and a bit of metal falling drives electricity use up. don Quinn said the company was in- from that has set the grass on fire.” Quinn said at this time of year birds vestigating both incidents, which oc- The initial fault was several kilo- building nests could cause problems curred as irrigation demand rose on the metres from the substation. and anyone who spotted something back of extremely high temperatures He said staff would walk the line to- unnatural or unusual on the power that day. day looking for areas of scorched line or line network should report it to EA Net- Southern A bird is suspected of causing the a dead bird. works on 0800-430-460. Coldstream fire, where about 50 square At Mayfield, at 7.15pm, firefighters at- metres of grass on the side of the road tended a fire in a low vault transformer on top caught fire. Fire appliances from Hinds, box. CONTINUED Willowby and Ashburton attended as a Excess current or a loose connection P5 Motoring P24 Friday, July 5, 2019 Jenny’s XK8 Jaguar is her dream car. Local news for local people Mid Canterbury’s only locally-owned daily newspaper FULL STORY P21 Ph 03 307 7900 $100 to subscribe! towards your travel costs* One of the best selections of mobility scooters around. Guaranteed to impress. *Conditions apply. Find out more. Drop in to 113 Blenheim Road, visit moremobility.co.nz or call 0800 666 222 News 2 Ashburton Guardian Monday, November 4, 2019 www.guardianonline.co.nz ■ METHVEN HOT POOLS Hot pools close to reality BY SUSAN SANDYS [email protected] Methven Adventures Limited has announced its $15 million capital raise for the town’s hot pools project is complete. Director and project leader James McKenzie said he was pleased that about one dozen investors had been able to come up with about $7.5 million of equity, matching a loan announced by the Government’s Provincial Growth Fund in February. The investors were mainly from Mid and South Canter- bury, with a couple from Christchurch. A further exciting announcement was that Methven Ad- ventures had secured its targeted site on Main Street from Methven Trotting Club, with the land sale agreement going unconditional. McKenzie said the primary design of the hot pools de- velopment had now been completed, and the next design stage was under way. Ashburton-based builders Bradford Building would be the principal contractor, and a start to the foundation for the plant building should be made in December, with the main building started in the first quarter of next year, he said. Methven Adventures was currently waiting for a con- struction discharge consent to come through from Envi- ronment Canterbury, after which building could begin. “We are just working through the final details of getting all the contractors on board and getting into the build,” Mc- Kenzie said. Summer next year was the targeted opening date, either December or early 2021. Investors have come up trumps and secured the Methven hot pools development. PHOTO SUPPLIED ■ WATER QUALITY Order issued on north-east water contamination BY SUSAN SANDYS AND SUE NEWMAN Health Act 1956 the order requires ADC) agreement, I have given tributor to aquifer contamina- and Glassworks Roads area. [email protected] ECan, with the Ashburton District them until mid December to car- tion. Elevating the north east area The contamination of wells in Council (ADC), to carry out a full ry out that assessment.” One of the solutions could be connection on the council’s pro- Ashburton’s north-east has forced assessment of the area and to A range of land-use factors in the extension of Ashburton’s town gramme could occur if it received the medical officer of health to is- remedy the situation. the area from grazing to septic water supply into this area, says letters of request from residents sue an order requiring the prob- Humphrey said ECan would tanks are on ECan’s radar as pos- mayor Neil Brown. as that would show the degree of lem to be further investigated and be required to carry out a more sible causes. The council does have the ex- support, Brown said. a solution found. detailed assessment of the area, Included in these are an abba- tension project on its long-term Support for an urban connec- A boil water notice was recently while the council would have to toir operation on the outskirts of plan radar. It went down this path tion, which came at a cost, could issued for households in the area work with ECan to remedy the Ashburton. several years ago, but there was be impacted by the number of and on Friday medical officer of situation. Ashburton Meat Processors was only limited interest from prop- property owners who had now health Dr Alistair Humphrey said The local council had responsi- identified as a possible source in erty owners in connecting to the sunk deep wells because of po- that the amount of data collected bilities under the Building Act for a draft report to Humphrey, with town supply, he said. tential contamination of shallow by Environment Canterbury on homes to have potable water, and discharges from the operation The council had a programme bores, he said. both E. coli and nitrate levels in it had a responsibility to its con- said to effect groundwater quali- to extend urban services into ur- If the council did opt to extend the area did not provide a thor- stituents to ensure safe drinking ty. ban/rural areas and this was now the town water supply it could ough enough assessment of the water, he said. Several residents have also sug- happening in the Beach Road also look at an extension to the contamination issue., “A strong investigation needs to gested the Ashburton Cemetery area. Previously urban services town sewer at the same time for Under Section 69ZZP of the take place. With their (ECan and to the north could also be a con- have been extended to the Taits economy of scale, Brown said. Local news for local people Mid Canterbury’s only locally-owned daily newspaper www.facebook.com/ashguardian www.guardianonline.co.nz 0800 ASHBURTON News www.guardianonline.co.nz Monday, November 4, 2019 Ashburton Guardian 3 ■ ASHBURTON A&P SHOW In brief Man missing Police are seeking information Shooters protest gun laws on the whereabouts of 39-year- old Aidan Salmon, who has been missing from Hinds, near Ashburton since Friday. Aidan was BY HEATHER CHALMERS [email protected] reported missing after failing to Mid Canterbury recreational keep an appointment and police hunters and competitive shoot- and his family have concerns for ers are up in arms about Govern- his safety. Police would like to hear ment plans to further tighten gun from anyone who has seen Aidan laws in the wake of the March 15 or his vehicle since about 8pm Christchurch mosque attacks. on Friday. The vehicle is a light At the Ashburton A&P Show, a blue and silver 1996 Mitsubishi protest tent staffed by members Challenger, registration number of both the Rakaia and Ashbur- BCE109. He is also believed to ton branches of the New Zealand have a large black dog with him, Deerstalkers Association and possibly a Rottweiler. If you have the Ashburton Pistol Club was seen Aidan or his vehicle please aimed at raising awareness of the contact Ashburton police on 105. firearms reforms. Workplace death Deerstalkers’ Rakaia branch spokesman Stewart Hydes said A person has died in a workplace there was a startling lack of un- incident in rural Central Otago derstanding amongst the gen- yesterday. Police say they were eral public and licenced firearm called to the scene – on the holders about the proposed Pateraroa-Paerau Road south of changes, which were in addition Ranfurly – about 9.15am.