Premier Netball Returns
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Thursday, July 2, 2020 Since Sept 27, 1879 Retail $2.20 Home delivered from $1.40 THE INDEPENDENT VOICE OF MID CANTERBURY Mid Canterbury is for business! MidCanOpenforBiz.nz open PREMIER NETBALL RETURNS Housing TEAM PREVIEWS P10 shake-up PHOTO HEATHER MACKENZIE 240819-HM-0796 P2 Crash hotspot A notable gets makeover BY JAIME PITT-MACKAY A resident, who asked not to be at least three and there was even three [email protected] named and lives on the corner of the in one day during the netball season.” Residents are voicing their concerns intersection, said he was aware of at He has had his vehicle damaged and career over the safety and driving behaviour least 14 crashes at the intersection in said other residents around the inter- of people at the Belt Road/Middle Road the time he has been living there (since section had had their fences crashed P3 intersection with a number of crashes the early 2000s), and has had his fence into at one point or another. in the past few weeks, and the council and vehicle damaged as a result of will be taking action to make the inter- crashes at the intersection. section more visible. “In the last 12 months I can think of CONTINUED P2 Local news for local people Mid Canterbury’s only locally-owned daily newspaper Ph 03 307 7900 Gluyas Nissan to subscribe! 79 Kermode Street | (03) 307 5800 Scott Donaldson Sales Manager Mob 027 225 5530 www.gluyasnissan.nz News 2 Ashburton Guardian Thursday, July 2, 2020 www.guardianonline.co.nz Council elderly housing for shake-up BY SUE NEWMAN to increase rents by an average of [email protected] $10 a year. Affordable housing for Ashbur- In its draft revenue and financ- ton’s elderly could be in for some ing policy for 2021, the council sweeping changes, with a possible proposes ratepayers contribute sell-off of the Ashburton District between $2 and $90 a year, de- Council’s elderly person’s housing pending on property value, to stocks. the elderly persons housing pool. For decades, the cluster of Braam is hoping this will spark council-owned elderly person’s some discussion in the commu- housing has been self-supporting, nity and generate ideas about the with rentals pooled to cover the way elderly housing should be cost of basic maintenance work. managed into the future. Rents are low by market standards “Looking after the elderly is but with increasing maintenance very important but this needs to needs on the ageing units, the be done as a community, not a funding pool is likely to run out council, even though council will within two years. still be part of it and I believe we And that has prompted the need have to find ways to do this with for a fresh look at both the way the the community,” he said. units are funded and their future He believes the change from ownership, says audit, risk and fi- council to community manage- nance committee chairman Leen Leen Braam outside some of the council’s housing units for the elderly. ment of the housing units could Braam. be achieved within three years if PHOTO SUE NEWMAN 010720-SN-0030 The current model is not sus- there was a willingness to go in tainable and it doesn’t serve the old and many units were ‘basically Currently there are about 100 the housing doesn’t need to be that direction. elderly well, Braam said. stuffed’,” he said, with many of the units in the council’s housing council run. If we can get other “I’m just hoping through this “Our elderly persons housing units requiring upgrading. to meet pool, with several no longer able organisations involved who are consultation the ideas will start to has never been funded properly even basic standards to be let because they do not meet passionate about it, this will be flow because the council is just in and to me they have to be taken on Braam said he was passionate rental property insulation stand- the best possible outcome.” a holding pattern with this, we’re by the wider community. Council about getting a better deal for old- ards. Those vacant properties may As a first step in changing the marking time or going backwards should be part of it but it needs to er people with limited means and be demolished. council’s elderly person’s housing and that means we have to look at be run by another agency, a trust while the council couldn’t fix the “We have elderly who need this model, it is looking at changing something else, someone else to that will have the skills to do this housing unit issue over night, it help and we need to provide it but the way the units are funded, from do this better.” properly and to be totally respon- needed to start working towards it needs to be set up as a business self supporting through rent to in- Consultation on the council’s sible,” he said. getting the way the units were run and run properly. We need rents cluding an element of rates. The draft revenue and financing policy The current housing stocks were and maintained, right. that are affordable for people, but shortfall would also mean a need is open until July 26. ■ METHVEN Makeover for crash hot spot From P1 the intersection. Ashburton District Council group Police investigating vehicle break-ins “I’ve had one of my own trucks manager service delivery Neil Mc- pranged from someone coming Cann said the council would be un- round the corner too fast and there dertaking work to increase visibility Police are continuing to make Jenkins said police have in- in well-lit areas, always locking have been multiple fences de- of the intersection. enquiries after receiving 11 creased the number of patrols your vehicle, considering hav- stroyed,” he said. “This will involve installing flexi- reports of vehicle break-ins in that are taking place in Meth- ing a steering wheel lock for The man said most of the crash- ble marker posts on the centreline one night in Methven. ven and are actively watching your vehicle. es seemed to occur during the day of Middle Road immediately before Ashburton sub-area super- for any more criminal activity “Make sure you look out for when there was a higher volume the intersection and painting the visor senior sergeant Leigh involving vehicles. your neighbours and report of traffic and more recently, with kerb protrusions at the intersec- Jenkins confirmed they had “While police patrols offer any suspicious vehicles or people travelling south-east down tion,” he said. received 11 reports on June 23 community reassurance and people to police, noting down Middle Road failing to give way to McCann said they were unsure from a number of streets in the crime prevention, we still need things like number plates and traffic. why there had been so many is- north-west corner of Methven. members of our community descriptions of people if you “There is a whole raft of issues, sues with the intersection, but they “Numerous items were taken to be vigilant and let us know can,” he said. but inattention is the number one would monitor these changes to see from the vehicles, including a what’s going on,” he said. “Ensure you take all possible thing and speed is number two,” he if it made a difference. wallet and a pair of sunglasses,” Jenkins also urged the pub- safely precautions regarding said. He said there were no plans to he said. lic to follow some basic pre- your property and vehicles. He said he had a few ideas about make it a stop sign intersection, in- “Enquiries are ongoing to es- vention advice to help deter “If you see a crime being what could be done at the intersec- stead of a give-way intersection, as tablish any links with any other burglars, such as ensuring you committed or anything suspi- tion and had had positive interac- there was clear visibility from the offending reported in other lo- do not leave valuables or docu- cious, please call police on 111 tions with council recently about intersection, which is the main rea- cations.” ments in your vehicle, parking immediately.” getting something done about son for implementing stop signs. WE ARE NOW OPEN UNTIL 5:30PM WEEKDAYS SATURDAY’S HOURS 8AM-2PM Drop in on your way home for fresh treats for your family Carmen and Glenn 123 Main South Road, Ashburton| Phone 03 308 5774 News www.guardianonline.co.nz Thursday, July 2, 2020 Ashburton Guardian 3 Distinguished police career ends BY JAIME PITT-MACKAY [email protected] One of New Zealand’s highest ranking police officers has called time on his career after 42 years, something he, as a bright-eyed 17-year-old from Mayfield, never saw happening. Former Deputy Commissioner of Police Mike Clement officially retired on June 30, 42 years after first joining the police in 1978. Born and raised in Mayfield with a large family of siblings, Clement attended Mayfield Pri- mary School before studying at Ashburton College. With his eyes set on joining the police, Clement worked at Bur- nett Motors for a year. A week after his 18th birthday he packed his bags and headed off to the old police college based at Tren- tham Military Base. “We were there in the old World War Two military huts,” he said. “It was in the years proceed- ing cadet training and I think we were the third wing to graduate after being at the college for a year, instead of 19 months.” Once he graduated, Clem- ent was first deployed in Christchurch, where he would remain for the next 26 years of Deputy Commissioner Mike Clement who is retiring for the police after 42 years of service.