Something is coming for the youth in Golden Bay! Mohua Social Services is facilitating a visionary afternoon!
Text Jess for more information - 027 232 5513
Rainbow Youth 14 - 25.
Come and be part of creating a vision for Rainbow Youth
in Golden Bay.
When: Friday 27th January at 3.30pm.
Where: Community Centre, 88 Commercial St.
Text Jess for more information on 027 232 5513.
Mohua Social Services
Pigeon Post News, Richmond
Shenandoah Saddle fire in Tasman
Yesterday firefighters were looking to finish operations for the Shenandoah Saddle fire in the Tasman District which started on Monday, but continued today Wednesday 25th Jan 2023 working to dampen the hotspots on the fire ground.
Firefighters and four helicopters are working on a fire burning on conservation land on the northern side of the Shenandoah Saddle.
Today, firefighters are looking to finish operations for the Shenandoah Saddle fire.
The fire is estimated to have burned through 50 hectares of conservation land since Monday morning. It is situated to the west of State Highway 65.
One Fire and Emergency crew, one crew from the Department of Conservation and 2 helicopters are working to dampen the hotspots on the fire ground today.
"There are some deep-seated hotspots on the fire ground that our crews are working hard to mop up," District Manager Grant Haywood says.
Grant Haywood says activity will concentrate on completing the containment lines around the fire and dealing with hotspots.
Grant Haywood says that the fire is burning in steep terrain that is difficult for ground crews to access. No properties are threatened and SH65 has reopened under traffic management. Refer to Waka Kotahi for information about the State Highway: https://www.journeys.nzta.govt.nz/traffic
Grant Haywood says the crews have been working hard over the last two days to put out the fire. "The fire crews, including crews from DOC, have been doing a tremendous job. We really appreciate the support," he says.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand
Pigeon Post News, Richmond
The Nelson Kite Club is behind this spectacle for all to enjoy.
The New Zealand kite fliers association is behind them helping to hold regional flying days throughout the country.
The association publish a magazine every four months called "What's Up" to help maintain communication among their members. If you are keen on becoming a member or for further information contact the Local Rep in your area. The link to the association is: https://www.nzka.org.nz
We shout out a tribute to Ted & Gretchen Howard who initiated the event in 1991 and the Nelson Kite Club for providing this spectacle for all to enjoy.
Here are a few photos from the festival:
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Hon Dr Nick Smith with Linley dropped into the Kite Festival
Pigeon Post News, Richmond
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| The New Prime Minister Chris Hopkins |
Following the surprise resignation of Jacinda Ardern on January 19, the New Zealand Labour Party already has a new leader: Chris Hipkins. The handover from Ardern to Hipkins has been achieved with the same efficiency as the handover from Andrew Little to Ardern in 2017. But will it be as successful?
Hipkins entered parliament in 2008 – along with Ardern. Under Ardern’s leadership, he held ministerial portfolios in education, police and public services, and was Leader of the House.
His role as education minister includes a (not altogether successful) centralisation of all the country’s polytechnics under one administrative umbrella – a form of restructuring typical of this Labour government.
He distinguished himself during the COVID pandemic as a hard-working and competent leader who contributed a much-needed clarity and common sense. He’s a dependable and intelligent politician who doesn’t mind being an attack dog when it’s called for.
As leader, however, Hipkins now faces an uphill battle, with his party trailing the opposition National Party in the most recent published polls. But he lacks Ardern’s charisma.
In 2017, there was an instant “Jacindamania” effect when she took the party leadership, and Labour’s polling shot up. One simply can’t imagine a “Chris-mania”, however. But maybe that’s not a bad thing right now.
Game over?
There are two ways this could go now. First, the nightmare scenario for Labour: the government continues to be sniped at over controversial and unpopular policies such as the Three Waters programme and the income insurance scheme, economic problems continue to damage household budgets, the opposition leaders (both National’s Christopher Luxon and ACT’s David Seymour) have a field day.
In head-to-head debates with Luxon once the election campaign begins, Hipkins lacks the fire that Ardern was able to show when she needed it, and becomes political roadkill at the ballot box on October 14. Labour supporters wake up in a cold sweat.
With Labour’s ongoing slump in the polls, trailing National by around five or six percentage points, this scenario can’t be ruled out. Following defeat, Labour could go into the kind of spiral it endured after Helen Clark’s loss in 2008, with one unsuccessful leader after another.
We can recall the defeat of Labour’s Phil Goff in 2011 and David Cunliffe in 2014 when up against National’s John Key. And, to be fair, National suffered a similarly bad run after Bill English stood down in 2018 and until Luxon became leader in November 2021.
A new hope?
So is there a dream scenario for Labour? With Ardern’s charismatic – and now rather polarising – personality heading for the exit, the party could turn things around.
New leadership licences a significant cabinet reshuffle and (more importantly) a refresh of policy. Labour could now neutralise (or even dump) some policy proposals that are presently causing public dissatisfaction.
Rather than Hipkins having somehow to fill Ardern’s shoes, he could follow his own path in his own trusty trainers.
An advantage he has is an apparent unanimity of support from his caucus. This suggests his team is focused on beating National rather than beating one another.
But can Labour win back the support of those middle-ground voters who’ve shifted to the centre-right? It appears many of those who’ve swung away from Labour actually liked Ardern. And Ardern remained on top in preferred prime minister polls right up until days before she resigned.
We could infer from this that a leadership change on its own won’t suffice to woo these voters back. The loss of Ardern could indeed precipitate a further drop in polling for Labour.
A policy reset
Late in 2022, Ardern had stated that the government’s focus this year would be the economy. And National will inevitably use the line that they (National) are the more competent when it comes to “managing the economy”.
If Labour is serious about winning the 2023 election, then, they need to convince enough voters of the following:
Hipkins is a competent and reliable person. If he has his party’s backing to revise or backtrack on policy, then he may have some success. With less focus on personalities this time around, his best hope may be to convince people his government is serious about resetting the country’s direction.
Author:
Grant Duncan
Associate Professor, School of People, Environment and Planning, Massey University
Pigeon Post News, Richmond
Additional community minded people needed by TDC for further ideas on Streets For People Project or to join their team
With the first co-designed trial separated cycle lanes about to go down on Salisbury Road, we’re now setting our sights on other neighbourhoods. To do this, we’re looking for new people from the Richmond community to join our existing working group to guide our Streets for People programme.
Last year we were granted $2.4 million from Waka Kotahi to improve spaces for safer cycling on Salisbury Road, Wensley Road, Queen Street, Hill Street and Champion Road. We plan to link places where people live with schools, commercial centres, and the wider existing network of cycle trails.
Our current working group has partnered with our traffic engineers and transport team to come up with preferred layouts on Salisbury Road, but as our focus extends to other neighbourhoods we’re looking for input from more people interested in joining the steering group.
The next phases of the Richmond Streets for People programme will include Wensley Road, then Champion Road, followed by Hill and Queen Streets.
We need a few more people to join our small, dedicated community steering group to work with our project team and come up with ideas and concepts, before we put more test layouts on the ground.
Further information is available here: https://shape.tasman.govt.nz/streets-people
If you are keen to join us in this exciting project, please get in touch with the project team at streetsforpeople@tasman.govt.nz
Tasman District Council.
Pigeon Post News, Richmond.
Check out article about new test of cycle lanes on Salisbury Rd
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| Preparations on Salisbury Rd for the installation of new separated cycle lanes Photo Pigeon Post |
Streets For People Project
This is the beginning of a project that comes with $2.4m in Government funding that will create a network of safe walking and cycling spaces across Richmond.
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| "More cones for Salisbury Rd" you might say, but this is a good test for road safety in Tasman |
Another project, which received $840,000 from the Government, is underway on Māpua’s Aranui Road.
Over the past three months, a group of community representatives have worked alongside council traffic engineers to produce their preferred designs.
Transportation Manager Jamie McPherson says on Salisbury Road, cycle lanes that are about two metres wide are being installed on either side of the road with 800mm high plastic separators creating a distance between the vehicle lane and riders.
The test area is between the two raised crossings outside Waimea Intermediate School.
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| One of the raised crossings outside Waimea Intermediate School |
“It’s a bit like planting a tree – many of the benefits will be reaped in the future rather than immediately. The real prize we are working towards is a comprehensive, linked-up network of safe paths and cycleways.”
To allow space for the new separated cycle lanes, the existing painted median is being narrowed.
Jamie McPherson says changes to street layouts can be confronting for people so we expect to receive a range of feedback, which will be carefully considered in the current and future stages of the project.
“We will install this infrastructure permanently in the future once we’ve received feedback and tweaked the layout if necessary.”
Year 11 Garin College student Nate Wilbourne faces the traffic every day when cycling to school so signed up for the community working group to try and improve the situation.
He says the Streets for People programme lays the foundations of safer cycling and walking into the future.
“It’s about seeing the long game and improving the situation now for future generations.”
Nate Wilbourne says being part of the working group has been very worthwhile.
“Interacting with other people from the community and sharing differing perspectives to achieve a worthwhile outcome is very pleasing.”
Nate is keen to continue as a member of the working group and is keen to encourage a few more of his college peers to join the Streets for People project.
Salisbury Road is just the first site of the Streets for People project. Wensley Road, Queen Street, Hill Street and Champion Road will be going through a similar co-design process in the coming months.
Once these cycle lanes have been on the road for a few weeks Tasman District Council will be asking you what you think about them.
For further details and background information, including a computer-generated video fly-through of the project visit shape.tasman.govt.nz/streets-people
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| The new proposed layout of Salisbury Road |
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| The new road layout |
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| Cycleway separated from the road |
Tasman District Council
Pigeon Post News, Richmond
-Separate cycle lanes don't stop accidents. Firstly cyclists have to use the lanes and not bike in vehicle lanes.
-Hmm, high plastic separators...? Interested in what they look like and have they been tried and tested somewhere else?
-Debbie Gardner the same as outside Harvey Norman maybe? (where there have been terrible cycle accidents)
-"existing painted median is being narrowed"
Huge mistake. The median is a huge safety feature. Would be an epic fail to render it useless
-Great idea. Make that road even more useless
-Of the 2.4 million gifted to the region how much will be spent on actual end results ( beneficial work) after it's been through the councils control?
Source: Fire and Emergency New Zealand
Marlborough
A restricted fire season is now in place for all of Marlborough, effective from 8am the (16 January 2023).
District Manager, Grant Haywood says this means anyone planning on lighting an open-air fire in Marlborough will need a fire permit while the restrictions in place.
"To apply for a permit, go to checkitsalright.nz and follow the instructions," he says.
"If you have a permit you will also need to follow the conditions listed on it to ensure your fire is safe.”
Grant Haywood asks everyone to take care and think about the wildfire risks before lighting a fire or doing activities that could cause a spark.
"It’s still quite green around the Marlborough countryside, but it’s beginning to get hotter and drier, and we’ve got some warm and windy days forecast," he says.
"These conditions make it easier for a fire to get out of control and mean there’s plenty of vegetation that could fuel a fire as it dries out.
"Before you light a fire, or do an activity that could cause a spark, go to www.checkitsalright.nz and check the conditions.
"Even with a permit, anyone planning on lighting a fire should check the conditions, and hold off lighting if it is windy and hot.”
"Our check it’s alright tool will tell you if the conditions are safe, or whether you should hold off.
"If you’re doing any activities that could cause a spark, do these in the cooler parts of the day when it’s less risky.”
"One spark is all it takes, so please be vigilant and follow our safety tips to reduce the risk of a wildfire this summer."
Fire and Emergency NZ
Pigeon Post News, Richmond
Changes looming for Tasman District Council's 10 Year Plan 5 May, 2024 Tasman District Council’s Chief Financial Officer Mike Drum...
