Latest news with #HurunuiDistrictCouncil
Scoop
2 days ago
- Business
- Scoop
ACT Announces Tom Spooner As ACT Local Candidate For Hurunui
ACT Local has announced Tom Spooner as its candidate for the South Ward of the Hurunui District Council in this year's local body elections. Born on the West Coast and raised in Kaikōura, Tom has spent his working life solving problems and building practical solutions. His career has taken him across New Zealand and overseas to Japan and the USA, giving him a broad perspective and handson experience in hospitality, tourism, manufacturing, diagnostics, and management. A qualified industrial mechanic with a Trade Certificate in Maintenance and Diagnostics, Tom runs Spooner Brothers Ltd, a handson business that keeps things working and solves problems for people every day. Tom is known as a fixit man – the guy you call when something's broken and you need it sorted. He's used to rolling up his sleeves, finding the fault, and getting it done properly. That's exactly the attitude he wants to bring to council. Less talk, more action. Instead of endless meetings and red tape, Tom wants to see problems identified and fixed, money spent where it matters, and real results delivered for local people. 'Council needs to focus solely on the basics,' Tom says. 'We should deliver the essentials well, keep costs down, and respect the people who pay the rates. "Every ratepayer is a customer, and council should be asking what it can do for you, not telling you what you can and can't do on your own property.' Tom says Hurunui's growth needs practical leadership and decisions that make life better for families, farmers, and local businesses alike. 'We need to stay ahead of the issues, cut bureaucracy, save money, and focus on what really matters – safe roads, reliable services, and a council that actually listens to its community.' – Tom Spooner Earlier this year, ACT New Zealand announced it would be standing Common Sense Candidates for local government for the first time — after hearing from New Zealanders across the country who are sick of rising rates, ballooning budgets, and councils that ignore the basics while chasing ideological vanity projects. When you vote ACT Local, you know what you're getting: Fixing the basics Lower Rates Cutting the waste Ending race-based politics Restoring accountability Stopping the war on cars ACT Local Government spokesperson Cameron Luxton says: ' ACT Local candidates are community-minded Kiwis who've had enough of wasteful councils treating ratepayers like ATMs. It's time to take control on behalf of ratepayers — to restore accountability and deliver real value for money. ACT Local is about getting the basics right: maintaining roads, keeping streets clean, and respecting the people who pay the bills. Our candidates won't divide people by race or get distracted by climate vanity projects. They're here to serve, not lecture." – Cameron Luxton
Scoop
10-07-2025
- Business
- Scoop
North Canterbury Locals Get Say Over Huge Solar Farm
North Canterbury residents are being encouraged to have their say on a proposed 180 hectare solar farm on a property near their village. The Hurunui District Council has notified a resource consent application from Auckland-based Far North Solar Farm Ltd to build near Waipara, north of Amberley. At its peak The farm's 250,000 panels would generate up to 144 megawatts, enough to power an estimated 30,000 homes. The Waipara Residents' Association wrote to the council last year calling for the consent to be notified, and chairperson Steven Ellis says he is pleased the community will have a say. He says there are a range of views in the community. ''Everyone has their own views one way or the other for different reasons. ''Some can't see a problem and there's others who think it is not a good situation to have a solar farm this close to a village. ''It is obviously going to be something quite substantial.'' Mr Ellis encouraged residents to have a look at the application on the council's website and form their own view on how it might effect them and ''whether it is a good thing for the community or not''. A group of concerned residents formed Save Waipara Valley last year and set up a website, Save Waipara Valley founder Lizzy Kelsey urged concerned residents to make a submission. "Such a large-scale industrial development has no place so close to homes, or in our flourishing tourism district," she said. Among the group's concerns are the potential impacts on the environment, how the solar panels would stand up to ''North Canterbury's notoriously strong winds'', the risks to passing motorists from glare from the panels and the impact on property values. Hurunui District Council staff have determined ''the adverse effects of the application'' to the landscape and the visual effects are more than minor. Construction of the solar farm is expected to take around two years. The proposed solar farm is a joint venture between Far North Solar Farm Ltd, a solar energy asset developer based in Auckland, and Aquila Clean Energy Asia Pacific, a clean energy platform headquartered in Singapore. Submissions close on Thursday, July 24.
Otago Daily Times
10-07-2025
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Call to rid district of feral cats
Feral cats are in the spotlight of a Canterbury district council. The Hurunui District Council is urging the Department of Conservation to consider feral cats in its long-term plan to rid the country of harmful predators. As a first step it is recommending legislation to have domestic cats registered, microchipped and desexed. The council is submitting on the Predator Free 2050 Strategy Review and the Implementation Plan for Te Mana o te Taiao – Aotearoa New Zealand Biodiversity Strategy 2020. Council's Water and Land coordinator Rima Herber, on behalf of a council working group including West Ward councillors Tom Davies, Ross Barnes, and Dave Hislop, presented draft submissions for endorsement at last week's council meeting. Herber says the intention of Predator Free 2050 is to remove rats, mustelids and possums from New Zealand by 2050. However, it was appropriate for the council to advocate for cats to be included in the longer term - along with mice and hedgehogs if technologies became available to make this possible and practical. These measures would help reduce the number of stray cats that become feral, Herber says. ''There are an estimated more than 2.5 million feral cats in New Zealand. ''As a rural council, Hurunui is very aware of the harm feral cats are doing to indigenous wildlife, and aware of how many cats there are in our environment. ''If feral cats aren't included as a pest species it is questionable if predator removal is worthwhile in some environments.' Hurunui District Mayor Marie Black says feral cats are a major issue in looking after Hurunui's indigenous wildlife and, from a farming perspective, the diseases feral cats carried were a ''massive threat'' to domestic stock across the district. Herber says council broadly supports both strategy reviews but raises several issues for further consideration, including consideration for incentives and support for private landowners, catchment groups, the QEII Trust, and community conservation groups working to both eliminate predators and protect biodiversity. ''Biodiversity protection should not be an added financial burden on landowners.'' For community groups, support could be in the form of funding for paid co-ordinators to optimise work already being carried out in communities. Cr Fiona Harris says many of the district's rural residents and Hurunui farmers have put significant time and effort into indigenous biodiversity protection. ''It's good to see that we recognise that, and support them as well, because for many of them it's a deep money hole doing a lot of this work.'' Harris says many in Hurunui's communities and schools are supporting Predator Free initiatives. A co-ordinator would make a big difference ''because sometimes it's just knowing where to be and who to get in touch with - it's a massive body of work and challenging for the whole country, so we have to optimise what we can''. Herber says it's important to maintain the gains already made in predator control ''as a priority''. ''It is better to secure the areas that are predator free and keep them that way, than spread effort thinly and lose the gains.''
Scoop
09-07-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Jobs Programme Funding Cut Confirmed
Two North Canterbury councils now have significantly less funding to support local youth into jobs. The Hurunui and Kaikōura district councils will receive just $130,000 and $100,000 respectively over the next 12 months to fund their successful Mayors' Taskforce for Jobs (MTFJ) programmes, a youth employment scheme. The Government is targeting getting young people off a jobseekers' benefit, which has led to the Ministry of Social Development changing its funding criteria for the MTFJ programme. It now means instead of helping school leavers, the new programmes will be primarily supporting those on a jobseekers' benefit. Hurunui Mayor Marie Black said her council's new target is to place 15 young people into sustainable employment, with the new measure meaning they need to be in the job for at least six months instead of three months. Despite a significant funding cut, Mrs Black said she is confident her team will surpass the new target and achieve other goals. But she admits she is disappointed at the changes to the scheme. ''There is a bit of a trend. A lot of 16-year-olds are leaving school and some are ready for work and others need a lot more support and we can't let those young people down. ''The MTFJ programme has really reached into the community. Our schools understand it and our wonderful employers understand it and people reach out to see if there's a way to help, and it's important we keep that strength. ''The part that saddens me the most is the scheme was put in place to support rural job seekers who were disadvantaged by distance, but because it has been successful our larger neighbours have taken it up. ''But we won't lose sight of the purpose of the scheme.'' To ensure young school leavers are not left behind, the Hurunui District Council has started up a new SEED course to support school leavers. It is similar to programmes being run in other districts and is being privately funded, with no ratepayer money required, Mrs Black said. She said the new course will complement the MTFJ programme and provide support to young people before they enter employment or further study. Kaikōura Mayor Craig Mackle said his worst fears were confirmed, as his council's new contract has seen its funding slashed from $260,000 to $100,000 from July 1. ''We've still got to do what we can, but I'm very disappointed. ''We are going to have to go through things with a fine-tooth comb. ''We've got a plan, but we will need to see if can pull it off.'' The jobs programme has helped young people aged 16-25 into work through driver licensing, careers advice and guidance, interview skills, preparing CVs, work experience and transport.
Scoop
01-07-2025
- General
- Scoop
Hurunui Council Raises Impact Of Feral Cats On Rural Environments
Hurunui District Council is urging the Department of Conservation to consider feral cats in its long-term goal to eliminate harmful predators from the country. Council is submitting on the Predator Free 2050 Strategy Review and the Implementation Plan for Te Mana o te Taiao – Aotearoa New Zealand Biodiversity Strategy 2020. Council's Water and Land Coordinator Rima Herber, on behalf of a Council working group including West Ward councillors Tom Davies, Ross Barnes, and Dave Hislop, presented draft submissions for endorsement at last week's Council meeting. Herber said while the intention of Predator Free 2050 is to remove rats, mustelids and possums from New Zealand by 2050, it was appropriate for Council to advocate for cats to be included in the longer term - along with mice and hedgehogs if technologies became available to make this possible and practical. A first step would be to legislate for domestic cats to be registered, microchipped and desexed. These measures would help reduce the number of stray cats that become feral, Herber said. 'There are an estimated $22.5 million feral cats in New Zealand. As a rural council, Hurunui is very aware of the harm feral cats are doing to indigenous wildlife, and aware of how many cats there are in our environment. 'If feral cats aren't included as a pest species it is questionable if predator removal is worthwhile in some environments.' Hurunui District Mayor Marie Black said feral cats were a major issue in looking after Hurunui's indigenous wildlife and, from a farming perspective, the diseases feral cats carried were a 'massive threat' to domestic stock across the district. Herber said Council broadly supports both strategy reviews but raises several issues for further consideration, including consideration for incentives and support for private landowners, catchment groups, the QEII Trust, and community conservation groups working to both eliminate predators and protect biodiversity. 'Biodiversity protection should not be an added financial burden on landowners.' For community groups, support could be in the form of funding for paid coordinators to optimise work already being carried out in communities. Cr Fiona Harris said many of the district's rural residents and Hurunui farmers had put significant time and effort into indigenous biodiversity protection. 'It's good to see that we recognise that, and support them as well, because for many of them it's a deep money hole doing a lot of this work.' Cr Harris said many in Hurunui's communities and schools were supporting Predator Free initiatives. A coordinator would make a big difference 'because sometimes it's just knowing where to be and who to get in touch with - it's a massive body of work and challenging for the whole country, so we have to optimise what we can'. Herber said it was important to maintain the gains already made in predator control 'as a priority'. 'It is better to secure the areas that are predator free and keep them that way, than spread effort thinly and lose the gains.'
