Latest news with #NorthCanterbury
RNZ News
a day ago
- Automotive
- RNZ News
Truck crash injures two in North Canterbury
Photo: RNZ / REECE BAKER Two people are injured after a truck crash on State Highway 1 in North Canterbury. Emergency services were called to the single vehicle crash on Domett Road near Cheviot about 8.10am. Police said one person was seriously injured and another had moderate injuries. SH1 had closed after the crash but since reopened.
RNZ News
a day ago
- Automotive
- RNZ News
Truck crash blocks North Canterbury highway
Photo: RNZ / REECE BAKER Two people are injured after a truck crash on State Highway 1 in North Canterbury. Emergency services were called to the single vehicle crash on Domett Road near Cheviot about 8.10am. Police said one person was seriously injured and another had moderate injuries. The Transport Agency said the truck was blocking the highway and the road was closed between Old Main Road and Nonoti Road. Motorists were urged to delay their journey or use alternative routes.
RNZ News
17-07-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
David Seymour admits statutory rules contribute to ‘enormous rate rises'
Gore Mayor Ben Bell (left), Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour and Tararua district councillor Steve Wallace. Photo: North Canterbury News / David Hill Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour says there's no policy for local government reform - yet. In his speech to local government leaders in Christchurch on Thursday, Seymour took a softer approach than expected, where he acknowledged the pressures placed on local councils by central government. Council leaders told Local Democracy Reporting they felt more upbeat after his speech. It was a contrast to Wednesday, when councillors said they felt like "the whipping boys" after a short video address from Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and then Resource Management Act Reform Minister Chris Bishop putting a halt to planning to stop "wasteful spending". In Seymour's speech he said the government had "no policy of changing the structure of local government", contrary to recent political statements. But he acknowledged change could come out of the Resource Management Act reforms. Seymour said he recognised regulations imposed by central government were helping to push up rates. "It is true that people are angry with you [councils] because of enormous rate rises, but many of the challenges councils face are enforced by statutory rules." He encouraged people to contact the "red tape tip-line" with any "unnecessary regulations". "I want to float the idea that we all want the same thing and that is affordable and efficient government." Responding to a question from Gore Mayor Ben Bell, Seymour admitted to "kicking the can down the road" to share GST on new builds with councils - a promise made by ACT during the 2023 general election. "We aren't going to lose sleep about it, because times are tough." But it remained on the agenda, he said. Councils had been asking the government for the GST to be shared in a bid to create more revenue to help with rising costs. Seymour said city and regional deals would lead to better co-ordination between central and local government, creating more efficiencies and cost savings. Hauraki Mayor Toby Adams said he felt councils were being rapped over the knuckles by central government at the LGNZ conference. "This year the tone has changed, where you are realising the pressure that local government is under financially from the statutory obligations of central government. "You're saying it to us here, but you are not saying it to the public." Adams called on central government to share the message to the public that rising costs were pushing up rates. "We are working hard, we are trying ... that's not out there in the public." After the speech, Seymour told LDR he wasn't taking a soft or hard approach to councils. "We should be collaborative," he said. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
10-07-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
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. Photo: Unsplash 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, 24 July. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
RNZ News
08-07-2025
- Health
- RNZ News
Minister pressed on future of two Canterbury hospitals
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey (centre) and Kaikōura MP Stuart Smith (right) discuss rural health issues with North Canterbury mayors Craig Mackle (Kaikōura, left), Dan Gordon (Waimakariri) and Marie Black (Hurunui) at the Hanmer Springs Golf Club. Photo: LDR / David Hill The future of two North Canterbury Hospitals was pushed squarely in the spotlight at a rural health meeting in Hanmer Springs on Monday. Associate Minister of Health and Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey visited North Canterbury as part of his ongoing rural health roadshow, including Ministry of Health and Te Whatu Ora Health NZ officials, health workers, and residents. Kaikōura MP Stuart Smith, local mayors Marie Black (Hurunui), Craig Mackle (Kaikōura) and Dan Gordon (Waimakariri) and several councillors were also in the audience. Gordon said the Oxford and Waikari hospitals played a valuable role in providing respite and end of life care, but the facilities were under-utilised and the buildings badly needed maintenance. "We would like to have some indication on their future. If they were more broadly open we would find they would be better utilised." Health NZ Waitaha Canterbury rural health services hospital and specialist services general manager Berni Marra said she looked forward to ''getting back round the table'' with the mayors to discuss the future of the rural hospitals. Hauora Taiwhenua Rural Health Network chief executive Grant Davidson, who chaired the meeting, said New Zealand had made progress with the adoption of a rural health strategy supported by all parties in Parliament. But rural health outcomes continue to trail behind urban communities, with twice as preventable deaths and 60 percent more suicides. Black said there needed to be more support for support workers caring for elderly in their own homes. Health NZ Canterbury West Coast group manager integration Greg Hamilton said Health NZ is working with healthcare providers to review how they can better serve clients across the South Island. "Rather than just coming in and doing the dishes or doing the cleaning, the focus is now on re-enabling people to achieve the best life they can." He said the priority is supporting people to stay in their own homes. Mr Doocey said Mrs Black had raised concerns about a lack of ''wellbeing funding'' alongside more specialist mental health services, which had led to more funding to support rural communities, including a recent boost to rural support trusts. Support for young people including accessing mental health services, support for LGBT+ youth, driver licenses, finding work, cyberbullying and a lack of access to ultra-fast broadband in rural areas were also raised as wellbeing issues. Other concerns included access to training for health workers in rural practises, support for migrants, and a lack of awareness of what services are available in rural areas. Doocey said addressing ''unmet need'' was not just about more funding, but also education on ''what is available''. * LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
