Latest news with #TasmanDistrictCouncil
RNZ News
2 days ago
- Climate
- RNZ News
What you need to know: Travel disruption, flooding and evacuations as severe weather hits New Zealand
Heavy rain is pummelling parts of the country, causing widespread travel disruption, flooding and evacuations. The top of the South Island is bearing the brunt of the rain, with state of emergencies issued as a result of significant rainfall. Dozens of homes have been evacuated due to rising floodwaters. Meanwhile, Auckland has been hit by severe thunderstorms and torrential rain. Here's what you need to know: A state of emergency has been declared for the Nelson Tasman region as a result of severe weather and evacuations. Tasman District Council said the declaration will allow agencies to rapidly respond, with slips and flooding across the region and further rain forecast. People are being evacuated in Brightwater and Upper Moutere and residents in Riwaka might need to leave. A local state of emergency is also in place for part of Marlborough, where 60 households in Spring Creek near Blenheim were ordered to evacuate because of fears a Wairau River stopbank might not hold. Flooding over Brightwater, Tasman district. Photo: Charlotte Bacon / supplied MetService has issued several severe weather warnings and watches across the country. Parts of Northland and Auckland are under a severe thunderstorm warning. The thunderstorms are expected to be accompanied by torrential rain. Meanwhile, a heavy snow watch has been issued for Central Otago, Southland north of Lumsden, also inland Dunedin and Clutha until noon Saturday. Orange heavy rain warnings: Heavy rain watches: The top of the South Island is cut off at the moment with a number of state highways closed. NZ Transport Agency is warning drivers to be prepared for wet weather driving and to take extra care on the roads. Here is a list of the highways closed: Roads closed in Marlborough include: Dozens of domestic flights bound for or departing from Auckland Airport have been cancelled or delayed due to severe weather conditions. Auckland Airport said 21 flights have been cancelled and 11 flights have been delayed. It said the weather is mostly impacting flights to or from regional destinations. The airport also confirmed that a China Eastern Airlines flight from Hangzhou to Auckland has been diverted to Christchurch due to the unsettled weather conditions. China Eastern Airlines also confirmed the diversion.
Scoop
2 days ago
- Business
- Scoop
Is This The End Of Nelson's Richard Nixon Statue?
A small Tasman town faces an important question: keep the infamous statue of Richard Nixon or build a community hub instead? The life-size bronze statue of the disgraced US president has bemused residents of Wakefield, about 20km south of Nelson, for more than a decade. The statue, holding Nixon's double peace sign pose, stands on the notorious 52 Edward Street site known as Fort Haldeman - reportedly the former office of the locally defunct publishing company Haldeman LLC, that had been partly owned by controversial businessman Tony Katavich. According to a list on Wikipedia, the statue is only one of two Nixon statues in the world. But Nixon's days, as well as those of the White House-inspired building he welcomes visitors to, could be numbered. Tasman District Council is currently progressing plans for a new community hub for Wakefield to replace the ageing and earthquake-prone village hall. The hub had earlier been assumed to be built on the Wakefield Recreation Reserve, but the current owners of Fort Haldeman approached the council in early 2025 about the possibility of building the hub on their site instead. Peter Verstappen, a Waimea South Community Facility trustee, said the opportunity "came out left of field a little bit". "Until six months ago, this wasn't even a question. We were always heading to the reserve," he said. "In a way, it kind of complicated the process going forward, because suddenly we've got this other whole dimension that we now have to think about." The council is now consulting the community on its preference between the two locations. There are pros and cons to each site, with the reserve offering more space for future expansion but higher costs for infrastructure and utilities, while the Fort Haldeman site is closer to the centre of the village but has fewer future expansion opportunities. Verstappen said, "in all honesty", he doesn't have a site preference. "From what I've seen, I'm reasonably confident we can build the facility that we want, that answers most of the needs of the community, on either site." The council and trust held two community meetings last Tuesday for residents to learn more about the two options. Martin Brown, the council's project manager for the hub, told around 20 attendees of the afternoon session at Wakefield School that it was "very early days" for the Fort Haldeman site. "We're having conversations with the vendors currently. It may or may not progress, but that's part of the process we're having." A representative for the company that now owns Fort Haldeman declined to comment due to commercial sensitivities. The final decision on the location rests with the council and is expected to be made in August, with detailed design work and community fundraising to occur afterwards. Elected members will be presented with site information as well as community feedback ahead of their decision. While the full range of feedback might differ, comments from attendees of the Tuesday afternoon meeting indicated widespread support for the original Wakefield Recreation Reserve site due to its development potential, possibly saving Nixon from removal. "We're building this for not just the present, or even the present decade; we're building it for 50 years, and we need expansion space," one woman said. Moutere-Waimea Ward councillor Christeen Mackenzie has been pushing the project since she was first elected six years ago. She said trying to plan for 50 years' time was like trying to look into a "crystal ball". "Do you have one big shooting box for absolutely everything in one location? That is not necessarily what you might need into the future. Introducing the idea of Site 2 [Fort Haldeman], I think it's giving the community an opportunity to think about that," she said. "If someone comes to the council with a proposal, you've got to do your due diligence and think about it." The Wakefield Community Hub has a budget of around $11 million with $6.4m coming from developers, $2.5m from community fundraising, and $2.1m coming from a loan that will be repaid over time from an existing community facility pot that was funded through rates. Residents can have their say here. The Wakefield hub used to be part of a collective community facility project for Waimea South, including the town of Brightwater. But the two town's projects have since been split apart, and Brightwater's public hall will be upgraded at a cost of about $2.5m.
RNZ News
3 days ago
- Climate
- RNZ News
Weather: Tasman residents told to brace for flooding, 250km/h wind gusts in Canterbury
An active front is expected to lash the South Island on Thursday. Photo: MetService The Tasman District Council is expecting rivers across the region to be running at high levels, warning residents to prepare for flooding. Heavy rain, thunderstorms, gales and possible flooding is forecast for much of the South Island. The Tasman District council said uncertainty about the forecast and possible thunderstorms meant people should plan for flooding. Council hydrologists said 75 to 140mm of rain had already fallen in the Tasman ranges in the last 12 hours. The Tākaka River and its tributaries and the Aorere River had peaked or were about to peak, all below annual flood flows. High tide coincided with the Aorere River's peak flow, so people could expect road and surface flooding in Ferntown. Another 200 to 300mm of rain was expected in Golden Bay over the next 26 hours, along with possible thunderstorms and localised flooding. River's in the region's east including the Wakapuaka, Maitai, Wairoa/Waimea and upper Motueka were also expected to reach annual flood flows. Between 15 to 45mm of rain had already been recorded across the eastern ranges, with a further 150 to 250mm expected. The council said there was a good chance the wet weather could cause slips, particularly on State Highway 60 over the Tākaka Hill and State Highway 6 between Nelson and Marlborough. MetService severe weather warnings cover most parts of the island, with orange rain warnings starting in the early hours of Thursday for the Tasman District northwest of Motueka, Buller, Nelson and Marlborough, excluding the Sounds. Haast Pass is closed between Haast and Makarora because of a slip. MetService meterologist Heather Keats said there was "pretty decent rainfall and strong winds come through the South Island overnight as expected". Canterbury High Country experienced "massive" 250km/h wind gusts. "But that's a very elevated site that's quite exposed." Other sites saw 90km/h gusts while some areas also had 10mm to 20mm of rain hourly. "At the moment everything's playing out as we expected as that really active front does start to track over the South Island." Environment Canterbury issued a riverbed alert for five alpine rivers in the region after heavy rain overnight. The regional council said flows were increasing in upper parts of the Rangitata, Rakaia, Waimakariri, Hurunui and Waiau-uha rivers. Expect windy conditions in the South Island from Wednesday afternoon to Thursday morning, especially in high terrain as well as the foothills of Canterbury and Otago. Gusts >100 km/h () will have the potential to cause power cuts, tree damage, and difficult driving conditions. The focus would then shift to central New Zealand with strong wind watches in place for Wellington and rain watches for Taranaki from tomorrow. It would continue north to affect the whole of the North Island, Keats said. The active rain band affecting the West Coast was expected to stall over the Tasman/Nelson area and then affect Wellington and Taranaki. Wellington region has been upgraded to orange wind warning. MetService said Mount Kaukau recorded wind speeds of up to 130 kilometres while winds around the Wellington Airport and Kelburn were closer to the hundred mark. Wellington and Porirua councils said they were unaware of the wind causing any damage - Fire and Emergency were also yet to receive any callouts. Flights and the Cook Strait ferries are also still running. File photo. Marlborough Emergency Management will be monitoring the Wairau River. Photo: RNZ / Samantha Gee The weather system had the potential to stall, delivering additional rainfall on Friday, leading to a more significant weather event, the council and Marlborough Emergency Management said in a statement on Wednesday. An update would be issued by the middle of Thursday afternoon for Spring Creek township residents on the potential impact on the Wairau River, once the latest forecasts had been assessed, the council said. Heavy rain warnings in place for the headwaters of the Canterbury and Otago lakes and rivers, the ranges of the Westland district and Fiordland north of Doubtful Sound have been lifted. Intense rain led to flash flooding in Nelson last month, which saw mayor Nick Smith renew his call for a rain radar. With school holidays looming, Keats said: "Sunday looks amazing" while ski fields would benefit from fresh snowfalls over the next few days. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
3 days ago
- Climate
- RNZ News
Weather: Tasman rivers to hit annual flood levels, 250km/h wind gusts in Canterbury
An active front is expected to lash the South Island on Thursday. Photo: MetService The Tasman District Council is expecting some of the region's rivers to reach annual flood levels as an active front hammers the South. Heavy rain, thunderstorms, gales and possible flooding is forecast for much of the South Island. The Tasman District council said uncertainty about the forecast and possible thunderstorms meant people should plan for higher flood levels. Council hydrologists said 75 to 140mm of rain had already fallen in the Tasman ranges in the last 12 hours. The Tākaka River and its tributaries and the Aorere River had peaked or were about to peak, all below annual flood flows. High tide coincided with the Aorere River's peak flow, so people could expect road and surface flooding in Ferntown. Another 200 to 300mm of rain was expected in Golden Bay over the next 26 hours, along with possible thunderstorms and localised flooding. River's in the region's east including the Wakapuaka, Maitai, Wairoa/Waimea and upper Motueka were also expected to reach annual flood flows. Between 15 to 45mm of rain had already been recorded across the eastern ranges, with a further 150 to 250mm expected. The council said there was a good chance the wet weather could cause slips, particularly on State Highway 60 over the Tākaka Hill and State Highway 6 between Nelson and Marlborough. MetService severe weather warnings cover most parts of the island, with orange rain warnings starting in the early hours of Thursday for the Tasman District northwest of Motueka, Buller, Nelson and Marlborough, excluding the Sounds. Haast Pass is closed between Haast and Makarora because of a slip. MetService meterologist Heather Keats said there was "pretty decent rainfall and strong winds come through the South Island overnight as expected". Canterbury High Country experienced "massive" 250km/h wind gusts. "But that's a very elevated site that's quite exposed." Other sites saw 90km/h gusts while some areas also had 10mm to 20mm of rain hourly. "At the moment everything's playing out as we expected as that really active front does start to track over the South Island." Environment Canterbury issued a riverbed alert for five alpine rivers in the region after heavy rain overnight. The regional council said flows were increasing in upper parts of the Rangitata, Rakaia, Waimakariri, Hurunui and Waiau-uha rivers. Expect windy conditions in the South Island from Wednesday afternoon to Thursday morning, especially in high terrain as well as the foothills of Canterbury and Otago. Gusts >100 km/h () will have the potential to cause power cuts, tree damage, and difficult driving conditions. The focus would then shift to central New Zealand with strong wind watches in place for Wellington and rain watches for Taranaki from tomorrow. It would continue north to affect the whole of the North Island, Keats said. The active rain band affecting the West Coast was expected to stall over the Tasman/Nelson area and then affect Wellington and Taranaki. MetService said Mount Kaukau recorded wind speeds of up to 130 kilometres while winds around the Wellington Airport and Kelburn were closer to the hundred mark. Wellington and Porirua councils said they were unaware of the wind causing any damage - Fire and Emergency were also yet to receive any callouts. Flights and the Cook Strait ferries are also still running. File photo. Marlborough Emergency Management will be monitoring the Wairau River. Photo: RNZ / Samantha Gee The weather system had the potential to stall, delivering additional rainfall on Friday, leading to a more significant weather event, the council and Marlborough Emergency Management said in a statement on Wednesday. An update would be issued by the middle of Thursday afternoon for Spring Creek township residents on the potential impact on the Wairau River, once the latest forecasts had been assessed, the council said. Heavy rain warnings in place for the headwaters of the Canterbury and Otago lakes and rivers, the ranges of the Westland district and Fiordland north of Doubtful Sound have been lifted. Intense rain led to flash flooding in Nelson last month, which saw mayor Nick Smith renew his call for a rain radar. With school holidays looming, Keats said: "Sunday looks amazing" while ski fields would benefit from fresh snowfalls over the next few days. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Otago Daily Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Otago Daily Times
Is this the end of Wakefield's Richard Nixon statue?
One of only two statues of US president Richard Nixon in the world could soon be removed from its Tasman home. Photo: LDR / Max Frethey A small South Island town faces an important question: Keep the infamous statue of Richard Nixon or build a community hub instead? The life-size bronze statue of the disgraced US president has bemused residents of Wakefield, about 20km south of Nelson, for more than a decade. The statue, holding Nixon's double peace sign pose, stands on the notorious 52 Edward Street site known as Fort Haldeman - reportedly the former office of the locally defunct publishing company Haldeman LLC, that had been partly owned by controversial businessman Tony Katavich. According to a list on Wikipedia, the statue is only one of two Nixon statues in the world. But Nixon's days, as well as those of the White House-inspired building he welcomes visitors to, could be numbered. The current Wakefield Hall. Photo: LDR / Max Frethey Tasman District Council is currently progressing plans for a new community hub for Wakefield to replace the ageing and earthquake-prone village hall. The hub had earlier been assumed to be built on the Wakefield Recreation Reserve, but the current owners of Fort Haldeman approached the council in early 2025 about the possibility of building the hub on their site instead. Peter Verstappen, a Waimea South Community Facility trustee, said the opportunity "came out left of field a little bit". "Until six months ago, this wasn't even a question. We were always heading to the reserve," he said. "In a way, it kind of complicated the process going forward, because suddenly we've got this other whole dimension that we now have to think about." The council is now consulting the community on its preference between the two locations. There are pros and cons to each site, with the reserve offering more space for future expansion but higher costs for infrastructure and utilities, while the Fort Haldeman site is closer to the centre of the village but has fewer future expansion opportunities. Verstappen said, "in all honesty", he doesn't have a site preference. "From what I've seen, I'm reasonably confident we can build the facility that we want, that answers most of the needs of the community, on either site." The council and trust held two community meetings last Tuesday for residents to learn more about the two options. Two locations are being debated: The Wakefield Recreation Reserve and Fort Haldeman, at 52 Edward St. Photo: Supplied / Waimea South Community Facility Charitable Trust Martin Brown, the council's project manager for the hub, told around 20 attendees of the afternoon session at Wakefield School that it was "very early days" for the Fort Haldeman site. "We're having conversations with the vendors currently. It may or may not progress, but that's part of the process we're having." A representative for the company that now owns Fort Haldeman declined to comment due to commercial sensitivities. The final decision on the location rests with the council and is expected to be made in August, with detailed design work and community fundraising to occur afterwards. Elected members will be presented with site information as well as community feedback ahead of their decision. While the full range of feedback might differ, comments from attendees of the Tuesday afternoon meeting indicated widespread support for the original Wakefield Recreation Reserve site due to its development potential, possibly saving Nixon from removal. "We're building this for not just the present, or even the present decade; we're building it for 50 years, and we need expansion space," one woman said. Moutere-Waimea Ward councillor Christeen Mackenzie has been pushing the project since she was first elected six years ago. She said trying to plan for 50 years' time was like trying to look into a "crystal ball". "Do you have one big shooting box for absolutely everything in one location? That is not necessarily what you might need into the future. Introducing the idea of Site 2 [Fort Haldeman], I think it's giving the community an opportunity to think about that," she said. "If someone comes to the council with a proposal, you've got to do your due diligence and think about it." The Wakefield Community Hub has a budget of around $11 million with $6.4m coming from developers, $2.5m from community fundraising, and $2.1m coming from a loan that will be repaid over time from an existing community facility pot that was funded through rates. Residents can have their say here. The Wakefield hub used to be part of a collective community facility project for Waimea South, including the town of Brightwater. But the two town's projects have since been split apart, and Brightwater's public hall will be upgraded at a cost of about $2.5m. By Max Frethey, Local Democracy Reporter Local Democracy Reporting is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air
