Latest news with #WairauValley
RNZ News
28-06-2025
- Climate
- RNZ News
Weather: Marlborough District Council sending teams into flooded Wairau Valley township
Crews working on damage west of the Waihopai Bridge near Renwick, Marlborough. Photo: Supplied / Marlborough District Council The Marlborough District Council is sending teams into the cut off Wairau Valley township where it is understood homes have flooded. Mayor Nadine Taylor said emergency vehicles and a fuel truck to power a Marlborough Lines generator had been able to access the settlement, although State Highway 63 was closed between Renwick and St Arnaud. Many homes in the Wairau Valley lost power on Friday and while power had since been restored, Taylor said it was not yet known how many homes had been flooded. She said it was likely to be a few days until the full extent of damage was known. "It's still a fluid and dynamic situation in terms of understanding what's happened to some of our smaller outlying towns and settlements," she said. The council said there had been significant damage to SH63 in the Bankhouse area west of the Waihopai Bridge and Renwick because of the heavy rain. Contractors were clearing gravel to try to get the road reinstated at least to one lane but it would will probably remain closed from Renwick to Wairau Valley for the rest of Saturday. While the weather had improved, the council said areas remain flooded and the ground was saturated, with potential for further slips and road closures. The council said stopbanks held up well overall but emergency repairs were needed in the Waihopai Valley. Taylor said river engineers found weak spots where river water could be seen bubbling and seeping through the stopbank, with work on repairs to begin on Monday. The Spring Creek stop bank performed well despite engineers' concerns when drilling showed it was compromised in 2022/23, the council said. The council asked people to only flush toilets when necessary and use water sparingly. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
16-06-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Building volunteers restore Abilities Group workstations destroyed by fire
The recycling plant was completely destroyed by fire in April. Photo: Supplied/RNZ Volunteers have spent part of the weekend building workstations for an Auckland recycling plant that burnt down earlier this year. The Abilities Group recycling plant in Wairau Valley was completely destroyed, after catching fire in April. Almost 120 workers with disabilities were employed there, helping sort and process e-recycling, including batteries, phones, laptops and televisions. New Zealand Certified Builders were at the current Abilities site on Saturday, building workstations to be used to process recycling. Chair Nick Farrelly said they reached out to North Shore members to help the Abilities Group. "In Auckland, it's really hard to find a charity that everyone agrees with and can see that it's a great thing," Farrelly said. "There are so many people doing great things that it can be hard just to choose one, but this was one that everybody can relate to. "These people are doing a great job in that recycling community and we certainly do realise that, in the building industry, we can probably be a little bit better, and we can send our stuff to these guys, who actually do it properly." The materials for the work stations were donated by Mitre 10 and Hirepool. About 30 builders constructed 20 workstations for the Abilities Group. Photo: Supplied/RNZ Farrelly said about 30 builders constructed 20 workstations for Abilities staff to stand or sit at, as they carry out the recycling. "It's just workstations that can actually be [configured] in any way and when they do move out, they can take them with them," he said. Farrelly wanted to give a shoutout to those working at Abilities. "These are pretty special people," he said. "You go around there and it's just so rewarding, they really do warm the cockles of your stomach up. "They're just so happy go lucky, happy that you're helping them sort of people." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
15-05-2025
- General
- RNZ News
New site found for Auckland recycling plant destroyed by fire last month
The Abilities Group recycling plant after it burnt down on 17 April. Photo: RNZ / Kaye Albert The recycling centre that burnt down on Auckland's North Shore last month has found a new site to accommodate staff. The Abilities Recycling plant caught fire, burning to the ground and destroying critical equipment. The organisation employs almost 120 employees with disabilities. A smaller site has been found in Wairau Valley, which will continue the organisation's recycling work, but not E-waste. Abilities managing director Peter Fraher said it was likely to take two years before they were fully operational once again. "To replicate what Abilities had before, which was a totally integrated site, is, in the short term, almost impossible," he said. "So we're looking at taking it step by step, our first priority is to look after our staff with disabilities." Fraher said they had not defined just how many staff would be able to work at the new site, but they were looking at rostering. "We hope that a good percentage of our people with disabilities can be accommodated at this location, which is still in the Wairau Valley and close to their normal commute." The support the organisation has had from the community since the fire has been overwhelming and uplifting, Fraher said. "When I get out of bed in the morning, and I think 'we've got a big road ahead', I just think of all the support we've had and it just uplifts me, and it uplifts all our team," he said. "It's just been amazing, the New Zealand community, it's alive and well, and we want to thank everybody, just from my heart, from the support we've had, it's just unbelievable." Fraher said there was still more work to do. "Our current planning is that it's a two year project, and we have that ultimate goal, but like any journey it's a step at a time, and we're working very hard to do it as soon as possible but we also have to be practical," he said. "To accommodate 120 people with disabilities, and hopefully more, it's a big task and it's got to be done safely, so it's not going to happen overnight." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
