Council meetings – May / June 2022

From the library

Beanstack Challenge – 1000 Books

Reading is a very important part of early childhood development. In conjunction with Beanstack, the library wants to help you and your children get into the reading habit. The 1000 books challenge is aimed at preschool children from 0 – 6 years and helps build social and emotional skills, spark creativity and imagination, promotes bonding with family members and helps children do well overall in school.

The goal of the challenge is to make reading aloud part of your family’s regular routine – 1000 is just a number. You can join the challenge online or on paper and receive rewards for reaching milestones. Library membership isn’t required to join, but the library staff would love to have you join the library and make use of their resources.

Café Books is back!

From the 14th of May Café books returned to the library. Meetings will take place every fortnight on Saturdays at 10.30 am to have a chat over a cuppa, and check out a stack of shiny new library books. No registration is needed.

Fine Amnesty

If you have any Westland District Library items lurking around at home now is the time to return them. Any returned overdue library items will have all changes dropped during May and June. Get them back to the library before 30 June 2022 to take advantage of this limited time offer.

Things to know if you're thinking of standing

Vote 2022 – Elected members remuneration

If you are considering standing as an elected member, you might be interested to know how much you would be paid and what allowances can be claimed.

Remuneration

Remuneration is set by the Remuneration Authority, a public body responsible for setting the remuneration of key public office holders, including local council members. The Remuneration Authority sets a pool of funding for each Council based on the size of the governance role of each council, the average time required by an elected member on a council of that size, and a general comparison with parliamentary salaries.

In 2018 the Remuneration Authority introduced a governance remuneration pool, to take into account the issue of different numbers of elected members on different councils. The pool provides the total amount that must be paid in remuneration to councillors in each individual council (not including allowances). The Mayor’s remuneration is set separately from the pool.

Base remuneration for each councillor is set by the Remuneration Authority, and any funds remaining in the pool can be allocated based on additional responsibilities such as chairing a committee. Council must make recommendations to the Remuneration Authority on the base remuneration and recognition of additional responsibilities for the incoming council each election year and must nominate the whole pool allocated. Westland District Council received a pool of $223,635 for the 2021-2022 year, with each Councillor paid a base rate of $22,865.

Allowances

Allowances are at the discretion of individual councils within the limits set by the Remuneration Authority. Current allowance types are:

• Vehicle kilometre allowance
• Travel time allowance
• ICT allowance
• Childcare allowance

Westland District elected members are entitled to all these allowances under our policy and adopted recommendations, as well as for expenses relating to their work as elected members. A table of allowances claimed by elected members can be viewed on our website at any time.

Opening of the Big Engine Shed

The Big Engine Shed at the Heritage Park was one of the first projects developed at the park with the installation of big diesel engines that had worked in the sawmilling industry on the West Coast. Several engines have been added including one that powered pumps for the Kumara water supply, one that provided standby power for the Kaniere Gold Dredge and one that powered a Japanese fishing boat fishing off the West Coast. All of the old engines have been restored to working order and are run on some open days. Approximately four years ago our “big engine man”, Gordon McMillan presented a proposal to upgrade the big engine display and add a “Wow!” factor.

The main source of funds came from a Lotteries Grant but to qualify for that a significant amount of seeding finance was required. This was raised from a MDI grant through Westland District and Development West Coast and a grant from Heritage West Coast. We are very grateful for the assistance provided by those organisations.

Gordon’s vision was to get all the machines to tell their own stories, backed by a stunning sound and light show. Timaru company “Vibrant Lighting” was engaged and made and installed all the lighting effects and computer controls for the show. Local companies, Katabatic Creative and Dave Kwant provided much of the video and photographic and visual content.

Houston Motor

Blackstone Motor

Niigata Motor

Banks Motor

Kumara & Houston Motors

Our own team of Gordon, Keith Houston and Ian (Gilby) Gilbertson led the job of lining the shed walls and preparing them for “wallpapering” with massive photos of bush and sawmilling scenes. These historic photos were enlarged and installed by SignLink Graphics.

The old dirt floor in the building was concreted by local builder Matthew Fairmaid and his team.

The script for the show was written and developed by Gordon. Members also provided the voices that were recorded and added to the visual effects.

After many frustrations and delays including Covid, in early April the commissioning of the whole show took place and on Saturday 30 April President Bruce Hackett welcomed about 50 invited guests to the Park and Gordon officially opened the new Big Engine Shed Experience. Guests were then taken to the new show and had an opportunity for a general look around the Park including a train ride. At noon the public was welcomed to also take in the new show.

So, come check us out and as always new members are very welcome

Text and images supplied by Westland Industrial Heritage Park

Meet the Photographs’ Curator

Sue Asplin, Hokitika Museum Photographs’ Curator has managed the Hokitika Museum photo archive for 11 years.  The collection consists of over 30,000 images – and there are still plenty more to be catalogued and digitised.  The Museum holds a large collection of glass plate images, negatives, slides, some film, the Dorothy Fletcher collection, plus a number of other specialist collections which help tell the story of early life on the West Coast.  It is a huge task for one person, to manage, catalogue and digitise these treasured items. In this video she provides a snapshot on her role, and shares some detail of her favourite photographers and images.

Image: Hokitika Museum

#18202 Kit Carley, 1909, Hokitika.

Miss Carley poses with her decorated bicycle. Her team, representing the UK won the Best Decorated Cycle Team competition held at Cass Square on Easter Monday 1909.

Notices from the Waste Officer

Recycle your dead lightbulbs at Mitre 10

Most lightbulbs are not supposed to be put into the ordinary household rubbish collection or transfer stations as they are hazardous. Mitre 10 is making recycling dead lightbulbs simple – drop your old bulbs into the recycling box in their shop, they will send them to Interwaste and the materials will be broken down to be used again in other products. More information can be found on Mitre 10’s website.

E-waste

Why pay to dump your items at the transfer station when you can recycle them for free?

Staff have started to see e-waste items at the transfer station when people drop off their loads. Instead of paying to dispose of them, take them to the Hokitika Transfer Station to be recycled.

What is accepted?

• Computers, laptops/notebooks, tablets/palmtops, and associated cables.
• Computer monitors and projectors, including CRT/LCD/flat-panel monitors and parts(e.g. internal hard drives and CD drives).
• Printers, scanners, and multi-functional devices (MFDs) including: toners and ink cartridges contained within a printer where they cannot reasonably be removed.
• Computer peripherals and accessories (e.g. mice, keyboards, web cameras, USB’s and modems).
• Cameras & video cameras.

What is not accepted?

• TVs
• Whitegoods
• Consumer electronics
• Loose batteries
• Toner and ink cartridges

Mobile phones, phone charges and cables continue to be accepted for recycling through the Noel Leeming partnership programme with RE:mobile; a cellular phone recycling scheme.

Photo by David Becker on Unsplash

Carnegie building – end of construction work in sight

Museum staff are looking forward to work on the Carnegie building being completed later this year. Despite delays caused by Covid lockdowns, procurement and material supply, and the poor condition of the roof parapet the end is in sight and completion is scheduled for the end of July this year.

Work to date has seen full installation of new reinforced concrete foundations, concrete shear walls installed, internal structural steel columns in the interior walls, and reinforcing the ceiling with a steel diaphragm. External upgrades consist of securing the brickwork, removing the parapet to install new framing, replacing coloured glass in the windows and full cleaning of the building.

There is still a lot of work to be done before the end of July, including installing Gib inside the building and painting, commissioning the electrical services, lighting, emergency lighting and fire protection, completion of the exterior with a new parapet, painting the woodwork, preparing the entryway columns for internal steel reinforcing rods and completing the accessible carpark area, pathway and signage.

Photo – Westland District Council

John Hastie – MD Trademark Construction, Scott Baxendale – WDC Group Manager: District Assets, Richard Bullet – Project Manager, Joseph and Associates inspecting the Carnegie Building parapets.