| Extraordinary Risk and Assurance Committee meeting | Thursday, 17 October |
| Council meeting | Thursday, 24 October |
| Extraordinary Council meeting – to adopt the Annual Report 2023/2024 | Wednesday, 30 October |
| Risk and Assurance Committee meeting | Thursday, 7 November |
| Cycling and Walking Subcommittee meeting | Thursday, 21 November |
| Council meeting | Thursday, 28 November |
Cover Photo Bernard Spragg on Flickr
Introducing Clare Lomax
Our Animal Control Officer (ACO), Clare Lomax shares what it’s like to be an ACO.
A day in the life of an ACO is full of variety, as you’re just a call away from an incident. I absolutely love my job, meeting people, and meeting dogs. I enjoy sharing my experiences and ideas and helping people when dogs escape; yes, it’s hard to find ways of stopping Houdini’s, but I have heaps of ideas I like to share.
If I have dogs in the pound, every morning I start by checking in on the dogs. My routine is to clean the kennels, interact with the dogs and feed them, and wash their bedding. Then, I head to the office to tackle paperwork, from processing registrations to responding to public inquiries. At this time of year, a big part of my office work is to deal with dog registration, including processing payment plans. A payment plan is a really great way for people to spread the cost of their registration over the year. I’m really pleased that we are offering this service because it makes a real difference for dog owners.
Other tasks that I’ll see to is to answer any service requests that come through from members of the public. These can be anything from notification of a wandering dog, issues with a barking dog, missing dogs, and dogs found in places you wouldn’t expect to find them, among other things. The most common callouts I attend are to barking dogs, wandering dogs, dog attacks on either animals or humans, and wandering stock. I’m on call 24/7 as the Council’s only dedicated ACO, and I will often assist the Police to attend to stock getting out or when a dog attack is reported.
A lot of people see my role as someone who takes their dogs away. This is a misconception. My primary goal is to educate and assist pet owners. I strive to work collaboratively with them to resolve issues and ensure the well-being of their dogs. Sadly, it doesn’t always work and sometimes I must seize dogs, but I will give owners plenty of chances to change their behaviour and help the dog modify its behaviour.
People also think I just drive around. I wish! The area that I manage is from the Westland side of the Taramakau Bridge to Otira in the East and South to Haast. I have over 2000 known dogs in my area. On my drives when I see unregistered dogs, I work with the owner to help them get their dog registered. I also keep an eye on fence lines where stock are in the paddocks and if I see fencing that’s looking unsteady I’ll have a chat with the farmer. Most farmers are already aware but there are some occasions that they may not have noticed.
One of the most challenging aspects of my job is dealing with dog attacks (not all attacks happen because a dog is aggressive). These incidents are emotionally draining, affecting both the animals involved and their families. While euthanasia is sometimes necessary, it’s never an easy decision. I always stay with the animal until the very end, offering comfort and compassion. I also really feel for the families as the dog was part of their family.
This year a lot of dogs have been surrendered to me and I’ve had a couple of abandoned dogs and puppies to deal with. I work with other animal welfare agencies to find these dogs good homes. Despite the challenges, there are countless rewards. Reuniting lost dogs with their families, finding loving homes for abandoned animals, and witnessing the positive changes in pet owners make me feel that my job makes a positive impact.
I worked and ran an SPCA shelter in the North Island where we worked closely with the ACOs and trained to be an emergency reservist for animals. I also trained to be an animal inspector. I’ve worked in vets in the UK too and have always been around animals. So, when we moved to the West Coast and the Westland District Council put an ad out for an ACO I was in there like a shot.
Sadly, over the last year, there has been more aggression from the public. I’ve experienced threats and abuse, and I now wear a vest and a camera. This is for my safety but can also help if any interaction results in a complaint. This saddens me as it’s common sense to keep your dog on a lead. Not all dogs like other dogs no matter how friendly they are; people don’t like everyone they meet so why should dogs? Also, a big bugbear is owners not picking up their dog poo. It’s a $300 infringement if caught not picking up and yet dog owners yell at me when asked to pick it up. Come on folks, dogs are owners’ responsibilities and picking up their poo and keeping them on leads is up to you.
Even with these challenges, I remain dedicated to my role. I believe that every dog deserves a happy and healthy life, and every owner deserves a chance, and I’ll continue to work tirelessly to ensure that happens.
Before and after photos – Clare clipped these two littlies from the Grey Pound. Both found new homes.
Text and photos – Clare Lomax
Westland District Council Elected Members, staff and public attendees observed a minute silence at the beginning of September’s Council meeting to honour the life of previous Westland Mayor Bruce Smith (Mayor 2016 – 2022).
Her Worship the Mayor, Councillors and staff thanked him for his service to the Westland District and his many contributions to the wider community.
Bruce was a passionate advocate for Westland and the wider West Coast and led the district with a vision to build a strong economy and make Westland a place that people wanted live.
Mayor Helen Lash says, “Bruce embraced his role as Mayor of Westland District with the greatest of enthusiasm, and passion. Never one to shy away from the hard topics or issues, Bruce championed many a pathway during his time as Mayor.
He will be remembered as an immensely proud man, driven for the betterment of the coast and its’ people.”
Her Worship the Mayor laid the Mayoral Chains on the table, followed by Cr Neale with red roses. All Councillors and staff attending wore red roses in honour of the life of Bruce Smith.
Hokitika’s Clocktower has joined the more than 80 landmarks and prominent buildings across New Zealand to be lit up to mark Breast Cancer Awareness this October.
The campaign draws attention to the Breast Cancer Foundation’s annual Pink Ribbon Street Appeal, taking place on Friday 18 and Saturday 19 October this year. Around the country, thousands of collectors will be shaking their pink buckets, collecting donations for breast cancer research, education campaigns and patient support programmes.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer for Kiwi women. Each year, more than 3,500 women are diagnosed with the disease nationwide and every year around 650 will die from it. Breast cancers found early (stage one and two) have a 92% survival rate. Currently 15% of all diagnoses are late stage (stage three and four). This number is stubborn. It hasn’t moved in over a decade. We want the best possible outcome for everyone diagnosed with breast cancer. We can work together to move the needle towards early diagnosis.
By turning pink, landmarks and buildings all over Aotearoa New Zealand are helping to spread the life-saving message about the importance of early detection. The earlier breast cancer is caught, the better the outcome.
Learn more at https://www.breastcancerfoundation.org.nz/
GorseBusters is back for another year in 2025. Join the team at Ōkārito Lagoon from Monday 31st March 2025 to Saturday 5th April 2025 inclusive.
GorseBusters is a volunteer conservation project in the most stunning environment in the world, South Westland – clearing invasive weeds, and having fun doing it.
Winners of the 2024 NZ Biosecurity Award for community work – go and join the team for the best working holiday you’ll ever have.
Generously supported and enabled by dozens of local residents, and local and national businesses and organisations. The Ōkārito community provides accommodation, food, tools, water transport and organisation; you bring a good attitude and a sense of humour.
Keen to come join us? Email gorsebusters@okarito.co.nz, call us on 03 753 4014 or view more and sign up at https://okarito.co.nz/articles/gorsebusters/
Each week staff at Hokitika Swimming Pool hold a range of classes for the community. These target all fitness levels and abilities.
Recently, the W40 class run by Traci Booth-Ross was audited by Carol Hides of Sport Canterbury and received the ACC community strength and balance tick of approval. Ms Hides report noted, “In essence your entire class was all about strength and balance. You included a lot of dual tasking by adding in our arms or hands. It certainly made for a great workout and I came away feeling like I had worked my entire body.
Traci, thank you for all you are doing with older adults and exercise within your community. You are making a difference. We appreciate this.”
The audit assessed that the class was targeted to the over 65 age group and excerises challenged participants while improving their balance and leg strength to reduce the risk of falling.
Pool Manager Angie Paul says, “Traci runs these classes for the love of the pool community. We are blessed to have her as part of the Aqua fitness team here, she’s incredible!”
| Monday, 9am – 10am
(Starting 4 November 2024) |
Aqua fit | This is an intermediate class, a bit faster than senior fit and more physically challenging. Still encompassing strength, balance and toning. Lots of fun! |
| Tuesday, 6.30am – 7.10am | W40 | Not Aqua Zumba it’s W40 (water 40 minutes): Less dance, more warrior.
Easier moves with repetition to target individual muscles. High energy, low impact due to water resistance. Ideal for knees and hips that struggle on land. Great music to make exercising more enjoyable! |
| Thursday, 9am – 10am | Senior fit | This class is good for strength and balance and toning. Suits people of all ages but gentle on the body for our elderly participants. |
| Thursday, 5.30pm
Saturday, 4pm |
Aqua Zumba | Get ready to unlock your full potential with Aqua Zumba, This empowering workout combines dance and water resistance to boost your fitness journey, supporting your balance and amplifying your results.
Suitable for any size, any age, any fitness, one class fits all. |
Work has started on the revamp of the Tancred Street Toilets. All sanitary fittings and wall linings have been removed. Some rotten timber framing is being repaired to prepare the walls for the installation of new wall linings. Tiling got underway last week, and the project is on budget and on track to be completed towards the end of October.
A permanent 3-pan toilet block is being installed in Otira. The existing temporary toilets have been moved to the side while the new toilets are being installed and are available for use until the new toilets have been completed. Foundations have been completed and the plinth and boxing work began at the end of September. The new toilets were delivered to the site in early October, and the planned completion date is 17 October, weather dependent.
The internal fitout of the Carnegie Museum is progressing well. The building works and lighting and flooring installations have been completed. The security systems and communications cabling are currently being installed, with the reception desk next to go in. The base-build works will be completed in time for the temporary opening of the Kura Pounamu display in December 2024.
Westland District Library were thrilled to welcome the fabulous Siu and Leah, of Loopy Tunes Preschool Music for a special concert to celebrate Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori on Friday 20th of September. It was awesome to watch over 150 tamariki all kanikani and waiata with so much enthusiasm. And we would like to thank all the whānau and kaiako who made it possible for so many tamariki to attend.
And special thanks to Rūma Ruamki Reo of Hokitika Primary School who attended our special tī rākau workshop after the concert.
During spring and summer, a lot of wildlife enjoys the Westland shoreline. To ensure the safety and well-being of both our furry friends and the native species, we kindly ask dog owners to keep their pets on leashes and maintain a respectful distance from any wildlife encountered.
We ask that you be mindful of native wildlife at the beach and avoid allowing dogs to be off the leash above the high tide line, in dunes, and areas of beach-side vegetation. Little Blue Penguins and other protected endangered species are known to inhabit and nest on foreshores across much of the West Coast, including our local environs here in Hokitika.
Why the leash?
Keep the beach clean
Responsible dog owners collect their dog’s poo.
It may not seem like an important environmental concern, but dog poo can cause more damage than a mess on the bottom of your shoe. One dog poo contains enough e-coli bacteria to contaminate an Olympic size swimming pool (around 3 million litres of water). A single gram of dog poo can contain up to 23 million faecal coliform bacteria! Dog waste can also spread parasites such as hookworms, whipworms, roundworms, ringworms, tapeworms, Parvovirus and Salmonella.
Let’s work together to protect our beautiful coastline and wildlife.
