Council September Newsletter

18 September 2020

September / October Council and Committee Meetings

18 September 2020

Council and committee meetings are held in the Council Chambers of Westland District Council unless otherwise noted. Meetings can also be viewed through livestream on the Council website and on Council’s Youtube channel following meetings.

Meeting	Date	Time
Ordinary Council	Thursday, 24 September	1.00pm
Extraordinary Meeting to hear submissions, deliberate and resolve on the Amendment to the Long Term Plan 2018-28 Consultation Document	Monday, 28 September	9.00am
Community Development Committee	Monday, 5 October	5.30pm
West Coast Wilderness Trail Subcommittee	Thursday, 15 October	3.00pm
Ordinary Council	Thursday 22 October	1.00pm

September and October Events

Upcoming Events and Programmes at the Library

18 September 2020

To help comply with social distancing regulations many of the library’s events now require registration beforehand, please book ahead to avoid disappointment. Register for events and activities by visiting the library, email library@westlib.co.nz or call 03 755 6208.

Click the links or check out the library’s website and Facebook page for more information.

Special Events	Date	Time
Mental Health Awareness Week – Mindfulness Mediation	Tuesday 22 September (bookings essential)	10.00am
Leveraging Wiki for Tourism Operators	Friday 25 September (bookings essential)	11.00am
Editing Wiki	Saturday 26 September (bookings essential)	10.00am
Children’s Holiday Programme
Craft Activities	Monday 28 September – Friday 2 October (bookings essential)	Contact the library for details.
Children’s Author Visit: Jeanette Goode	Wednesday 30 September (bookings essential)	10.30am
Children’s Author Visit: Carol Duffy Bailey O’Melley	Wednesday 7 October (bookings essential)	10.30am
Library Talk! Ngā Moemoeā – 3 Dreams with Makaira Waugh	Wednesday 7 October	6.30pm
Artist Talk Peter Keane	Friday 9 October (bookings essential)	10.30am
#ShowUsYourGrabBag NZ Shakeout Instagram Photo Competition	1 – 15 October
Regular Events
Café Books	Saturday mornings	10.30am
Wriggle and Rhyme	Tuesdays during school term	10.30am – 11.00am
Wellbeing group Join us on our wellbeing journey with an opportunity to share tips and experiences to help you make positive changes in your life.	Tuesday mornings	10.30am – 11.30am
Justice of the Peace Service Desk	1^st and 3^rd Thursday of the month	11am – 1pm

There’s lots on at the library over the next few weeks in addition to our regular programmes. To find out What’s On, visit the library website, follow on Facebook or pop into the library, we’re always happy to see you.

Size Matters!

How big is your plastic container?

18 September 2020

Whether you are trying to use less plastic by purchasing larger containers or saving money by purchasing in bulk, size matters when it comes to recycling!

Too big or too small means that an item cannot be recycled. The recycling centre in Christchurch, where Westland District recycling is sent, uses optical sorters that can recognize objects’ colour, size, shape, structural properties and chemical composition. Items larger than 3 litres are recognised as too big for the machines as they cause a jam.

Staff at Westland transfer stations try to prevent this problem by removing the obviously large items from collected recycling before it gets sent over the Pass. This waste then goes into the landfill.

If you are keen to recycle, consider the size of the packaging the next time you purchase something that comes in a plastic bottle and remember that it needs to be less than 3 litres in size.

The pictured bottles could not be recycled because they’re too big.

Photo: ©Westland District Council

Check the requirements

Building Consent Exemptions

18 September 2020

From 31 August 2020, some building projects no longer need a building consent, making it faster and easier for people to turn their building dreams into a reality.

These types of building projects no longer require a building consent:

Single-storey detached buildings such as sleepouts, sheds and greenhouses (up to 30 square metres).
Carports (up to 40 square metres)
Ground floor awnings, verandas and porches (up to 30 square metres).

Solar panel arrays, permanent outdoor fireplaces or ovens, water storage bladders for irrigation and firefighting purposes, short-span small bridges, hay barns and pole sheds are also included.

Even though these building projects don’t need a building consent, all work must meet the building code and some work requires a professional. It’s important that homeowners know there are still rules that need to be followed.

You’re responsible for your building projects.

If you own the property, you own the responsibility. This means you must check whether your building project requires a building consent or not.

All the information you need to make your decision is available here.

Inset photo supplied

Main photo by Mitchell Luo on Unsplash

Arahura Water Treatment Plant

18 September 2020

Council is moving forward with work to build a new Water Treatment Plant for the Arahura Township, north of Hokitika. The tender for the work was awarded to Process Flow by the Capital Projects and Tenders Committee at their meeting on Tuesday 15 September 2020. Process Flow has experience working in the West Coast environment, having built the water treatment plant at Runanga.

The new water treatment plant will address issues such as the location of the bore, power source and monitoring. Water from the new treatment plant will meet the revised Drinking Water Standards, providing a safe and clean supply for the Arahura Township. A connection will be provided to the Marae site, providing compliant potable water to the Marae.

Photo: Runanga Water Treatment Plant, © Westland District Council

Follow the Sun

18 September 2020

New Zealand Book Awards 2020

The Library has been bathed in the light of 130 suns made by children from St Marys, Ross, Kaniere and Hokitika Primary Schools, inspired by two books on the Awards shortlist: Abigail and the Birth of the Sun by Matthew Cunningham and How Māui Slowed the Sun retold by Donovan Bixley. Youth Librarian, Krystel Woodcock has been visiting schools to read to and work with the children to celebrate the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults.

Access to research databases

Temporary, free access to two reference databases: MasterFILE Complete and the Australia/New Zealand Reference Centre Plus, is coming soon as part of the New Zealand Libraries Partnership Programme. Together, these databases provide an extensive collection of leading regional and international periodicals, reference books, biographies, newspapers, photos and maps.

Mayors Taskforce for Jobs

18 September 2020

Westland District Council has been allocated funding through the Mayors Taskforce for Jobs Community Recovery Fund to help small to medium business owners fund local employment opportunities in the wake of Covid-19. Additionally, the fund will also assist individuals affected by Covid-19, school leavers and apprentices with securing sustainable employment in the Westland District.

The fund is a unique and exciting for the Westland community. Charlotte Bradley-Peni has been appointed to the role of Workforce Coordinator. Within this role Charlotte will take responsibility for the Westland recovery fund working alongside employers and those seeking employment.

If you are interested in registering for the Mayors Taskforce for Job Community Recovery fund please see our website.

Photo by Jia Ye on Unsplash

Proposed Long Term Plan 2018-28 Amendment

Still time to have your say

18 September 2020

There is still time to have your say on the proposed amendment to the Long Term Plan 2018-28.

Submissions close at 5pm on Thursday 24 September. No late submissions will be accepted.

The hearing, deliberation and decision will be held in the Council Chambers at 36 Weld Street, Hokitika on Monday 28 September at 9am.

Find out more and make your submission here.

Work nears completion at Sunset Point

18 September 2020

Work to protect and beautify the closed tip site at Sunset Point is nearing completion. Rock protection, curbing and planting have been added to improve access, traffic flow and the visual appeal for visitors. Footpaths from the beachfront and along Gibson Quay are well defined with clear access to the beach itself. Several sculptures have reappeared to add further interest to the area.

Further works, which are expected to be completed in time for summer, include line marking and signage, toilet installation, rubbish bins, picnic tables, lighting and grassing. These improvements will provide a family-friendly place for locals and visitors alike to enjoy.

The short video shows snapshots of the development over time.

Enviroschools West Coast

18 September 2020

The Enviroschools programme encourages children and young people to become catalysts for change. Local facilitators work alongside students, teachers, whānau and communities to plan, design and implement sustainability actions across five key areas: Zero Waste, Water of Life, Energy, Ecological Building, and Living Landscapes.

The Council is a funding partner of Enviroschools West Coast, which is a partnership between Westland, Grey, and Buller District Councils, Department of Conservation and the Toimata Foundation.

There are seven Enviroschools in the Westland District as at September 2020. To find out which schools are participating and for more information please go to the Enviroschools website.

Photo 1: Kaniere School’s Envirogroup conducting a waste survey on Hokitika beach (Supplied)

Photo 2: Hokitika School’s Taiao Warriors with their vision map of a sustainable future (Supplied)

Covid-19 Recovery

Community Capability and Resilience Fund

18 September 2020

The Community Capability and Resilience Fund (CCRF) is a fund available to community groups for initiatives that support the rebuild and recovery from Covid-19. The $36 million fund is available from 1 August 2020 to support communities over the next two years.

The CCRF allows the success of the Community Awareness and Preparedness Grant Fund (CAP Fund) to continue on a larger scale. Like the CAP Fund, the purpose of the CCRF is to provide assistance and support for community groups working with priority populations as they rebuild and recover from the impacts of COVID-19.

Priority groups

The CCRF will be targeted towards initiatives that support priority groups, which include Māori, Pacific, ethnic migrant communities, and culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) groups.

Who can apply?

The CCRF is for community groups that come from a cross-section of their local community.

Examples of community groups who can apply are:

Local marae, whānau, hapū, iwi
Multicultural councils
Ethnic community organisations
Faith based, religious and church groups
Community access radio stations
Community Hubs
Not for profit organisations and social enterprises
Other community-based interest groups.

The CCRF enables these groups to focus on community wellbeing and efforts to help promote social inclusion.

The types of things you can apply for funding

Technology to provide services remotely
Help to ensure your community group is operating safely
The development and implementation of your COVID-19 recovery plans
Help to plan and build economic capability
Opportunities to improve and coordinate the services you deliver
Funds to help you collaborate and work with other community groups (eg Community Hubs)
Help to cover operational and administrative costs
Support for you to develop fundraising campaigns

https://www.msd.govt.nz/what-we-can-do/community/community-capability-and-resilience-fund/index.html

Photo by Shane Rounce on Unsplash