Welcome to our monthly series, that reminds you of what you may have missed during the past month.

What’s Hot...

The new entertainment and hospitality training hub in downtown Alexandra. It’s definitely time to inject some new life into this town. Alexandra has never quite been the same since the Bendigo Hotel and Pie Cart disappeared. One got demolished and the other caught fire.

Will this be Alexandra’s revival?

What’s Not…

A lack of affordable housing (including rentals). It has been like this for years and the problem isn’t going away.

The Queenstown Lakes District Council jumped on the issue back in 2007, forming a Community Housing Trust (QLCHT).

Back here, the Central Otago Affordable Housing Trust was also formed 10 years later (2017), but five years on the community is only now being asked for feedback on whether the council should get involved.

The only viable way forward is for the CODC to gift a proportion of the land they require to get the initiative up and running, and establish a ‘secure homes’ scheme.

To have your say on this - then follow the link and fill out the survey. https://lets- talk.codc.govt.nz/affordable-housing

It Has Been A Great Month For...

Central Otago District Council parks and recreation manager Gordon Bailey, who is one of five horticulturists to be awarded a fellowship with the Royal New Zealand Institute of Horticulture.

Mr Bailey joined the council in 2018 following a career spanning more than 30 years in parks and recreation in the southern South Island.

Outside his council role he has been part of an international effort to identify and save some rhododendron species from extinction from their native habitat.

It Hasn’t Been A Great Month For...

The house boat owner in Southland who lost an appeal to moor his homemade vessel-structure on Lake Dunstan.

BUT Ian Horsham’s not giving up yet, and has sought a re-hearing through his lawyers Todd and Walker - that has been submitted to the Commissioner of Crown Lands at Land Information New Zealand.

He also has a Givealittle Page to fund his cause, which is currently at $100 https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/houseboat-fighting-for-rights-on-a-lake

You Said It…

My first response was I had to email the Ministry to see whether it was fake news,& Teviot landowner Gray Pannett responding to media when he heard Lake Onslow could become a power storage tank involving the flooding of his farm.

Gray and other affected landowners say they only heard about the $4 billion proposal when reading the local newspaper.