An old 1940’s house in Clyde will be demolished and replaced by six two-storied townhouses, after gaining resource consent last week.Hamlin Enterprises was granted consent by the Central Otago District Council to subdivide 50 Sunderland Street and 11 Fache Street - some of which is partially contained within the Heritage Precinct.One submitter spoken to was disappointed to learn the consent had been approved, and felt that commissioners hadn’t listened to his concerns.He and another submitter were considering appealing the decision, with one saying he would lose much of his sun from the two-storied apartments.He also believed the developers were going to destroy the look of the village, by building them in the heritage precinct.The application was considered by councillors Neil Gillespie, Martin McPherson and Ian Cooney.Planning consultant for the council, Tom McIntyre, recommended the company be granted consent for the multi-unit development, subject to conditions.Under the District Plan, the erection of any new building or structure within the Heritage Precinct was a discretionary, or restricted, activity.The panel also considered a heritage impact report by Robin Miller, building surveyor and director of Arrowtown-based architecture and consultancy firm Origin Heritage, who found the subdivision responded well to the council’s heritage precinct guidelines, “and was a compatible addition to the precinct.”“Having carefully considered the heritage aspects of the application including the relevant District Plan provisions, The panel recognise that Mr Miller is suitably qualified expert, a highly regarded professional in his field and has an in-depth knowledge of the Clyde heritage design guidelines.”In its decision, the panel said while the proposed built form was larger than neighbouring buildings, they accepted Mr Miller’s findings that the multi-cellular design will sufficiently break up the mass of the buildings.Have a story you want to share? Contact us at [email protected]

As decision time for the Otago Regional Council’s decision on its Land and Water Regional Plan looms, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds is keeping a watchful eye on the outcome.Minister Simmonds and fellow Minister Todd McClay met with regional councillors in a closed door meeting in Dunedin on October 12.Following the meeting, Minister Simmonds told The Central App she continued to express concern that its approach to notify the plan may lead to duplication or unnecessary costs.“I am continuing to monitor the council and have not ruled out further interventions or appropriate actions to ensure the freshwater planning does not impose unnecessary costs on ratepayers.”Regional councillors will decide on Wednesday whether to continue and notify the plan or pause, until the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management review is underway.  “Local democracy means regional councils are responsible for freshwater management within their regions, while central government sets the national policy direction,” Minister Simmonds said. The Government has extended the deadline for councils to notify their freshwater plan changes by an extra three years, giving them until December 31, 2027. This would provide time to replace and start implementation on the new National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management, she said.Otago Regional Council chair Gretchen Robertson SUPPLIED Regional council chair Gretchen Robertson, who was one of the seven councillors keen to push on with its regional water plan, said the ORC would weigh up risks and opportunities and take into account both its legal obligations and community needs. She said consecutive ministers have acknowledged that Otago’s current water plan was outdated.“Minister Simmonds has stated she prefers pausing notification to avoid duplication and costs, she has consistently reaffirmed that councils have the autonomy to decide on timing."Minister Simmonds has made clear she has not directed councils to stop. Her preference for a pause has been clear, but so too has her understanding of key local issues needing local solutions and of the time bound challenges Otago faces with its current plan.”  She said both the regional council and the Government shared the goal of a fair, efficient process that ensured healthy water and livelihoods. “ORC has the task of deciding whether this is through notification (which still enables any new Government policies to be incorporated through the hearing process), or through a pause till the resource management system is reformed. ''This is yet to be decided on the 23rd of October.” Cr Robertson acknowledged the regional council faced a key democratic decision. “Each councillor takes an oath to serve all the people of Otago. It serves a community that tells us in community surveys, that freshwater is its top environmental concern—vital for both livelihoods and futures.”

Central Otago residents may notice an increase of police on foot around the district over the next few months.Alexandra police Senior Constable Graham Perkins said the initiative was a national police directive that started in October.He said it was to give communities reassurance that police in their towns were visible and available, and having a visual appearance was an important thing.Police were also monitoring high traffic areas around schools and early childhood centres, to ensure drivers were slowing down and coming to a compulsory stop at certain intersections.Snr Const Perkins said he had already given out many infringement notices to drivers recently who were not obeying the law.“They always ask for a warning but warnings don’t work because they just end up doing it again,” he said.With the increase in new licensed premises, particularly around Alexandra recently, police were also carrying out regular inspections.Starting back in early September. Snr Const Perkins said it has been great to see all of the new pubs full of people, and with few issues.“There’s been large numbers in all of the bars over the weekends, and good behaviour by the patrons.”Further checks again last weekend around Alexandra also found good compliance from all bar owners and no concerns.

Former Royal New Zealand Ballet dancer Mary ‘Dawn’ Russell died in Alexandra on October 2, aged 86 years.Loving mother of Lee (Alexandra), Rebecca (Tauranga) and Anna (Italy), and proud grandmother of Hunter, Moss, and Maggie, Dawn began her years in Dunedin, and attended Arthur Street School.As well as a dancer, she led an interesting life as a teacher, an entertainer and was a generous hostess and friend to many.Her dream was always to study ballet and she finally persuaded her mother to agree. Naturally talented, she sailed through her exams and was awarded a scholarship with the Royal New Zealand Ballet, and toured with the company.Dawn Russell performing with the Royal New Zealand Ballet in her younger years. PHOTO: SuppliedGood friend of 30 years Esme Kilgour, who spoke at her funeral, said she understood Dawn even danced with Sir Jon Trimmer - and along with his wife, became lifelong friends.Establishing a ballet school in Alexandra in her 20s, at the request of former artist the late Elizabeth Stevens - who wanted someone to teach her children, Dawn used to bus from Dunedin and then back to Roxburgh to give lessons, before heading home again.The Stevens family introduced her to her future husband Bruce, who was studying architecture.“Dawn’s life, from what I have gleaned over the years, was one of high achievement, hard work, generous hospitality and friendship,” Esme said.Travelling by boat to go to Sydney for her overseas experience, Dawn auditioned for the main role in Alice In Wonderland at a pantomime, which she was successful at, and was also a good actress on the stage as well.In her role of Alice in Alice in Wonderland at a Sydney Pantomime. PHOTO: SuppliedShe then continued on to London which took five weeks via sea, and married her husband in Tayaran where he was working at the time.They returned to Auckland to start a family, where each of the three girls were born, and Dawn took to sewing to supplement the family income.Several years later they moved to Alexandra where she took over Fay McKay’s ballet school, and Dawn choreographed and acted in many shows for the Alexandra Musical Society. At one stage she put on a concert to raise money for Greenpeace.After the marriage ended after 16 years, Dawn started Alexandra’s first wine bar ‘The Dandelion’ along Limerick St.“It was a wonderful place, small and welcoming with good food and great music,” Esme said.Dawn always exuded a warm welcome to anyone visiting her home, and her Christmas dinners always included people whose families were far away.“She worked hard at any job she took on - nothing was beneath her and all was tackled with a broad smile,” she said.In her later years she enjoyed the companionship of friends in Tai Chi, book group, mahjong, The Poetry Party and the Shakespeare group.“No matter how difficult things were, we could always have a glass of wine and laugh,” Esme said.

Last month Minister of Health Shane Reti and Minister for Infrastructure Chris Bishop announced the cost of the planned Dunedin Hospital redevelopment had ballooned to $3billion and would either need to be reduced, or done in stages. The shock announcement saw tens of thousands of people take to the streets in protest, angry at broken promises and the implications of what a smaller build would mean not only for Dunedin, but the wider Otago region. In Central Otago, residents live with the impacts of a stretched health system every day. Limited access to mental health and other key services, a maternity unit that was promised but yet to materialise and a lack of an emergency department coupled with isolated communities, long commutes to Dunedin - or further afield - for specialist care, dangerous winter road conditions and a burgeoning population adding more pressure to already stretched resources means Central Otago residents know first hand the impacts of a stretched health service. So is placing all of our eggs in the Dunedin Hospital basket the answer to the region's health woes? The Central App spoke with leaders from both Dunstan and Maniototo Hospitals about the impacts of the Ministers’ proposal on Central Otago. Dunstan HospitalCommunity-owned Dunstan Hospital in Clyde. PHOTO: The Central App Dunstan Hospital based in Clyde is a community-owned facility operated by Central Otago Health Services Ltd (COHSL).The hospital includes a 24 acute bed inpatient ward, including a three bed High Dependency Unit, and provides secondary health services to more than 25,000 people living in the wider Central Otago and Wanaka regions.In the last financial year, Dunstan Hospital has experienced an increase in demand across the majority of its services. Patient admissions increased 17 per cent; the number of afterhours patients treated grew 38 per cent; chemotherapy and infusion treatments 17.5 per cent; CT scans 1.6 per cent and outpatient encounters 1.3 per cent. Patient Transfers in the COHSL vehicle between Clyde and Dunedin had increased 9.6 per cent. Not all services had experienced growth, with district nursing visits and equipment loans reducing by 6.5 and 6 per cent respectively.Central Otago Health Services Ltd chief executive Hayley Anderson. PHOTO: Supplied Central Otago Health Services Ltd (COHSL) chief executive Hayley Anderson said the majority of patients were elderly medical, complex palliative care, and rehabilitation with 85 per cent receiving the entirety of their care at Dunstan Hospital. COHSL had a “strong and supportive’’ relationship with their Dunedin colleagues and staff were in daily communication regarding the flow of patients in and out of the region. The same applied to Lakes Hospital, Hayley said. There were times the flow of patients in both directions was under pressure due todemand and it was important when patients required the services of Dunedin Hospital they were available.  “We cannot, for example, offer surgery as we have no theatre, we do not have an Intensive Care Unit, we have CT but not MRI,’’ she said. COHSL would like to see appropriate services divested from Dunedin to Central Otago - along with the required operational funding - so people could access those services “closer to home”.  “This would be in keeping with the Rural Health Strategy,’’ she said. The region’s population growth meant opportunities were evolving and health leaders in the region were no strangers to finding innovative solutions – on Monday, in collaboration with COHSL, Wanaka GPs, St John and Ka Ora Telecare, the Wanaka Acute Overnight Care service opened. The service will see an overnight nurse service linked to senior doctor support at Dunstan Hospital to meet an overnight gap in service availability. “We could be offering more in terms of outpatient support to our community however we need the contract volumes and the specialist staff to achieve this,’’ Hayley said. Maniototo HospitalIn 2019, after years of hard work and fundraising by the community, the revamped Maniototo Hospital opened, costing a cool $7million. Overseen by Maniototo Health Services Ltd (MHSL), the facility has 25 aged residential care beds along with six medical beds and an emergency department. MHSL also provides a range of health services across the Maniototo.Maniototo Health Services Ltd general manager Tracey Kubala. PHOTO: SuppliedGeneral manager Tracey Kubala said population growth in the district – both in new families and retirees – as well as its popularity as a holiday destination had placed pressure on services. MHSL had experienced approximately a 50 per cent increase in demand for services such as physiotherapy and occupational therapy, while aged residential care had shown “consistent high demand’’ along with community nursing and Meals on Wheels, she said. Patient referrals to Dunedin Hospital were usually for emergency or critical care and the community hospital was able to admit and manage “more stable conditions’’. “As such we have not had an issue with having access to services, however transporting to outpatient or specialist services is another issue,’’ Tracey said. However, downgrading the Dunedin Hospital build could have flow-on effects to Central Otago. “I can see there being a higher demand for Rural Health Service Providers to be providing more services with less funding.   “We are about our communities, and we are already fighting for every dollar we receive to ensure that we can meet the needs of our populations. Maniototo is no different,’’ Tracey said. “We are quite isolated as a community and the costs involved in running the hospital are higher due to this. We struggle to access services for our community that are readily available in Urban areas. We believe rural residents should have equitable access to all the services their urban counterparts have.’’ Rural hospitals needed to be valued and funded in such a way they could support our main hospitals to provide services, Tracey said. “The plan has always been to have equitable access to services wherever you are in New Zealand, it is a basic human right. So let’s look at our models of care and rather than seeing Rural Hospitals as the poor cousin fund us to support service delivery equitably.’’Next week: Central Otago mayor Tim Cadogan gives his perspective Do you have a story you would like to share?  Contact us at [email protected]

As summer looms closer, authorities are urging people to ensure they are adequately equipped when heading out on the region's lakes and rivers.Central Otago police are warning people of the dangers of using inflatable boats without being adequately equipped, following an incident on Lake Wakatipu last week.Alexandra Police Senior Constable Graham Perkins said two 18-year-old females were found cold and wet near Glenorchy last weekend, after their blow up raft deflated.The girls planned to paddle two nautical miles from Geordie’s Creek to Twenty Five Mile Creek with only one life jacket between them and no food or water.Starting their lake journey at 5:45pm, they failed to show up by 11:30pm, so their parents called police.Land Search and Rescue, Coastguard Queenstown and two Otago Rescue Helicopters were all deployed to look for them, and they were located washed up amongst bushes 2km north in the early hours of the morning.“People need to be aware that their stupidity and inexperience is putting emergency services under pressure and themselves at risk,” Snr Const Perkins said.Police said it was important that people took some form of waterproof communication or a bag to put phones inside, and registered personal locator beacons were an even better option.Snr Const Perkins said the females had purchased their blowup raft from K-Mart.Many teenagers were oblivious to the dangers of using inflatable lilos and dinghies on Southern Lakes and rivers over summer, without wearing the appropriate clothing and life jackets in particular, he said.Changing weather conditions also made the inflatable toys dangerous - particularly in high winds, when they can be swept away very quickly.The Harbourmaster team will be patrolling Lake Dunstan as well as other Central Otago lakes and rivers over summer on the vessel Kaitiaki. PHOTO: SuppliedOtago Regional Council (ORC) harbourmaster Steve Rushbrook urged water users - whether a boatie planning to cross a bar, a keen paddle boarder or kayaker heading out on an Otago lake or river- to take the time to do a thorough check of their vessel and gear before heading off.“Before going out, prep your boat, safety and communication equipment, check the weather conditions and know the rules,” he said.“For those new to boating, please stop, think, and find out about basic boating safety rules to protect you and your loved ones. Be safe, it’s about enjoying our amazing environment and coming home safe at the end of the day. If in doubt, don’t go out”.“No matter if you’re on a power boat, jet ski or kayak, remembering the boating safety code is integral.”The Boating Safety Code reinforces five key messages:Wear your lifejacketTake two waterproof ways to call for helpCheck the marine weather forecastAvoid alcohol – booze and boats don’t mixBe a responsible skipper

Government ministers and Otago Regional councillors have met behind closed doors to find a way forward in the lead up to the Land and Water Regional Plan decision.The meeting with Minister for the Environment Penny Simmonds and Minister of Agriculture Todd McClay took place in Dunedin last Friday.Councillors attended in person and by zoom however regional council chair Gretchen Robertson and Cr Bryan Scott were unable to attend due to personal matters.Dunstan ward councillor Gary Kelliher told The Central App the Ministers were interested in why the Regional Council was still determined to notify its Land and Regional Water Plan (LRWP).While no final decision will be made until October 23, the regional council has been split 7-5 up until now in support of the plan still being publicly notified, despite the Ministers trying to dissuade them otherwise.Cr Kelliher along with fellow Dunstan ward councillor Michael Laws, Moeraki councillor Kevin Malcolm, Kate Wilson, of Molyneux and former chair Andrew Noone, of the Dunedin ward, were advocating to pause the plan.Cr Kelliher said it was clear from the meeting the Government’s recent offer to be involved in initial planning in the new National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management, was only on the table if the plan was paused, “and they were keen for us to do that ASAP,” he said. The changes in the new policy framework were going to be substantial, “and they want the red tape taken away from farmers”, he said.Regional councils were substantially growing in staff numbers and tied up in regulations and enforcement, which was becoming increasingly unmanageable for the rural sector, Cr Kelliher said.“The environment must be protected but we want production back as well.”Queenstown-based Alexa Forbes representing the ORC in the Dunstan ward, is still in favour of the Land and Water Regional Plan being notified next week. SUPPLIEDDunstan ward councillor Alexa Forbes, who was a strong advocate for the LRWP to be notified, said despite the new offer on the table from the Ministers, her position remained the same.“Because I haven’t heard any argument that would move it at this point, but I’m open to any new discussion,” she said.Cr Kelliher said the meeting went for just over an hour, and showed the integrity of the Government, “and that they want the best for the ORC, and they don’t want to burden the ratepayers with the massive amount of changes that are coming.”The Central App approached Minister Simmonds for comment however there was no response at time of publication.

They say blood is thicker than water and those words couldn’t be more true for Central Otago mayor Tim Cadogan when he first announced he was stepping down.When asked who had surprised him the most with their comments upon announcement of his resignation, Mayor Tim said it was his brother Bryan.“I have had a huge number of emails, texts and other forms of messages with very kind wishes and thoughts. It’s been very humbling. One I loved in particular though was a person who said they would be sad to see me go after I spoke so well at the Dunedin Hospital rally, was actually my brother Bryan, which gave me a grin.” Clutha District mayor - and Mayor Tim’s brother - Bryan Cadogan is also serving his final term.On September 30, Mayor Tim announced his resignation via Facebook live, and come October 30, Central Otago district councillors will be naming their new leader.He said Central Otago had not had anyone resign before their time was up before. “I believe our first mayor, Bill McIntosh stood down at election time, but not a year out as I have done. No previous mayor has had an LTP (Long Term Plan) in the election year either though.”While there was no “aha’’ moment for when he decided his time was up, Mayor Tim made it clear in recent weeks that since the Long Term Plan had been moved out to 2025, he needed to start thinking about how that would be better led by someone committed to it in the next election.“From the outset, we always thought three terms was about the right amount of time for me.”He said while those thoughts were simmering around in his mind, the job offer as local government engagement officer at Taumata Arowai came up.His decision to leave within 12 months of the next local government election - held on October 12 - also meant the district was saved the $100,000 cost for a by-election to be held, so the timing was right, he said.Mayor Tim said he was looking forward to immersing himself in city life in Wellington with his wife Linda, and had already booked two gigs to live concerts, which he planned to balance with more yoga - a recent love of his.“I’m looking forward to being by the sea for a while, I’ve got good friends who have offered to take me sea fishing which I love. I’m going to read a lot more, particularly when the weather keeps us inside, which I suspect will be a lot,’’ he said.“I’m going to play more guitar, properly get into yoga, go to every art exhibition that’s on, ride on buses and trains to explore different parts of the area. I’m going to keep myself busy, that’s for sure.“I’ll need to, because I love this place and leaving is going to be bloody hard, so best to be busy to avoid thinking too much of what we have left behind.”And of course, family will always be close to his heart.  His advice to the next mayor will be the same thing his late mother said to Bryan, who then passed on to him in 2016 when he was first elected - three years after she died.“Analyse every political decision you make, question and consider if your decisions can fully withstand moral scrutiny, and once you have formulated your decision, knowing it is morally the right thing to do, only you can defeat yourself”.

Two serious assaults in Ranfurly kept police busy over the past week, with one incident needing assistance from units in Mosgiel, Dunedin, as well as Alexandra.Senior Constable Graham Perkins said on Monday night police heard second hand information about a domestic incident in the town, between a male and a female.Because of the seriousness of the incident, four units were dispatched and the male was arrested and taken to Queenstown where bail was opposed.He was only charged with breaching bail but police inquiries were continuing, after the female victim was reluctant to press charges or receive any medical treatment for her injuries.On Friday night police attended another serious incident in Ranfurly where a male was arrested at a workplace on two charges including assault and sexual assault on two females.He was transported to Dunedin where bail was also opposed and would appear in court within the next week.On the same night, Alexandra police were called to the Millers Flat Tavern where a Balclutha man was causing a disturbance.Snr Const Perkins said he was arrested for disorderly behaviour and transported back to Balclutha with assistance from Gore Police.Last Thursday, a cannabis grower was identified by police at a rural address in Omakau, after looking for a female who had a warrant out for her arrest.Snr Const Perkins said three days later police were called to a burglary at the same address, where the offender had broken into the sleepout where she had been staying, and taken a television and sound system.He said the female smashed her way into the sleepout after being evicted by the owner.Both tenant and homeowner faced separate charges and would appear in the Alexandra District Court this week.

After a decade of protecting Lake Dunstan, the Lake Dunstan Charitable Trust will move into hibernation this summer. The move comes after trustees decided to step down with nobody new to replace them.Originally the Guardians of Lake Dunstan, the group was successful at lobbying and tightening up regulations of Lake Dunstan, using $1million in Government Jobs for Nature funding to tidy up the lake shore.Their work prompted new resource consent obligations on Contact Energy, which operates the Clyde Dam - with much of the work focused on the Kawarau Arm of the lake, from the Cromwell Heritage Precinct to Bannockburn.For years silt and driftwood had clogged the Kawarau Arm and combined with invasive weeds, made it difficult for boats to use the area.The Trust's Bridge to Bridge project focused on restoring native species and improving recreational access/use from Lowburn Bridge to Deadman’s bridge.Former chairman Duncan Faulkner said the Trust put the call out for new trustees recently however nobody had come forward and as a result would have to wind up operations for now.That also meant this year’s annual spring clean, which would’ve prepared the lake edge for this coming summer, was also cancelled. The clean up had been happening since 2010, but relied on new volunteers to help.A lakeside clean up at McNulty Inlet in Cromwell. PHOTI: SUPPLIEDDuncan said the trustees had fulfilled their five-year commitment and now with the Jobs for Nature funding finished, it was a perfect time for them to step back.“The hard work’s been done really. The commitment to LINZ (Toitū Te Whenua - Land Information New Zealand) was a four-year project, so naturally we wanted to see that through to completion.”All of the trustees were from professional backgrounds and had different skills to offer to the Trust, so were able to make change quite quickly, he said.But with no new fresh blood to step up and take over, the group would go into hibernation for a year.He said the trustees all had family and work commitments that were now more of a priority.Looking back over the past few years, Duncan said there had been some surprising challenges within the community.When the 12,000 natives were planted around the lake shore, some of them began to be ripped out and go missing and initially the Trust couldn’t understand why.Then they realised it was certain “retirees” who were upset about the potential of losing their lake views, and the Rural Fire Service got involved.The logic from the residents was the trees were a fire risk, but Duncan said the fire service told them they’d done a really good job of the plantings with a good choice of species.After negotiations between the fire service and affected residents, the Trust replaced some plantings in areas in front of those properties with other species that were less of a risk.“In reality we just saw it as Tall Poppy Syndrome, which is a shame really,” he said.Contact Energy began its Kawarau Arm beautification project in 2023 to co-design improvements to the Old Cromwell area, as part of its revised 2019-2024 Landscape and Visual Amenity Management Plan.Further engagement has been underway with Linz, the Central Otago District Council and local iwi.Read more about this in our follow-up news story next week.Read more: Old Cromwell beachfront on the cards 

Volunteer firefighters had an early wake up call responding to a plane on fire in Cromwell this morning. Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) said it received a report of a plane on fire at the Cromwell aerodrome about 7am. Two fire appliances from Cromwell attended and on arrival found a small two-seater plane fully engulfed by the fire, the Fenz shift manager said. The fire was extinguished quickly with firefighters on the scene for about 40 minutes before leaving the plane “in the hands of the owner’’, he said. The plane was stationary when the fire started. A fire investigator was called but did not attend and the matter has been left with the Civil Aviation Authority and the owner. On Facebook the Alexandra Volunteer Fire Brigade posted it attended the blaze as it was covering for the Cromwell Volunteer Fire Brigade which celebrated its 150th Anniversary last night.

Finn Butcher’s gold medal performance at the Paris Olympics became the pride of Central Otago.In his Olympic debut, the 29-year-old Alexandra paddler claimed gold in the first ever men’s kayak cross final.His use of Kiwi greeting the Mana Wave then selection for closing ceremony flag bearer alongside Dame Lisa Carrington further endeared him across the country.However it is Central Otago that has his heart.Alexandra kayaker Finn Butcher won gold at the Paris Olympics in August. PHOTO: The NZ TeamSpeaking to The Central App on a brief trip home after the Games, Finn said the win in Paris was “extremely special’’, especially with family, friends and Central Otago locals in the crowd to spur him on.“I’m just really, really proud of being from Central Otago and representing the community on the world stage and pretty stoked to bring a new piece of gold back to gold country,” he said.Finn’s visit home was short-lived, returning to Europe to compete in two World Championships.Now, the region will finally mark his historic win - in true Central Otago style.On October 26, Finn will be back where it started - with paddlers from the Central Otago Whitewater Club on the Manuherikia River.The group will pull in just past the Shaky Bridge before the paddlers form a Guard of Honour for Finn as he enters the Linger and Die area. Members of the public are welcome to line the path and share a moment with Finn and his medal as he walks to Centennial Park, where a Civic Reception will be held.Central Otago District mayor Tim Cadogan is encouraging people to take the opportunity to congratulate Finn.“Let’s show Finn just how proud we are of him.’’The celebration will take place at 2pm on Saturday, October 26 at Linger and Die (Rivers St, Alexandra).Read more: Central paddlers’ medal haul in Canoe Slalom National Champs Read more: Gold returns home with Olympian 

A two-day hearing in Cromwell next week will consider a new application by developers of a residential subdivision in Bannockburn.DJ Jones and NR Searell Family Trust was originally given resource consent to subdivide 32.721ha into 15 residential lots, but withdrew its second application in 2021 for a 35-lot subdivision after huge community opposition.This time the development on Terrace Street will include a 24-lot subdivision with a public reserve area featuring interpretation panels of gold mining history.The Central Otago District Council’s (CODC) planning consultant Kirstyn Royce has recommended it be approved.A total of 38 submissions were received for the current application, two neutral and three in support and the remainder in opposition.The majority of submissions in opposition raised concerns regarding the lot size. For the residential resource area, a minimum lot area of 1500m2 and an average allotment size is no less than 2000m2 was required.The applicant proposed the reserve would provide a connection to the informal public trail and a lookout area to the north and east towards Cromwell, the wider Upper Clutha area and eastwards towards the Bannockburn Outlet and surrounds. It would include interpretive material associated with the former mining activity, heritage associations with the twin Water Race Hill water races, and also potentially geomorphic explanations of the Upper Clutha area.The supporting information submitted with the application site showed evidence of former gold mining works dating back to pre-1900’s as evidenced by a network of historic water races and deeply incised sluice gullies in the northwest with sluice faces and channels.The hearing will be held at The Gate in Cromwell on Monday and Tuesday from 9am to 4:30pm.

More than 30 community leaders across Central Otago and Queenstown Lakes will be learning about good governance by New Zealand business woman Dr Jo Cribb next week.Hosted by huddl - a new initiative to strengthen and support community groups and charitable organisations in Central Otago and Queenstown Lakes - the workshop was aimed at enhancing governance capabilities.Dr Cribb said she was impressed by the uptake of participants looking for more governance training, for a region that still had a small population base.“That’s a huge level of engagement in the level of interest of governance,” she said.Recent data from huddl’s recent Community Needs Assessment survey showed that 70 per cent of respondents expressed feeling challenged or in need of help.  Of those surveyed 44 per cent indicated that they would benefit from governance training.Held in Cromwell on Wednesday, The Foundations of Good Governance workshop was a two-hour practical session, and Dr Cribb said she was also interested to hear people share their stories.An accomplished board director, consultant, strategist, and author with extensive experience in the not-for-profit sector, Dr Cribb regularly facilitated for the Institute of Directors and was recognised for her leadership receiving the Not-for-Profit Governance Leader Award from Women in Governance in 2021. She would be in Central Otago for a few days - MCing at the inaugural Inspiring Wahine conference in Alexandra as well as talking to the Women in Wine group.Harvest on a Central Otago vineyard. Governance leader and vineyard owner Dr Jo Cribb will be talking to Women in Wine next week. FILE SHOTAlso the owner of a small vineyard in Martinborough, along with her husband, who is a born and bred Southlander, Dr Cribb said she was looking forward to spending time in the area, and sampling some good pinot noir.“We are very familiar with Central Otago and we just love it,” she said.huddl project lead Fiona Reeve said the workshop was tailored for community group leaders and board members who were new to governance or wanted to strengthen their understanding of governance in a non-profit environment. "Good governance is essential for community organisations to be sustainable and effectively achieve their objectives, ensuring they have a deeper impact in the communities they serve,” she said.Dr Cribb said volunteers have taken on a lot of responsibility in challenging times, especially when costs were getting higher.“In this day and age, isn’t it great that people are still looking out for each other?” she said.huddl is governed by members from Queenstown Lakes District Council, Central Lakes Trust, Whakatipu Hub, Central Otago District Council, Cromwell and Districts Community Trust, Sport Central, Volunteer South and Alexandra Community House. 

A five-year-old girl had to be pulled from the Cromwell pool by a member of the public recently, prompting a WorkSafe investigation into how the situation was handled.In a report, authorised by Council general manager - people and culture Louise Fleck, to the Audit and Risk Committee last week, former Central Otago District Council safety and wellbeing advisor Hannes Strydom said the lifeguard seemed overwhelmed and uncertain of the appropriate response.The girl was pulled out of the water from the learners pool part of the therapeutic pool by a member of the public. She was taken to hospital but did not sustain any injuries, he said.The health safety and wellbeing report outlined details of the incident, which happened between May and July this year.The member of the public who pulled the girl from the water contacted WorkSafe as she felt emergency response procedures were inadequate. A full investigation has been completed and recommended actions included more education for caregivers of under 10-year-olds that must always be actively supervised. Additional scenario-based training would also be provided to lifeguards, as well as training refresher courses for swim centre staff, including casual members, covering emergency procedures.The incident was not the only time Cromwell swim centre staff were involved in a near drowning.In 2016, a girl under 10 had to be rescued from the deep end of the pool. She was given CPR and airlifted to Dunedin Hospital.Pool staff, helped by an off-duty nurse, carried out CPR until St John personnel arrived. The council was asked by WorkSafe New Zealand to take part in a voluntary review into the incident.However, WorkSafe did not carry out an investigation and formal report as the incident did not meet its criteria for such a response.The review was designed to help analyse and understand why the accident occurred, what failures in the health and safety systems allowed the accident to occur and to improve those systems.The recommendations included the need for continual education of caregivers so they knew they were required to actively supervise children under eight years.In June 2023, council updated its Supervision Policy to highlight the critical role of active supervision in preventing drownings. The Central Otago District Council now has different coloured wristbands to identify under 5s and 5-9- year-olds at its pools. PHOTO: Central Otago District CouncilThe minimum age for children to be at the pool unsupervised changed from eight to 10 years old and the council introduced coloured wristbands to help lifeguards easily identify children. “We have found this has helped create awareness, but we still have a way to go in educating parents and caregivers to keep their attention focused on their children/charges; incidents generally involve small children,” Hannes said.Since 2020, lifeguards have been involved in a total of 59 rescues at Council pools.“Ensuring safety at the pool has always been a top priority. The council’s philosophy is promoting prevention before intervention.”Central Otago District pool swim rescues during the past four years. GRAPH: Central Otago District CouncilA Council spokesperson confirmed to The Central App lifeguards needed to be 16 years old to complete their Pool Lifeguard Practising Certificate. “We ensure that all lifeguards receive comprehensive training to handle emergency situations effectively,” they said.Training included:Understanding the roles and responsibilities of pool lifeguardsUnderstanding aquatic supervision techniquesDemonstrating aquatic rescue techniques for casualties in a range of scenarios.Completing the Pool Lifeguard Logbook (which includes 20 hours of poolside supervision, facility inspections, dealing with hazards, supervising pool areas and aquatic activities).“One of our challenges is parents and caregivers not being with their children or on their phones. We would ask all parents as we head into summer season whether at pools or many lakes in the district to be mindful of watching children and putting the phone down." Read more: Council moves to make pools safer

The Dunstan ward of the Otago Regional Council is still favoured to receive an extra councillor within the next year - while Dunedin would drop one under representation review.But the Queenstown Lakes District Mayor Glyn Lewers wants to see a new extra constituency added to his area that also extends to Cromwell.Hearings and deliberations were held in Dunedin last week, with quite different submissions from all of the Mayors across Otago.Dunedin Mayor Jules Radich acknowledged the significant population growth in Central Otago and Queenstown Lakes areas that made up the Dunstan constituency. But he said it was the Dunedin City Council’s strong view that its constituency should remain at six members, and the addition of a member in the Dunstan constituency should not come at the expense of those residents.Every six years, all councils are required to review their representation arrangements, including how many councillors there are and the areas they represent.Population data supplied from Stats NZ indicated that following population growth during the past six years, the Dunstan ward now fell outside the +/- 10 per cent margin of the average across the region.That meant it no longer met the legislative requirements for fair representation.Since the last review in 2018, the Dunstan ward population has increased by 57,400 to 78,800.Queenstown Lakes District mayor Glyn Lewers spoke about the Dunstan constituency having significantly different challenges, environment, diverse needs and populations from each other - specifically Queenstown versus Ranfurly or Omakau.He said the population size of the Queenstown Lakes “would easily demand” three dedicated elected members, and supported the creation of an Upper Clutha constituency, which included Cromwell.“The geographic scale of the existing Dunstan constituency creates too many divergent needs to consider the whole population as one community of interest.”Queenstown Lakes District mayor Glyn Lewers. PHOTO: Queenstown Lakes District CouncilDunstan ward councillor Gary Kelliher said after the hearing it was starting to become “a very parochial direction” from both the Dunedin and Queenstown Lakes councils.“If both mayors had got their way, the potential outcome was up to three large rural constituencies left with only single councillor positions, and urban areas with multiple positions, and I think that would be a further decline in rural representation.”  The ORC will make a final decision at its October 23 meeting, after which there will be a one-month appeals/objections period.The Local Government Commission will determine the arrangements by April next year, and they will take effect for the local government elections in October 2025.

“We all need help at some point.’’ That is the key message behind the Seniors Cuppa & Chat at Alexandra Community House tomorrow. The afternoon is an initiative from the Alexandra Council of Social Services to help keep the area's retirees informed and connected. Alexandra Community House manager Carole Gillions said it was important for people, particularly seniors, to be made aware of the services available in the community, especially as there were always new people choosing to retire to the town. “We all need help at some point so we just want people to know there’s information available and here’s an opportunity for connection,’’ Carole said. “I often find there can be a sort of “that other person is worse off than me, I don’t need support” – sometimes you don’t need it right then and there.’’ There were a range of services available to support people in the community “but you don’t know what you don’t know’’. “It’s import to get the information out there – it may not be for the individual, it may be for a friend or family member.’’ Age Concern, Alzheimers Otago, Family Works, the Stroke Foundation, Central Otago Budget Advice and the Alexandra Friendship Group would all share about their services as well as the Alexandra Community Advice Network volunteer drivers and Central Otago Reap’s digital safety training. Afternoon tea would be provided, offering a space for connection. Seniors Cuppa & Chat is at Alexandra Community House tomorrow between 1.30pm and 3pm. While the information is targeted to those aged 65 plus, all are welcome.

Deadline day is looming for the Otago Regional Council’s (ORC) contentious Land and Water Regional Plan (LWRP).On October 23, Councillors will vote whether to notify the plan, or consider a new option of delaying until the new national policy statement for freshwater management (NPS-FM) was underway.Water NoticesAt another extraordinary meeting late last week, the council shared the latest option from Minister for the Environment Penny Simmonds, to pause its plan and instead become part of initial planning in the new Government framework.The option is a huge change from the stance Minister Simmonds and others took on September 12 when ORC representatives met with them in Wellington.Ministers restated their strong preference for the regional council not to notify its LWRP, and the new option of becoming involved in influencing policy direction, has been described as extending an olive branch.The recent letter from the Minister following the Wellington meeting, proposed that ORC participate in targeted engagement on the review and replacement of the NPS-FM between October and early 2025. This would also provide ORC early access to the direction of the new NPS-FM, and allow that to be incorporated into the ORC draft plan (LWRP).But the regional council would also have to delay notifying its own plan (LWRP) until at least early 2025, and up until now a majority 7-5 split have continuously voted to push on with it.In her letter, Minister Simmonds said the Government understood there could be unintended consequences, particularly for water take and discharge consent holders if the ORC delayed its plan."The Government will work with you to make sure unintended consequences do not negatively impact resource users or unnecessarily burden ratepayers,” the letter stated.Cr Gary Kelliher said the olive branch from the Ministers recognised that the ORC was quite advanced with its plan.But he said the regional council was putting themselves at huge risk if they didn’t take up the offer, and pause all work on the LWRP immediately.Some councillors were dubious about the offer and said they weren’t sure they could trust the Government to be true to its word.Chair Gretchen Robertson said what she got from the meeting in Wellington was that they all needed to understand each other and have trust.But Otago had significant issues that the council was trying to address through its LWRP, “and that is costly, and not getting it right is costly,” she said.The council voted 7-5 to consider the Minister’s new option and adequately consider all of the advantages and disadvantages as part of the decision-making process at its October 23 meeting.

Land development in Alexandra is starting to take off, with two new resource consent applications underway - including a new one for the old William Hill Winery site on Dunstan Rd.Russell Ibbotson, of Molyneux Lifestyle Village (MLVL) - the company which was developing the William Hill site, had his private plan change application turned down by the Central Otago District Council (CODC) in 2021.The Alexandra developer will make his third attempt at developing the 16ha site in the next month.Russell said he had already spent in excess of $500,000 attempting to develop the site - firstly back in 2017, and again four years later.Under new changes to the District Plan, the land has since been rezoned from rural residential to large lot residential, allowing for his 1500sqm sections.“The risk is much higher now but I have an obligation to the people and it would be a shame for the town if it didn’t go ahead,” he said.Alexandra developer Russell Ibbotson is about to lodge a resource consent application for the William Hill lifestyle development in the next month. FILE SHOTSupportive of Ngāi Tahu’s plans in The Pines, he said it was a positive sign for the town to see residential development taking place.Ngāi Tahu Property’s 14.4ha residential subdivision in The Pines Alexandra will eventually offer sections ranging in size from 320sqm to 2175sqm.The resource consent application currently with the CODC proposes to be rolled out in seven stages, offering 189 sections and including five “super lots” for future comprehensive development.General manager Blair Forgie confirmed the five “super lots’’ within the proposed development will offer purchasers a range of options for various residential housing typologies.“With the expected variety of section sizes, there will be opportunities for anyone looking to purchase a section,” he said.The new Pines development on the north side of Alexandra. PHOTO: The Central App The consent also includes associated infrastructure servicing and roading and earthworks, for implementation of the subdivision, and including the extension of Wildflower Way.Pre-application discussions between the council and Ngāi Tahu on the restricted discretionary activity have already been underway, with the land rezoned medium density residential under the new Plan Change 19.“Ngāi Tahu Property is looking forward to delivering this residential development to support the growth of the region over the years to come.”Russell said it was most unfortunate that it has taken seven years to get his lifestyle subdivision advanced, “and the situation is especially difficult to understand when the public demand was reflected in it twice selling out off the plans, and within a very short timeframe.”He said the “questionable” decision made by the Central Otago District Council on his plan change in 2021 meant the Alexandra community not only missed out on a $50 million economic flow on boost, but it also had a significant detrimental financial impact on a large number of people.