A high current workload on district council staff, as local government grapple with various reforms, contributed to a performance review programme not being adopted this week.Some Central Otago District Council(CODC) elected members spoke strongly against the CouncilMARK organisational review system being introduced, following interest from the community in its adoption in this area, according to a council report.Cr Nigel McKinlay said the demands of reform were ongoing and pressure on staff was already high. Council staff had recommended Central Otago did not participate in the programme, which requires large amounts of information be gathered and submitted for independent review.“For me the recommendation makes complete sense. We are in no way in a situation to embark onsuch an exercise. Workload and resources do not allow," he said.Cr Tracey Paterson argued that no time was ideal as workloads were always busy.“We’re always going to find an excuse. We are never short of work. There’s nothing to be afraid of and if we wait for three months or a year, is there ever going to be a good time as far as workload is concerned.”Others felt staff wellbeing would suffer from the added workload and that they were already constantly observed as to performance and were doing a good job.Alexandra residents Don Sparks and Hugh McIntyre spoke in support of adopting the programme during a public forum session of the livestreamed CODC meeting on Wednesday. The pair believed it would assist in the overall running of council and provide opportunity for better transparency to constituents.The CouncilMARK programme is run by Local Government New Zealand and is designed to improve knowledge around the work councils do and help them provide better service and value. It includes independent assessments where an overall rating is given as well as commentary on performance.Seven South Island councils, including neighbouring Queenstown Lakes District Council, have participated. Central Otago staff, while opposed to adopting the programme, did see potential benefit in identifying areas for improvement. The cost to participate would have been around $26,000.Similarities were drawn with the education system’s ERO report reviews, with both having advantages and disadvantages.With councillors struggling to agree on the matter on Wednesday, Central Otago Mayor Tim Cadogan resolved to seek feedback from other mayors regarding how they had found the programme and report back to council early next year.

A national review of i-SITE visitor centres is likely to affect Central Otago’s main information facilities, particularly two which are not currently part of its network.The Central Otago District Council (CODC) manage Roxburgh and Ranfurly i-SITEs and have arrangements to collaborate with privately-run information centres at The Gate Hotel in Cromwell and Unichem Alexandra Pharmacy in Alexandra.The network’s visitor centres nationwide have suffered a dramatic decline in patronage and the i-SITE system was generally in need of revitalisation, according to a review being presented to CODC next week.Both Cromwell and Alexandra previously had information centres that were part of the national i-SITE network, which is managed as a subsidiary of Tourism New Zealand. The changes being proposed through the review may enable them to benefit from joining a re-branded version of the network, according to a CODC report.National review figures for New Zealand's i-SITE visit ... how a dramatic decline in spending.Competition from other holiday booking options and rising costs for running the centres was already contributing to i-sites closing and visitor numbers dropping before the Covid-19 pandemic.In the wake of the pandemic the number of visitors using i-sites had dropped by 57% and their spend by 62%.A new two-tier system is being proposed with centres who opt for ‘tier one’ paying higher fees to become concept stores, delivering an enhanced visitor experience in key locations.Similar fees to existing levels would be charged to those adopting ‘tier two’. These centres would operate under a yet-to-be developed secondary brand but would work closely with tier one ‘hub’ centres. Each would promote each other to customers to encourage regional spread of visitors.The review encouraged less focus on commercialisation and more on community engagement and guardianship of natural, built and cultural resources, the report stated.CODC staff have recommended that a “non-binding expression of interest” be put to i-SITE NZ(Visitor Information Network Inc) to have Roxburgh and Ranfurly become ‘tier two’ centres, if the proposed new system is adopted and successful in gaining funding from central government.  They also have recommended a similar expression of interest be put forward for a ‘tier one or two’ centre be located in Cromwell and Alexandra. Staff outlined how council could work toward gaining that status for the existing centres in those two towns. The centres cannot apply themselves because they are not part of the i-SITE system.  Council will discuss the proposal at its monthly meeting on Wednesday which is to be livestreamed due to Covid-19 restrictions. The public livestream link will be available on the council’s website here.

Five South Island-based companies are vying for the contract to design Cromwell’s new lakeside hall and events centre.Central Otago District Council project manager for property, Darren Penketh, confirmed yesterday that council were happy with the response to the call for submitters which closed last Monday.“Submissions were received from lead architects in Queenstown and Christchurch using local subcontractors to help deliver the project. CODC is very pleased with the interest shown in this project and we are very happy with the high calibre of applicants.”The $2.2M design contract will be awarded to the successful party after November 30th, following evaluation. The 16M facility has been costed based on a 2000sqm size and a Project Advisory Group of two Cromwell Community Board members and two council staff has been formed to help guide progress for the long-awaited development.They will be part of a larger project and technical team, with a five-strong community ‘stakeholders’ group also having input.The Advisory Group will be informed about the five submissions but will not have voting power in choosing the successful tenderer for the design and contract management services tender.In order to avoid delays Darren Penketh and council property and facilities manager Garreth Robinson would assess the submissions and report their findings to the council’s CEO to make the final decision.Work is set to start in July next year and the existing hall which is over 60 years old will be demolished.

Residents upset at a planned felling of wilding pines at a popular recreational spot just south of Alexandra, are calling for more consultation before the work begins.  Neighbours told The Central App they were taken aback in early October to read in local media that the trees were to be cleared within a matter of days. None spoken to had been notified about the work by the Central Otago District Council(CODC).While aware the pines were a potential seed source for what is an invasive species, concerns had been raised at the destruction of habitat of native birds and reptiles, exposure of soils to wind erosion and loss of recreational and amenity values.Ken Churchill lives nearby and says while he understood the trees were a pest species he questioned how much research had been done in identifying which trees from the whole area were actually spreading seed. He was upset council had not consulted residents to gain a wider view of how many people used the area, its value in terms of a shady walking place, habitat for tui, bellbird and wood pigeons, a trail biking area and greenbelt for the entrance to town.“It is an easy option for council to wave a flag about wilding pines but they should have spoken to people. They wouldn’t know who goes there. It is such a fabulous place, undeveloped and there are lots of trails. There are so many sides to it and it’s shocking there was no consultation.”Another neighbour, Jarrad Gillum, said he often saw owls, geckos and many tui while walking with his grandchildren. He believed the clearance of all the trees in one operation would create an exposed eyesore where nothing would grow because of the lack of shelter and water.“We’re going to get hammered by wind and dust but if you clear strips you can use the remaining trees as a windbreak for plantings. Nothing’s going to grow without any shade unless you irrigate.”He believed people would be very upset to see all the trees felled and that protests were a possibility.The CODC paused its plan to fell the trees last month in order to fully consider people’s views but the decision to go ahead with the eradication plan had now been confirmed, CODC acting executive manager of Planning and Environment Lee Webster said in a statement.“Further discussion has reinforced the council‘s belief that the site, having been identified as key to the spread of wilding conifers to other sites nearby, needs to be dealt with as soon as possible.”The statement outlined that the control operation, also being undertaken at the Lower Manorburn Dam reserve, is expected to be carried out before the end of the year. “In going ahead, the Council would be taking a lead as responsible landowners and making a commitment to a New Zealand-wide initiative to preserve the country’s vulnerable landscapes through the eradication of pests that cause widespread destruction to the environment, such as wilding conifers”, Central Otago District Council Parks and Recreation Manager Gordon Bailey said. "The 14-hectare Half Mile Reserve at the southern entrance to the town, was vested in the Council in 1973 as a reserve. Early photos show the area bare of trees in 1956. The existing pine trees were not planted, and most likely self-seeded from nearby trees over the past 30-40 years,” Mr Bailey said.Wilding pines will be cleared from this site beside State Highway 8 near Alexandra, before the end of the year.“There is real potential for this reserve once the trees have been removed and the existing rock and archaeological features exposed. There are two pre-1900 water races, a sluice gulch remnant and the historic Alexandra-Roxburgh Road alignment, which could be featured.”Interpretation panels could tell the story of the site, non-spreading plants established including natives if possible, and a trail network formed to provide safe access for all users, he said.The Council has engaged a professional to provide options for the site for consideration by the wider community.Vincent Community Board chairperson Martin McPherson said yesterday council asked people on private land to remove wilding pines so had to be a good corporate citizen and remove them on its own land. He said a landscape plan would be informally viewed by the board next week. Discussions would follow with residents but only to assess options for enhancing the site post-felling.“They are a noxious weed. It’s not a case of leaving some behind. We’ll end up with a very good recreational reserve there and I do share the resident’s concerns about what it’s going to look like. That’s the reality of it. We may need to look at putting water in.” In a statement the council said it has arranged with the logging contractor to process slash on site, with chip left behind to provide mulch for possible future planting.Logs will be sold to offset some of the removal costs. Stumps will remain because of the removal cost and to provide soil stability.The Council will be working with the Central Otago Wilding Conifer Group, and the CODC contribution to the Half Mile and Lower Manorburn reserves’ wilding removalis in the vicinity of $25,000. The balance will be funded by the Central Otago Wilding Conifer Trust using funds allocated by the Government for this work, according to the council statement.Mr Bailey confirmed that council had no plans to change the reserve status or use the land for any other purpose.