Central Otago’s mayor and deputy mayor want council staff to push on with housing policy that enables different housing typologies for its future developments.Mayor Tim Cadogan and deputy mayor Neil Gillespie were strong in their words at last week’s council meeting, that not enough had been done to make this happen. They were also the only ones who supported the Central Otago Affordable Housing Trust being able to create subsidised housing for residents last year.Following the decision that council not gift land to the housing trust, a policy was approved in August 2022 that council-led developments should consider including the provision for different housing typologies, using the urban design innovation model.But, Tim said this week, due to staffing unavailability to do that very specialist work, a consultant would have to be used, and that came at a considerable cost to ratepayers.“We are going to have to look at it and decide which way to go.”The housing policy would then be used for the next stage of Cromwell’s Gair Ave development, to create a range of housing on smaller sections - creating affordable housing.Neil said last week they were just sitting there going nowhere, “and that can’t happen.”However, Stage 4 of Dunstan Park was underway and Stroud Homes was offering Duplex housing on 290sqm sections, which were all being snapped up.But, Tim said developers needed to go even more beyond duplex living and move into apartment building as well.“We’re in a pickle. There’s no question about it. There is a shortage of housing. There is a shortage of the right type of housing.”Holiday home owners were another problem as they were arriving in Central Otago in droves to buy up houses, which stayed empty for large parts of the year and stopped families in need from having somewhere to live.“There is a growing disparity between the haves and the have nots.  And, so we’re a very small council in a very small country, that are dealing with a global inequity that is allowing people to own multitudes of houses that they might not even rent out.”Moving forward, the Central Otago Housing Focus Group was about to carry out a refreshed needs assessment for Central Otago. It will collate data that council can use to show both the community and central government that we have a real need here. “You can’t create policy out of anecdotes,” Tim said.The group was made up of Rebecca Williams (CODC), Mat Begg (Central Lakes Trust), Sandra O’Neill (chair), Peter Griffen (landlord and community rep), along with Central Otago Affordable Housing trustee Mary Flannery.Listen to more here on The Outlet podcast.

The water at Butchers Dam near Alexandra remains out of bounds after last week’s discovery of potentially toxic levels of algal bloom, triggering an amber alert.The Otago Regional Council (ORC) raised the alarm late last week and urged people to keep themselves and their dogs away from the water after samples showed the presence of cyanobacteria, also known as toxic algae.The algae, officially called Anabaena Lemmermannii, can be deadly to humans and animals.The ORC has continued to monitor the area and confirmed, yesterday, that it was still not ok for swimming or letting dogs near the water.Signs have been put in place to warn visitors and locals about the dangers.Weekly sampling will continue and the warning will stay in place until two successive results at the surveillance level, which is the green mode, have been recorded.ORC scientist, water quality and programme lead Helen Trotter said, last week, given the staff observations, the previous history at the site and the continuous presence of cyanobacteria scums over the past week, it was decided the warning was needed.This summer ORC will test 33 swimming sites weekly for bacteria and 11 sites for toxic algae.The latest water quality results are then posted to Land Air Water Aotearoa’s website, a resource for New Zealanders across the country to check the quality of their favourite local waterway.To find the latest toxic algae sightings visit the ORC website.

Santa’s helpers are working against the clock in Central, sorting and delivering parcels in the lead up to Christmas.For much of the year they are disguised as posties, but come December a team of NZ Post workers decorate their vehicles and themselves to bring cheer to everyone they meet on their travels. Lisa Dillon, who delivers mail throughout Alexandra, is one of them and loves every minute of it.She said most of the postal workers dress up for the occasion by adding decorations to their helmets, while others, like Lisa, choose to go all out.Lisa ventured off on her delivery run yesterday wearing a Santa suit with two missions in mind - to deliver mail and make people smile along the way.“People absolutely love it and kids love it,” she said.“It makes people smile and I get a kick out of it.”She said this year had been particularly busy in the lead up to Christmas for the postal service.“We are starting to ramp up - parcels have exponentially jumped up,” she said, compared to recent years.Christmas cards were also still coming through the post.“We do still get people sending Christmas cards, which is fab, I love that. I think a handwritten card to someone that’s taken the time is just fantastic.”Spreading the joy of Christmas. VIDEO: The Central AppHowever, it’s not just letters, cards, parcels and bills filling the many compartments on her bike.There’s also a special pocket for a large bag of treats that she distributes to people she meets along the way.The Central App is also getting into the spirit of Christmas with the launch of its inaugural Aurora Energy Light Up Central campaign, supported by Tall Poppy.The aim is to create a trail of homes or businesses that are decorated, which people can view from the road.So, if you have lit up your abode, register the address with our Light Up Central campaign and go in the draw to win some amazing prizes.Prizes include a $1000 home improvement from Central Interiors, one night's accommodation for two with breakfast at Harvest Hotel and a movie night for you and up to 20 family and friends at Central Cinema Alexandra.For a list of addresses already registered on the trail, click on the Light Up Central button.

Shoplifters are out in full force around Central Otago at the moment, according to local police.Senior Constable Graham Perkins, of Alexandra Police, said expensive cuts of meat in particular were quite popular items for people to steal - everything from the Christmas ham to trays of rib eye steaks.“They’ll put them down the trousers, in the babies pram, but all are caught on camera.”He said the bold ones even filled an entire trolley of groceries and just headed straight out the door with them - and often there was nothing staff could do.“Staff can’t just step in because it leaves them open to injury,” he said.At this time of year, with the large transient population, there was an increase in shoplifting in both Alexandra and Cromwell.“Some are prolific shoplifters and they will go right around the country doing it,”  he said.Specifically targeting those ‘big ticket’ items in supermarkets, he said most stores now had security cameras at the end of each aisle so they were able to identify the offenders.They would then be trespassed from the shop and prosecuted - pointing out that people could be charged with theft even if they were casually walking around the shop eating food they haven’t yet paid for.“It’s the intent that’s the problem.”  Police had noticed it becoming more of a problem leading up to Christmas, and it was right across the board, including hardware stores with tools disappearing out the door as well.“Nobody’s immune to it,” he said.

Dunstan Friendship Club awarded two new life memberships at a luncheon for 80 members on Tuesday at the Alexandra District Club.Both former Dunstan Friendship Club (DFC) presidents, Max O’Leary (90) and Graeme McCristell (83) were presented with certificates and pins celebrating their contributions to the club. The certificates were presented by DFC president Maryon Beer and life member Lenore Townsend. Max is the club’s longest surviving member, and possibly the oldest. He joined the committee as vice president in 1999, was president from 2000 to 2001 and stayed on the committee until 2004. He now lives in Goldenview retirement village in Cromwell.Graeme spent seven years on the committee, organised many trips and was president in 2013 and 2014. He was surprised with acknowledgement and said it was “totally unexpected”. His previous involvement in the Gore Lions Club which he enjoyed, led him to join Probus when he moved to Alexandra, where he still lives.Graeme was responsible for a new sound system for DFC and also produced the DFC 26th annual report during his time as president. He is pictured here with current president Maryon Beer. PHOTO: The Central AppDFC is a welcoming social organisation for people who are retired, semi-retired or soon-to-retire; and Dunstan’s is one of the largest Friendship Clubs in New Zealand with about 150 members.Members who attended this week's celebrations were entertained by guest speaker musician and traveller Martin Curtis.Martin, who is known for his song 'Gin & Raspberry, was the organiser of the very first Cardrona Folk Festival in 1976, and has released nine albums of New Zealand music to date.Watch a short clip of Martin’s festive performance in front of the DFC members. VIDEO: The Central AppThe Returned Service Association (RSA) gentlemen singers also sung carols prior to the lunch and certificate presentation.Festive feels from a local choir who performed Christmas songs. PHOTO: The Central AppWatch RSA singers perform Grandma got run over by a reindeer. VIDEO: The Central App Guest speakers and entertainment along with trips are a mainstay of the club, and members The Central App spoke to said the camaraderie was a big part of why they attended events and meetings.  The group recently went on a trip to Wānaka for lunch at Edgewater Resort and then to Paradiso Cinema. They occasionally join forces with the Cromwell and Districts Friendship Group for social activities.  DFC is affiliated with Friendship New Zealand Incorporated (FNZI), and is a non-political and non-denominational group.  FNZI transitioned from the Probus organisation and the name changed in 2016. The original ethos of friendship, fellowship and fun continues. Women were able to join the club from 2000, and there are now more women who are members than men in Dunstan. DFC meets on the first Tuesday of every month at 10am at the Alexandra District Club. For more information contact DFC president Maryon Beer on [email protected] more: In July this year DFC celebrated its 35th anniversary.

An outdoor community pantry and breakfast for tradies are two of the latest community initiatives making a difference in Central.The projects have been made possible thanks to wellbeing funding distributed across the Southern Lakes region with the aim of improving mental wellbeing, social connection and resilience.A record $91,500 of wellbeing funding will be injected into communities for a range of initiatives across the Southern Lakes region over the next few months. Te Hau Toka Southern Lakes Wellbeing Group has funded 110 groups in its Connecting Communities funding round, including in Queenstown and Wānaka.In Cromwell the funding has also gone towards volunteer welfare resources for St John’s Central Otago Major Incident Support Team.Te Hau Toka Southern Lakes Wellbeing Group Chair Adell Cox said the response and calibre of applications were “simply outstanding”. “Applications increased nearly 40 percent – up from a record number last time – which shows how motivated our communities are to improve their wellbeing. We’re loving seeing groups join forces on initiatives and smaller places like Milford Sound coming up with community-wide ideas to bring everyone together. We’ve done our best to fund as many groups as possible to get their activities underway.” The group has partnered with the Community Harvest Gardens in Cromwell to build an outdoor community pantry, and then they are also planning to build cabins or a tiny home to auction off - the proceeds going to a mental health charity. Applications from both Fiordland and Cromwell were particularly strong in this round, with recipients receiving funding for a range of new ideas as well as building on existing successful initiatives.  Another new initiative funded was Cromwell Community House hosting and co-facilitating ‘Working Well’ Tradies Breakfasts. “Our aim is to bring small groups of businesses together over breakfast to raise awareness of the importance of mental health and fitness in a group setting, which is less confronting than one-to-one. We’ll also share the Five Ways to Wellbeing and how these can be applied in construction and trade settings,”  Cromwell Community House manager Karen Palmer said. Te Hau Toka introduced the Connecting Communities fund in November 2021 as part of its efforts to combat the ongoing mental health impacts of Covid-19.  Since then, there have been seven funding rounds, 439 recipients and over $410,000 injected across Queenstown, Wānaka, Cromwell and Fiordland to help people improve mental wellbeing, social connection and resilience in their own communities. 

National Crate Day in Central Otago is potentially fizzing out.Alexandra Police Senior Constable Graham Perkins said it was a very low key event in Central Otago with no calls for service whatsoever.“Hopefully it’s dying,” he said.One bottle store owner in Cromwell also confirmed to police they only sold 10 crates for the day.In a tribute to the beginning of Summer, the Rock radio station seven years ago encouraged Kiwis to buy a few crates with your mates on the first Saturday of December.But, police and health advisors have said many times, the day promotes a toxic drinking culture in New Zealand.After carnage broke out in Queenstown in 2016, the National Crate Day resulted in a liquor ban in the central business district.A 350-strong party on the Village Green ended in fights where 20 people were detained and the entire area was covered in broken glass and littered bottles.Back in Alexandra this year, police attended two Crate Day parties that were held by young people, but both were under control.Snr Const Perkins said most of the entertainment in Alexandra was centred around the new brewery on Boundary Rd, where a live band was playing on Saturday night.The Cromwell Races on the weekend was also a well organised event, with plenty of food and good security, he said.Only two people were assisted off the grounds by police at the end of the day, and driver checkpoints were also set up but nobody was drinking in excess and driving, which was good to see, he said.

The water was like "glass" and racing was "great” on Saturday for the Central Otago Rowing Championships on Lake Dunstan, according to Dunstan Arm Rowing (DARC) Club head coach Simon Smith.More than 200 athletes from the Central rowing clubs, and clubs and schools from Dunedin and Twizel took part in the 44 races over the two-day regatta.“It was stunning weather on Saturday, just absolute magic . . . on Sunday there was a bit of a southerly to contend with, which was a bit more challenging.”Simon said the overall regatta trophy, ‘The Dead Rabbit’, a steel rabbit cutout mounted on a piece of schist rock was won by DARC again.DARC scored 289 points, Wakatipu Rowing Club placed second with 113 and Otago Boys' High School third on 68.Simon said it had been a massive weekend and it was awesome to have family and friends come and support the club. For some DARC athletes new to rowing it was their first time in a regatta.Maz Connell and Ferdinand Kandler. PHOTO: Leon Morris“Loads of novices had a great regatta, and heading into Otago Championships next week in Twizel where things are more serious it was a [positive] experience.“A special thanks to Christine Moffat, our chief umpire from Timaru Rowing Club and Glen Sinclair from Dunedin. [Also thanks to] all the helpers and volunteers who contributed time and food too.”Emer Bryant and Ellie King. PHOTO: Leon MorrisDARC has novice rowers as young as 12 and masters up to 65 years old. The canteen that ran over the weekend was a fundraiser for the club and offered coffee, baking, bacon butties and sausages.

New life is being breathed into the Wedderburn community, with the spotlight now shining on the community hall.For years the old hall sat empty and the community association disbanded, but young couples and new families are now moving into the Maniototo town and people have started to clean up the old hall and the surrounding grounds.The Maniototo Community Board discussed its future last week when the proprietor of the Wedderburn Tavern approached the council to buy it for staff accommodation.But, because of the legal status of the hall, owned by the crown with council as manager of the property and land, it couldn’t be sold, and the cost to earthquake strengthen it was at least $393,000 if it continued to be used.The Wedderburn Community Association is having its AGM in April 2024 to formalise new office bearers and plan its future direction, including hall management arrangements with council.Central Otago District councillor Stu Duncan said there had been many applications to buy the hall over the years, but in recent times the community has become motivated to look after it again.The last official use of the hall was in 2007, but a group of younger community members have been organising internal and external working bees in return for using it.“Even this morning I went past and it was being used for aerobics or something,” he said. Council pays the operational costs of the hall and undertakes minor planned maintenance annually to ensure the building remained weather tight. Additionally other capital costs to the value of $32,500 have been proposed in the draft Long Term Plan 2024/2034. Stu said a lot had changed in the community, with young families moving back home to take over family farms, and other people moving to Wedderburn to build new houses - as well as renovate the old school house.“There’s a lot of extra people here at the moment. The community is keen on retaining the hall, he said.The hall property ownership dates back to 1926 when it was purchased by the Wedderburn Hall Association from the Crown. It was passed back to the Crown in 1960 and became part of the Wedderburn Domain and was managed by the Wedderburn Hall committee. When the domain board ceased to exist, the reserve passed to council. An arrangement existed that the hall committee took care of the ground maintenance around the hall property and arranged for grazing of the reserve to keep vegetation in check.

Ranfurly’s 125th celebrations are over, but there’s plenty of memories and aspects from the weekend’s events that will live on.Among them is a community heritage orchard garden, which was established in time for the weekend long celebrations.The garden, located on the Presbyterian Church grounds, features a range of apple and pear trees, grafted from cuttings taken from trees throughout the Maniototo. Some of the original trees are more than 150 years old.The idea was something project co-ordinator Mandy Groshinski and Ranfurly 125 co-ordinator Kristina Wills discussed, with the aim of leaving something behind in memory of the celebrations.Kristina welcomed about 60 people to the event, which was officially opened with a ribbon cutting by Helen Cromb on Sunday morning.Kristina Wills welcomes people to the opening ceremony. PHOTO: The Central App.Kristina said it was great to be able to acknowledge all the hard work that went into creating the garden, which would ultimately become a living memory of the 125th celebrations.Kristina thanked all the people and groups who supported the project along the way, including the Presbyterian Church for gifting the land, the many volunteers who prepared the area for the plantings and donated materials or their time to the project.The 125th celebrations started on Friday with late night shopping, lighting of the town’s new five metre tall Christmas tree and the Blue Sky Perspectives Art Exhibition.Helen Cromb cuts the ribbon during the opening ceremony of the new community heritage orchard. PHOTO: The Central App.Celebrations continued on Saturday with a family fun day at the Maniototo Stadium, complete with games, a bake off, lawnmower races, a farmyard corner and music, among much more.A gala dinner was also hosted on Saturday, featuring a 1920s theme, and on Sunday afternoon a celebratory cricket match was held, called Ranfurly vs The World.Thomas (3) enjoys some of the weekend's fun activities. PHOTO: Phyllipa LabonteKristina said the support received for the entire weekend had been amazing and thanked everyone who had made the day happen.A 'have a go' session on diggers was among the activities on offer. PHOTO: Phyllipa Labonte“It was a huge amount of work for a small group of dedicated volunteers.” 

The Teviot Valley will receive one of the best Christmas presents when its new community pool opens on December 17.Chair of the Roxburgh Pool Punawai Ora committee Sally Feinerman told the Central App this week, it felt almost surreal to be finally at the opening stage after 16 years.“It’s been a long journey to get to here.”The learner’s pool was already starting to be filled with water and planning was well under way for the official opening.Sally said a new pool was a huge deal for Roxburgh because it was important the community had somewhere for young people to learn how to swim.“We have a pretty big river that runs past our township and it’s not a safe place for children to swim in.”Keep calm and…. swim!Coombes Aquatics and Breen Construction have been building the new 25m lane pool, learn to swim and toddlers pool, replacing the 89-year facility that was decommissioned on the same site.New changing rooms, office space and a plant room have also been added to the long-awaited pool project.The Roxburgh Pool committee has worked hard over the past 16 years navigating numerous finance, planning and design challenges to successfully fundraise the $2.7 million needed for the project.She said one of the biggest challenges was actually getting the project off the ground, because they couldn’t go out to funders without a detailed set of drawings - but that was a big cost in itself.Sally came onboard as the new chair several years ago when the original pool committee lead person moved to Dunedin.“I came in with a fresh set of eyes and didn’t have swimming pool fatigue,” she said.She thanked the hard working committee and made a special mention to the original two members Rick Kristel and Helen Pinder who had both given so much time to the project.Listen to more here on The Outlet podcast.

If people are doing the same job, same amount of work and same hours then they should be paid the same, right? While it seems logical, in practice the youth wage is stopping under 16s from being paid fairly. For years, businesses have justified paying lower wages to young adults, citing their lack of experience or the need to remain competitive. They also state that it allows a greater opportunity for young people to enter the workforce.While there is no minimum wage for those under 16, in a large business they typically earn the starting wage or training wage of $18.16 per hour. Currently, the minimum hourly wage for all other workers is $22.70. That means that some of our counterparts are earning more than $4 less for doing the exact same job. Is it time to scrap youth wages? Youth wages, often set at a lower rate than adult wages, are a relic of a time when the value of youthful labour was underestimated. However, times have changed. Young workers today are often just as skilled and capable as their older counterparts. Their age should not serve as a justification for paying them less for equal work.In a time where people are becoming increasingly vocal about discrimination whether it be gender, race or age, it’s surprising that the call to scrap youth wage hasn’t got more momentum. Paying youth a lower wage than other workers significantly impacts someone's value in their job. They’re not looked at for their capabilities, but rather are limited by their age. After tax, the youth hourly rate can feel like it is hardly worth having a job. Most businesses that pay the youth wage are big, national corporations that can easily absorb any increase in wages. Yet they keep getting away with paying staff very little. Scrapping youth wages would signal a shift toward a fairer, more equitable society. It would send a powerful message that the value of an individual's work is not determined by age, but by their skills, qualifications and contributions.Implementing equal pay for equal work, regardless of age, would foster a more inclusive and just work environment where everyone is recognized and compensated fairly for their efforts.So next time you order a coffee or your takeaways from a young staff member in Central, take a moment to think about whether it’s fair that they are earning less than the 17-year-old next to them.

Three breaches of Omakau’s wastewater treatment plant since 2017 has resulted in the Central Otago District Council (CODC) putting forward a business case for a new site.The CODC agreed on Wednesday to move forward with two new infrastructure projects designed to provide safe, reliable and resilient wastewater services in Omakau, as well as Alexandra and Clyde.Mayor Tim Cadogan said Omakau in particular was a high risk site and the council has been investigating options since 2021 to improve the treatment and disposal of wastewater services, and deliver better long-term environmental outcomes. The council will now seek funding in order to progress to the next stage of investigation and preliminary design. Capital projects programme manager Patrick Keenan said that was a critical step to gather accurate information, which would significantly inform and improve investment and construction decision-making for each project.“These projects would represent a significant investment for council and accurate planning is crucial to ensure ratepayers' money is well spent on creating durable, resilient wastewater infrastructure. Our aim is to meet our growing communities’ needs today, whilst future-proofing for future generations and honouring our environmental commitments." Once the investigation and preliminary design are undertaken, council will be provided with updated business cases with refined costs and a delivery strategy for approval. Funding for the investigation and preliminary design work will be included in the Draft 2024 Long Term Plan (LTP). The Omakau wastewater indicative business case recommends constructing a new wastewater treatment site at Omakau in a more resilient location, near the Omakau Golf Course. This includes moving the discharge of the treated wastewater away from the Manuherikia River to discharge to land. The Alexandra wastewater indicative business case recommends constructing a new wastewater treatment site on council land near the Alexandra Airport.  This includes moving the discharge of the treated wastewater away from the Clutha Mata-au River to discharge to land.  Council requested further investigation also be undertaken to determine if the existing Alexandra treatment site at Graveyard Gully has the capability to be expanded to meet long term requirements. 

Alexandra Garden Club is giving back to the community, volunteering hours at Dunstan Hospital to ensure it is only flowers growing, not weeds.Club members were at the hospital on Thursday armed with their own range of tools ready for a busy morning, beautifying the area for visitors to enjoy.While there was a sense of satisfaction that comes with the role, members agreed it was a great way to meet other like-minded people and also learn along the way.The club, which is 100 years old, was formerly known as The Alexandra Horticultural Society.Club member Barb McCrostie said it has about 50 members who can take part in various activities, including volunteer roles like the Dunstan Hospital garden project for a couple of hours at a time.The group started looking after the Dunstan Hospital garden just over a year ago.Roses are taking centre stage in the Dunstan Hospital garden. PHOTO: Central AppHowever, attending every working bee was not compulsory, as all members were also busy tending to their own gardens.The club will be among those who can celebrate International Volunteer Day on December 5.Volunteer South Kaitūao o te Taitonga plans to celebrate all volunteers and the change they bring to their communities.The awareness day, established by the United Nations, will follow the theme of ‘power of collective action: if everyone did’.A spokesperson for the UN said if everyone volunteered, the world would be a better place.“Imagine more than eight billion of us volunteering. Limitless possibilities for sustainable development - food and education for everyone, clean environment and good health, inclusive and peaceful societies, and more.”The Alexandra Garden Club is doing more than just donating their time. They are also donating prizes to the Central Otago District Council’s upcoming Dry Garden Competition, which will be judged on water efficiency and suitable placement of climate appropriate plant species.For more information about the Dry Garden Competition, which closes on January 31, 2024, email [email protected] find out more about the Alexandra Garden Club visit their profile on The Central App.Read more: Efficient use of water now, could save

A new Abbeyfield shared housing proposal for older people is underway in Alexandra.The group involved in the development was currently in the process of securing land to house the proposed $4 million facility, which would cater for up to 14 residents.Abbeyfield was an innovative housing model for older people wanting to retain their independence, but enjoy the company of others, including shared meals.There were currently two other houses in the lower South Island - Wakatipu and Dunedin, with three in Christchurch and four in Nelson.Driven by the Alexandra Council of Social Services (ACSS), the idea for the rental accommodation followed two community huis - the first one back in 2018, that identified a strong need for more elderly persons housing in the town.ACSS recently carried out a survey for over 65s in Alexandra, which showed 60 out of the 300+ people who took part were interested in shared housing. ACSS secretary Carole Gillions looks over plans for the proposed Abbeyfield development. PHOTO: Central AppSecretary Carole Gillions said she’d heard about the Abbeyfield concept that had been successful in other parts of New Zealand and introduced it to the group.“It’s a proven model, and the lovely thing is, that your rent pays for the room and three meals a day, so the residents will be well nourished.”A formal steering committee was formed and recently gained consent from the Abbeyfield parent body to go ahead with the proposal.The Abbeyfield house needed to be within 1km of local services and already the committee had a piece of land lined up and negotiations were underway.The next step was to secure funding for the development and that would be both on a local and national level.Carole said research showed elderly people were vulnerable living on their own as they got older and the Abbeyfield concept enabled both independence and security.“You want to keep people in the community that they have made their social connections in.”The steering committee was made up of Cathy Wagstaff, Marie Roxburgh, Helen Adair and Dr Bill Kaye-Blake.

High school children in the Maniototo have been having a blast with Central Otago police over the last few weeks.A Blue Light Alternative Strategy for Teenagers (BLAST) initiative that has been operating in conjunction with high schools throughout the country and Maniototo Area School came into the programme for the first time this year.Alexandra Police Senior Constable Garry Milford, who was also on the Prevention Services Team, said 14 kids took part in the programme in Ranfurly, which focused on skills development and fitness.Dunstan High School and Cromwell College already take part in the initiative, and in Ranfurly the students were offered boxing classes after school as well as various problem solving activities.A final ‘Big Day Out’ at the conclusion of the two to three week programme started at 4:30am one morning last week, which involved fitness testing, orienteering and pulling a fire truck along the street.Snr Cons Milford said to celebrate their success, the students would be spending the day in Queenstown and Cromwell with a bungy jump followed by a session at the water park.“It’s good to have some scaffolding around kids and give them some goals. And, it’s good for kids to interact with police in a positive way.”He said some kids come out of the programme and have even gone onto train as police officers themselves.

There is more to a pet day than meets the eye, just ask Poolburn School’s senior pupils.All of the school’s 10 year 8 pupils, supported by teachers Emma Prentice, Sophie Cochran, Deb Stevens and principal Melissa Gare, hosted the event on Thursday, complete with prizes and a grand parade.They spent each week this term strategically planning the day, which featured some different activities to previous years, including a Young Farmer obstacle course.The course incorporated a range of tasks for teams to complete, including jumping bales and putting up electric fences.Organisers also called on the expertise of Rebecca Pirie and Dayna McBreen, of Vetlife, as guest judges, who were looking for a range of elements between pet and owner, including their relationship and whether they could do any tricks.Monty Anderson and Polly Pocket, led by Lucy. PHOTO: Central AppRebecca said finding out how helpful the children were at home caring for their pet was also taken into consideration.“There were definitely some real leaders.”Oliver Murdoch and Miss Bee (Postman Pat and his Black and White Cat). PHOTO: Poolburn SchoolBonnie Copland and Strawberry. PHOTO: Poolburn SchoolJudges also included a local farmer, business owner and a representative from Beef + Lamb.Sophie praised the children for their efforts bringing the day together, which was the first pet day for the school in four years. Ollie Paterson and Stevo. PHOTO: Poolburn School“You’ve been incredible to work with and over these past eight weeks we’ve seen you grow as well. You’ve just been really amazing,” she said, during speeches.Melissa also thanked the children and their supporters for bringing the day together.“I think we can say our 2023 pet day has been awesome.”Archie Heaps and Keith. PHOTO: Poolburn SchoolThe young Year 8 pet day committee also thanked the many people who helped make sure the day was a success, including volunteers and sponsors.It was the first time the pet day had been held for the entire day, an event which had previously only taken place in the morning.And, despite there only being two weeks left of school for the year, the children and their teachers were showing no signs of slowing down yet.Instead, they plan to make wooden Christmas trees out of pellets, before wrapping up in mid-December.

A semi-retired builder has offered the Cromwell Community Board an affordable housing solution, provided they can release sections in the Gair Ave development for $250,000.Gavin Hurring spoke in the public forum on Tuesday, saying he could build 100sqm houses for $650,000 in the subdivision.He estimated he could build 12 houses a year on 300sqm sections, which could be offered as complete house and land packages.The Central Otago District Council currently owns 5.25ha of undeveloped land in the subdivision, and was still working through options on how that should be progressed.In August 2022 the community board agreed to achieve more affordable options through different housing typologies, which included semi-detached and terraced housing on smaller building footprints, consistent with the Cromwell Masterplan objectives.A 320sqm section in the Gair Ave development currently had a rateable value of $390,000.Gavin said he just wanted to give back to the community and wouldn’t gain a lot out of it financially.“There is very little in it for me.”Board chair Anna Harrison questioned what would stop families from on-selling the houses to make a profit, “which takes it out of the affordable housing market right away.”Gavin proposed that the owners must stay in the house for an agreed period - whether that was three or five years.But, board members said there would have to be an allowance made for people’s change of circumstances.Anna said there had been a lot of talk around housing in the Gair Ave development and the types of housing that could be built in there - aiming to increase the number of houses on the market.The need for housing has been an ongoing issue, covered by The Central App over recent weeks.Read more: Intensive development needed in CentralRead more: Shortage of Central rentals hit home

A five metre tall Christmas tree is set to become the centrepiece of Ranfurly this festive season.The tree was installed and decorated on the green outside the railway station on Sunday, thanks to a team of helpers, including Fulton Hogan staff and members of the Maniototo Lions Club.Janyne Fletcher, who is leading the project, said everyone’s help had been appreciated.The idea for a large Christmas tree was floated by Sheryl Edwards in July 2021.“Then it was really late last year that we really started to get cracking with fundraising. So, it’s pretty much been a year of fairly intense activity on it.”She said the concept was strongly supported by both businesses and individuals who had given “really generous” amounts of money towards the $20,000 project, which included shipping the tree from overseas.“We had significant sponsorship from Maniototo 4 Square and ICL Accountants and also Burn Radio.”Smaller donations had also assisted in getting the project over the line.“The thing that really surprised me is I thought - a Christmas tree - that could be quite hard to get people to support it because it’s a bit different to giving money to the helicopter, which really benefits the community,” Janyne said.“But, it’s the sort of project that gives the community a really nice boost and for children.”Janyne thanked the many people who helped get the tree ready for its launch, including tree builders, branch fluffers and lighting specialists.Installing the Ranfurly Christmas tree ahead of its official launch. PHOTO: Janyne FletcherThe tree’s lights will be turned on for the first time on Friday, December 1, at 7pm, during the Maniototo Christmas Fest and 125th birthday celebrations.This festive season, The Central App will feature a list of addresses of homes and businesses that will be decorated for Christmas.People can register their home or business by visiting the Aurora Energy Light Up Central button.The list of addresses will go live on December 4, so you can follow the trail of decorated homes over the festive season.