Fairfield Freight Hub on track for early 2024
From local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
The Fairfield Freight Hub will, all going to plan, be operational by April next year.
The $18m project had been scheduled to start groundworks in February but delays in processing the resource consents pushed back the timeline.
Groundworks finally began in June, and it has been steady progress since.
Wareing Group director Mark Wareing held a quick site visit on Wednesday with Ashburton District councillor Rob Mackle, Talley’s Aaron Chudleigh and Rangitata MP Jo Luxton who was instrumental in getting the project going after it was initially turned down.
Wareing is hopeful it will be on track for an early 2024 opening.
“If things go wrong, mainly the weather and Fulton Hogan can’t put the hot mix down until it warms up it will start pushing things back.
“For me, that’s a disaster.”
Luxton was pleased to see the progress.
“It’s taking a bit of time to get to this point but really pleased that we have been able to get this happening and under way.”
KiwiRail is on-site working on upgrading the existing siding and is set for a block of line work at the end of the month, where they will put the new line in, Wareing said.
If the progress falls behind by December, Wareing said they will consider staging the construction to ensure it still becomes operational in April.
“If need be, we may just seal the part next to the line just to get it going but that will add cost as it means sealing it in two stages.
“If we are behind by Christmas, we’ll have that discussion.
“At this stage, everything is on track.”
That means the historic shunting yards in central Ashburton will shift north in early 2024 to the freight hub, which is being constructed on the Talley’s-owned site of the former Fairton freezing works.
Since works began, Wareing has noticed an increase in traffic past the site due to “a lot of community interest in the project". He said the benefits to the community from it would be long term.
The project is a tri-party commercial development led by the Wareing Group (which wholly owns Fairfield Freight Hub Ltd) with KiwiRail and the Ashburton District Council.
The project received $2.5m from the Government’s NZ Upgrade fund.
The council’s $2.3m contribution ended up being part of its $4.19 million in the Three Waters 'better off' funding.
Poll: Should we be giving the green light to new mining projects? 💰🌲
The Environmental Protection Authority announced this week that a proposed mine in Central Otago (near Cromwell) is about to enter its fast-track assessment process. A final decision could come within six months, and if it’s approved, construction might start as early as mid-2026.
We want to know: Should mining projects like this move ahead?
Keen to dig deeper? Mike White has the scoop.
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53.5% Yes
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46.5% No
A riddle to start the festive season 🌲🎁🌟
I'm a fruit. If you take away my first letter, I'm a crime. If you take away my first two letters, I'm an animal. If you take away my first and last letter, I'm a form of music. What am I?
Do you think you know the answer? Simply 'Like' this post if you know the answer and the big reveal will be posted in the comments at 2pm on the day!
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Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.
‘Tis the season to not get scammed ...
As Christmas gift shopping moves increasingly online, scammers are ramping up their activity across the country.
Dunedin’s Investigation Support Unit is seeing more and more people fall victim to scams and other fraudulent activity, particularly on Facebook Marketplace.
There are a few ways to avoid the scams and keep yourself safe doing online trades this holiday season, says Southern District Service Delivery Manager Senior Sergeant Dalton.
🔒 “A good first step when looking to purchase something on Marketplace is to check when the seller’s Facebook profile was created. If it’s very recent, there is a higher risk that they have just created this account for a one-off fake item.”
🔒 Another important step is to make sure the seller’s profile name and bank account name match up. “We’re seeing a lot of scammers claiming their bank account name is different because it belongs to their partner or family member - that’s a huge red flag."
🔒 “When you’re selling, never trust a screenshot anyone sends you showing that payment has been made. Check your own bank account to make sure a payment has gone through."
🔒 “Quite frankly, it’s best for all parties to agree to pay, or be paid, for items in cash and in-person. Ideally in a public place with CCTV coverage."
🔒 "If you’re buying a car, check Carjam.co.nz to see if it’s stolen or if there’s money owed on it.”
A reminder: Suspicious activity can be reported on 105
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