Ashburton council to workshop dwindling Lake Camp
By local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Ashburton councillors will hold a workshop to decide where they stand on the situation at Lake Camp.
There are fears the lake could become little more than a puddle as the water level has dropped dramatically over the last few years.
And there is divided opinion over whether the council should intervene to top up the lake's levels.
Councillor Richard Wilson raised the issue with his fellow councillors at the activity briefing meeting on Wednesday, the first time the council has met since June 26.
With the issue “bubbling along quite strongly” in the community, the council needed to decide its stance, Wilson said.
The Lake Clearwater Residents Association presented the Ashburton Water Zone committee, which Wilson sits on, with a proposal that an organisation seek the resource consent to reinstate the Balmacaan Stream to top up the levels of Lake Camp.
Other agencies aren’t inclined to do anything about it so the district council is “being tossed around” as the ones to take up the resource consent, Wilson said.
Compliance and development group manager Jane Donaldson said it the council’s stance was up to councillors.
The cost of seeking the resource consent could be at least $25,000, she said.
“I don’t know what the chances of success would be, I suspect not high.”
The statutory agencies involved in the Ōtuwharekai working group were not in support of the diversion, she said.
“If you decided as a council you wanted to support it, then you could instruct staff to go ahead and hire consultants to prepare a resource consent application.”
Chief executive Hamish Riach said creating a detailed report on the issue to help make that decision could take months to collate all the complex scientific information, “and I have no doubt it will confirm the need for a resource consent”.
Mayor Neil Brown said the first step is to get an overview of the situation to look into “do we need or want to go further”.
“A workshop might be the best way to advance it.”
Having representatives from ECan, DOC, Te Runanga Arowhenua, Fish and Game, the hut holders and other parties to add the various perspectives would benefit the workshop. he said.
Given the public interest in Lake Camp, the workshop would be public, Riach said.
Councillor Rob Mackle said the issue needed to be addressed quickly and supported action to restore the diversion as right next door to Lake Camp, Lake Clearwater “hasn’t depleted to the same levels” in the same drought conditions.
“It’s basically ECan sitting on their hands again and letting this happen. We need to be in a position to give them a shunt.”
The council has been promoting the area and tourists have been flowing in there, he said.
“We are going to lose those people to another area very quickly and once they start using another lake, coming back here is going to be a big ask.”
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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53.4% Yes
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46.6% 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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