Royal gaze no longer looks over Ashburton’s council meetings
By local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Something has been missing at Ashburton's council meetings since it moved to a new home at Te Whare Whakatere.
The royal gaze.
The late Queen Elizabeth’s photo had adorned the council chambers for almost 40 years, keeping a watchful eye on the district’s democracy in action.
Her portrait remained in the old council chamber on Havelock St until the council made the move to Te Whare Whakatere in January.
Even though King Charles III had his coronation in May last year, the council had been waiting for a portrait of the new monarch to go up in the new council chamber, Hine Paaka.
Democracy and engagement group manager Toni Durham said the official photos became available from the Governor General earlier this month.
“We have downloaded a photo which will be printed and framed.
“The mayor will choose the place to hang the photo in the chamber, with advice from the art gallery and museum director.”
Councils choose whether or not to have a portrait of the monarch, and there was no requirement to remove or replace the official photograph of Queen Elizabeth II which was previously displayed in former council chamber, Durham said.
“With the relocation to Te Whare Whakatere, all photos were removed from the old building.
“The photo of Queen Elizabeth has been retained in council’s archive collection at the Ashburton Museum.”
The photo of Queen Elizabeth II was dated 1986, she said.
“We’re not sure when it was placed in the chamber and it may even have been in the Borough Council Chamber too, given that the district council came into operation in October 1989.”
The portrait of King Charles was taken in the White Drawing Room at Buckingham Palace in June.
It will be the only portrait or artwork to feature in the chamber.
At a meeting on June 26, the council accepted a gift of a drawing by Cuthbert Denham of the old borough council and public library building built in 1884 into the civic art collection.
Deputy mayor Liz McMillan asked if any artwork would be hung in Hine Paaka, acknowledging they were waiting for the King’s portrait.
Ashburton Art Gallery director Shirin Khosraviani said that it wasn’t deemed suitable to include the council chamber in the artwork rotation plan because the hanging requires screwing any frames to the wall and the chamber's maple beech panelling can’t be repaired.
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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