Know what’s happening
Access the private noticeboard for verified neighbours near you. Keep informed about any suspicious activity, send urgent updates to your neighbours when required and discuss emergency planning.
Get to know your neighbours
Browse the directory and start getting to know your neighbours. Don’t want to post to the whole neighbourhood? Send a private message.
Buy, sell and give away
Want to declutter your garage? Buy some used household items? Give away some garden stuff? Become a verified neighbour to browse and post items for sale. Trading is simple when everyone lives nearby.
Thank you for using Neighbourly
You may receive an email confirmation for any offer you selected. The associated companies will contact you directly to activate your requests.
Nicole Mathewson Reporter from Otago News
By reporter Debbie Jamieson:
A new high alpine predator trap line is the final link in a 100km front protecting native wildlife between Wānaka and Glenorchy.
The installation of the 64 traps was also a symbolic joining of the Wānaka and Whakatipu basins in a bid to create the largest … View moreBy reporter Debbie Jamieson:
A new high alpine predator trap line is the final link in a 100km front protecting native wildlife between Wānaka and Glenorchy.
The installation of the 64 traps was also a symbolic joining of the Wānaka and Whakatipu basins in a bid to create the largest predator-free sanctuary on the New Zealand mainland.
Southern Lakes Sanctuary Trust hub co-ordinator Tom Reeves led a team of five workers installing the traps across about 13km from the Cascade Saddle to the Rees Saddle last week.
The traps were dropped into 10 locations by Aspiring Helicopters before the team spent two nights in the mountains installing each trap.
Reeves said the construction of the trap line was a goal when the trust was formed in 2021.
Since then the umbrella organisation had brought together six local groups representing 84 community groups, landowners and businesses to work on its predator-free plans.
The highest installed trap on the line sat at 1835 metres, making it one of the higher trap lines in the country.
The traps targeted stoats, rats and other mustelids, and would actively help protect kea and rock wren in their natural habitat, he said.
Giant weta, alpine invertebrates and lizards would also benefit.
In summer, stoats would come over the mountain passes and re-invade valleys such as the West Matukituki, where long tailed bats and robins and kaka lived, he said.
The trap line also provided protection for the Rees Valley, where the Department of Conservation is hoping to establish a population of vulnerable takahe.
“We’ve put several hundred traps into the Rees already and this is all part of gearing up for that huge trans-relocation as well,” Reeves said.
The traps would be checked monthly, but not in winter due to snow and avalanche risk.
Maintaining the trap line would be a joint venture between the Matukituki Charitable Trust servicing the traps on the Wānaka side, and the Routeburn Dart Wildlife Trust responsible for the Glenorchy side.
The Southern Lakes Sanctuary Trust was continuing to seek support from funders and volunteers to continue the work, he said.
“Otherwise a lot of those gains we’ve made over these last few years will disappear so we do need a lot of help.“
The trust’s 30-year goal is to create a 660,000-hectare area free of introduced pests where the indigenous fauna – including 35 endangered species – is able to thrive.
Nicole Mathewson Reporter from Otago News
Police are seeking help from the public after two assaults in Cromwell.
Sergeant Regan Price said police were alerted to an assault on the corner of Inniscort and Monaghan streets about 11.45pm on Thursday, February 29, where one person was taken to hospital.
Another report of an assault, at … View morePolice are seeking help from the public after two assaults in Cromwell.
Sergeant Regan Price said police were alerted to an assault on the corner of Inniscort and Monaghan streets about 11.45pm on Thursday, February 29, where one person was taken to hospital.
Another report of an assault, at the intersection of Melmore Tce and Achil St, was made to police about 2am on Sunday, March 3.
One person received medical attention by St John at the scene.
Price said police wanted to hear from anyone who may have witnessed either of the assaults, or who may have security camera or dashcam footage of either incident.
Information can be reported to police by calling 105 or online at www.police.govt.nz... using ‘Update Report’. Reference file number: 240302/0459.
Information can also be reported anonymously to CrimeStoppers by calling 0800 555 111.
Nicole Mathewson Reporter from Otago News
By reporter Debbie Jamieson:
Property developers are coming up with new models for much-needed worker accommodation to alleviate a chronic housing shortage in Queenstown and Wānaka.
The South Island’s scenic Queenstown Lakes District has a well-documented housing crisis largely driven by … View moreBy reporter Debbie Jamieson:
Property developers are coming up with new models for much-needed worker accommodation to alleviate a chronic housing shortage in Queenstown and Wānaka.
The South Island’s scenic Queenstown Lakes District has a well-documented housing crisis largely driven by the high cost of land, a shortage of housing and the financial appeal and growth of short-term visitor accommodation options such as Airbnb in residential property.
This has led to difficulties with finding accommodation for seasonal workers and working holiday visa holders employed in tourism and hospitality, which has affected many businesses.
Chris Broadhead, a Timaru-based commercial and industrial property developer, wanted to build a commercially viable development that would help the situation in Wānaka.
The solution he came up with was the 15-unit Reece Quarters project (artist's impression attached).
The seven-bedroom units would be based in a semi-industrial area, about 15 minutes’ walk from central Wānaka.
They would be sold separately and leased to people and businesses based exclusively in Central Otago.
They were different from traditional residential homes because they could be bought and leased as commercial entities, providing flexibility not available in traditional residential accommodation, Broadhead said.
Potential lessees included out-of-town businesses who wanted to house employees in Wānaka for short-term contracts, large seasonal employers, and local hospitality business needing homes for staff.
The apartments would each have en suites and separate heat pumps in each bedroom, dual kitchens and laundries, and communal living and dining spaces.
Some larger apartments would have configurations to cater for office space or extra bedrooms.
A covenant on the title requiring tenants to be working in Central Otago would ensure the units would remain as worker accommodation for the first 10 years, Broadhead said.
“I’m trying to support the community and make sure they don’t go to Airbnbs – it’s stuffing towns all over the world that are tourist destinations.”
The development has been on the market since the end of January with a starting price of $2 million (excluding GST), and one has sold.
Broadhead said the first stage would involve four units, and once that stage sold, he would commit to the remainder.
He anticipated investors would get a return of about 7.5% or more depending on their lease arrangement.
He had already been approached by another Wānaka investor looking to undertake a similar development in two years.
“The concept is completely new. It’s not been done in Queenstown or Wānaka at all,” he said.
The push for a new model of worker accommodation is forcing innovation in nearby Queenstown also.
Australian-based No.1 Hansen Road Ltd is seeking a fast-tracked resource consent for a 554-unit worker accommodation development known as Junction Village, in the suburb of Frankton.
Documents lodged with the Environmental Protection Authority say up to 710 people could live across eight buildings, in hostel-type rooms and one-, two- and three-bedroom units, next to the BP station.
Communal facilities would be provided within the buildings, and ground-floor commercial and retail tenancies were planned.
The ownership model for the units and buildings was unclear, but the application stated that the units were not short-term visitor accommodation and were not intended to be sold off individually.
The ongoing management of the worker accommodation was intended to be kept in-house with a management entity for the letting, supervision and operation of the complex.
The application noted that the applicant would determine whether to subdivide floors separately or retain entire buildings for sale or management by certain entities at a later date.
The company anticipated that the development would be built over four years, providing up to 540 full-time jobs.
In central Queenstown, the developers of the $2 billion Lakeview Te Taumata site have committed to a 96-apartment co-living hotel as part of the first phase of the wider development.
The apartments were small, private living units with shared lounge, dining room and workspace areas.
They would have a minimum booking requirement of seven nights, a spokesperson for Melbourne-based developer Ninety-Four Feet said.
“This will be a high-quality accommodation offering.
“We anticipate demand to stem from young professionals and corporate profiles who have regular business in the area, digital nomads – a key player in Queenstown’s burgeoning tech sector – as well as seasonal tourism workers.”
The company expected the first stage to be completed in 2027.
It would retain ownership of the co-living hotel, but it would be managed by an operator.
Nicole Mathewson Reporter from Otago News
A 1.2km section of SH6 - from the Cromwell side of the Kawarau River Bridge towards Gibbston - will be closed for essential resurfacing work.
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency advised traffic will be stopped on the Queenstown side of the bridge and at Gibbston from 7pm to 5.30am Sunday, February … View moreA 1.2km section of SH6 - from the Cromwell side of the Kawarau River Bridge towards Gibbston - will be closed for essential resurfacing work.
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency advised traffic will be stopped on the Queenstown side of the bridge and at Gibbston from 7pm to 5.30am Sunday, February 11 to Thursday, February 15.
The road will also be closed 7pm to 5.30am Sunday, Feburary 18 to Thursday, February 22.
During both sets of closures, the road will open to allow traffic through every 30 minutes between 7pm and 10pm, with additional openings at 12am and 3am.
The agency urged drivers to plan their journeys around the closures, with delays of up to three hours while the bridge is closed to traffic to allow contractors to complete these essential works.
Due to the nature of the resurfacing work, there is no other option than to close this section of SH6 in both directions during the dates and times above, it says. No detour is available. Traffic management and speed restrictions will be in place on these dates outside of the hours of closure.
Check the NZTA online Journey Planner at www.journeys.nzta.govt.nz... for the latest up to date road conditions.
Nicole Mathewson Reporter from Otago News
Work has started on a trail linking Queenstown to Cromwell through the spectacular Kawarau Gorge.
The cycling and walking trail will cross 32km of awe-inspiring and often challenging terrain, from the Nevis Bluff, at Gibbston, to Bannockburn, near Cromwell.
It will tie in with existing trails… View moreWork has started on a trail linking Queenstown to Cromwell through the spectacular Kawarau Gorge.
The cycling and walking trail will cross 32km of awe-inspiring and often challenging terrain, from the Nevis Bluff, at Gibbston, to Bannockburn, near Cromwell.
It will tie in with existing trails between Queenstown and Gibbston, and the widely acclaimed Lake Dunstan Trail, from Cromwell to Clyde.
Read reporter Debbie Jamieson's full story here.
Loading…
Are you sure? Deleting this message permanently removes it from the Neighbourly website.
Loading…