The Mayor's Blog

Planning our infrastructure

Sat, 03 Mar 2012 09:05:00 +1300

People ask me why Council plans so far ahead as things can change tomorrow.

I have thought about this and yes things can change but we are mostly planning around our infrastructure as we own these assets and we know the importance of them. The infrastructure I am talking about is our roads, our water supplies, our sewerage schemes and our stormwater.

New Zealanders need to realise how precious water is and how cheap it is in New Zealand. We take for granted having fresh clean water delivered to our houses via the tap, while overseas my children are paying the equivalent of some rates bills for water and then buying water to drink as well.

To have healthy communities we need to have water and sewerage - if we didn't we would be a third world country. Our staff keep up to date with the latest technology and investigate the best options for what will work here in Southland conditions. However where possible, we are there - we were the first to bring in a worm farm to treat sewerage at Edendale-Wyndham and now others are following suit.

There's been a lot of talk in the media, and indeed from Central Government, about the cost of rates, but everyone forgets what these rates pay for. An example of a Southland urban property rate for 2012-13 has been included in the Draft Long Term Plan. It is a Balfour property with a capital value of $155,000 with rates of $1762 excluding GST and for that they receive water, sewerage, roads, libraries, streetlights, footpaths, rubbish and recycling collection, halls, parks and reserves and the list goes on. The average monthly power bill is between $200 and $300, more in winter, and that is for one service.

This year has seen a huge hike in insurance costs and a reduction in Government funding for roading - between the two, that is 2% of the rates increase proposed for next year. Take that off our proposed rates increase and we are running pretty close to the Consumer Price Index (CPI), despite the fact much of our expenses are not based on household expenditure (CPI). Council expenditure is measured on the Local Government Cost Index (LGCI), based on construction materials. Bitumen costs alone have risen over 95% in the past 10 years. We need to maintain our roading network which is the biggest in the country. This is one example of the pressure on Council and our rating base. There has been a lot of talk about debt levels of councils, but many councils, like ours, have little or no debt level. Perhaps it is our Scottish heritage that makes us that way.

The infrastructure that Council provides underpins the economy of Southland. The biggest proportion of our rates is roading and yes we could let our roads deteriorate, but good roading is key to good economic development. If we let infrastructure go downhill, it will catch up with us some time in the future and is that a good legacy to leave? We have always argued the importance of our rural roading, but we continually get funding cuts from Government because of our population. So we are working on a study to prove the economic benefits of our roads to New Zealand.

Again the Government and the media talk about amalgamation as if it will be the saviour of all things. It is good to have a debate on local government and our structures, but we must never forget the word LOCAL. With the size of our district, the biggest in the country, it is important to keep the local in local government, I feel large amalgamations in Australia have lost this, especially in rural areas.

Councils in Southland are already extremely proactive around shared services and looking at how things can be done better and more cost effectively. The Southland Rural Fire Authority is held up as an example of best practice across New Zealand, our merged Emergency Management Southland is ranked very highly and we have several other functions we work together on. We are looking at roading clusters, building IT and procurement.

It seems unfair that in media coverage that all local government is labelled over the plight of two or three councils. Often the good news stories from councils are ignored. Central Government also needs to not judge all local government by a few and we need to work positively together as we both have important roles to fulfil for the benefit of New Zealand as a whole.

Whenever I travel, I take time to look at local government and infrastructure and I believe what we have in New Zealand is pretty good. Of course we should always look for improvements and efficiencies, but I don't think we should throw the baby out with the bath water.

No slowing down

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 12:15:00 +1300

It was a send-off to match anywhere in the world and the children from Limehills and Otatara Schools did us proud when they farewelled Gareth Morgan's group heading to the Enderby Islands.

I was lucky enough to attend the send-off and the children's singing and presentations were amazing and showed a real understanding of environmental effects and concerns.

Southland District Council also had a visit from the new Chinese consul appointed to Christchurch. I believe the new office in Christchurch demonstrates the value the Chinese put on their relationship with New Zealand and the importance of it economically to New Zealand's future.

As you can see, I have been incredibly busy, with barely enough time to unpack and pack my suitcase. I was away again last week to Wellington to attend the Local Government Rural Provincial meeting. This regular meeting is very important for rural and provincial councils as it not only gives us a chance to hear from Ministers and other speakers, but also time to discuss shared issues. This meeting demonstrated to us all that we have a huge struggle ahead to try to maintain our infrastructure to a good condition, as this is extremely expensive and we cannot continue to justify putting up rates to pay for it.

I went from the bustle of Wellington to the peace and tranquillity of the valley for a pleasant afternoon at Takaro Lodge. About 200 people enjoyed their picnic in the valley near where the proposed monorail will go. It is better to visually see the area rather than just read about it to get an idea of what it would be like.

Last week was a big week for Council staff as well, with Council having a tent at the Southern Field Days at Waimumu. A lot of staff and councillors attended the three-day event - unfortunately I couldn't because of my Wellington commitments, but the feedback was how much bigger and better the event is. These field days are huge for Southland and are stamping their mark on rural New Zealand.

It doesn't slow down any this week either, with the launching of the Real Journeys boat Titiroa at Manapouri on Friday. Real Journeys is a highly professional company and this shows it has confidence in our future.

I also am taking part in Shakespeare in the Park and I have to admit I haven't had time to learn my lines, but I am practising a lot and will read with heaps of expression, I promise.

Big congratulations to all those involved in this wonderful production - we are so lucky to have such talent in the south.

My afternoon at Takaro Lodge

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 10:00:00 +1300

I spent a lovely afternoon on Sunday out at Takaro Lodge, along with 200 other people picnicking and taking in the beauty of the surrounding landscape.

It brought back memories of the lodge in its early years. A man called Stockton Rush and his wife developed Takaro as a sporting and hunting lodge for the very wealthy, and the resort included chalets with grass roofs, chandeliers and even gold-plated taps. The couple had bought 2500 acres from Lands and Survey in 1969 for $45,000, I believe, as the land was not considered to be good for stock.

Some lucky Te Anau people were invited for dinners and I can remember how as a young mother I listened with awe to the stories of the grandeur and exquisite food served at these dinners.

It was a sad day when financial difficulty hit and Rush tried hard to get overseas finance for his project but the Government of the day would not allow foreign investment, so the lodge was stripped of everything, including the taps!

I attended the auction, along with a few hundred people and watched in amazement as people bid huge amounts for everything. The auction went on for a day and I can remember sitting there and thinking I can't afford anything. However, the auctioneer must have felt sorry for me and quickly closed off a bid of mine for six pewter bowls with Takaro stamped on them. I had won something and was so proud.

Then a beautifully dressed woman came up and offered to buy the bowls for much more than I had paid because she had bought the six jugs that matched the bowls. However, I was determined to have something from Takaro and so offered her three bowls for three jugs.

No deal and so my six pewter bowls are my pride and joy and every time I look at them I think of that day and smile.

There have been managers and owners of Takaro, but it was largely unused for nearly 25 years before it was bought by its present owner, Aiping Wang, in 1998. Now the chalets and lodge have been restored and developed and it is a spa resort aimed at "lifting any tired body and soul into a place of deep peace and positive energy" - from Takaro Lodge's website.

It was beautiful on Sunday again and I took away more memories of this peaceful valley. It always amazes me what is hidden away in our beautiful province and how lucky we are to live here.

Great year for gardens

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 09:00:00 +1300

What a great year for gardens. Although mine is small, there seems to be an abundance of produce and I do like growing my own vegetables. I guess it goes back to being brought up on a farm with parents who grew and bottled everything.

Dad loved large crocks of sauerkraut and we had hens and ducks as meat. There were no large supermarkets so the trip for groceries would be monthly and just for the necessities, such as flour and salt.

Of course Dad made our own bread and often the wheat was ground for flour. Now we all live such different lifestyles and our supermarkets offer so much selection. There is not the same urgency with seasons as fresh and frozen fruit and vegetables are available all year. In my parents' time, we only ate what was in season, as did everyone else.

I had the pleasure of attending the Waitangi Day celebrations at Bluff on a perfect day. The marae at Bluff is a real icon for Southland with its beautiful bright interior and its warm, friendly atmosphere. When you read about what happens elsewhere in New Zealand, it seems so foreign to us.

After a wonderful day of great seafood, conversation and learning, we left on a trip to Ruapuke Island in Foveaux Strait, where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1840. Ruapuke Island is one of three locations in the South Island where Ngai Tahu signed the Treaty. We were told the stories of the island and learnt more about this very important part of our history and heritage.

The garden, however, will have to be self-sufficient and look after itself in the next few months as the Council timetable is very busy, starting on Thursday with a workshop on our Long Term Plan. Councils have these plans because they need to look to the future. We need to know when projects such as new water schemes, for example, will be needed in particular communities and we need to budget for it so we don't get a nasty surprise.

If we plan for these sort of projects, just in the same way as families plan and save, then communities can budget for them and our communities are very good at putting away money for renewing schemes or other such projects.

That's why it is really important that you have your say when the draft Long Term Plan goes out for public consultation in April.

Planning for Southland's future

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 10:50:00 +1300

It's going to be a busy year for us here at Southland District Council and we will be seeking Southland residents' opinions on three essential projects.

At the moment, we are working on our Long Term Plan, which sets out what Council plans to do in the District for the next 10 years. The plan explains what projects, such as water supply schemes or rehabilitation of roads, are needed and how these projects will be paid for. Most of this funding will come from rates so it is really important our ratepayers take an interest in the process and have their say when it comes to submission time in April-May. We have extra pressure on rates, with a large increase in insurance and a reduction in government funding for roading so it is important for us to set priorities with our ratepayers.

Another large project is the representation review of Council. Every six years, Council has to, under law, review how it represents its ratepayers - for example, how many councillors there should be, whether the councillors are elected in wards or at large, and how many community boards and community development area sub-committees there are. We will be coming out to the community from mid May through to mid June with some possible suggestions of how Council should look and again we want feedback from our ratepayers and residents.

And finally the Southland District Plan is under review and after several years of work, the new Plan should be out for public consultation in July. The District Plan sets the rules for what can happen in the District - where signs can be put up, what plants and trees can be cleared without a permit, where new subdivisions can go - so yet again this will be the chance to have a say on this very important document. The District Plan is probably the most important document we produce as it controls the development of Southland and how we will look in the future.

It was an amazing start to the New Year with the beautiful summer weather and the amount of people who were out enjoying themselves around Southland was fantastic. The last couple of weeks has seen much needed rain for the farmers and I am hoping February will be fine again. We live in a beautiful place and Council aims to keep it that way together with everyone who lives in the District, so please make sure you do have your say on all of these documents.

Exciting weekend events

Thu, 27 Oct 2011 11:53:00 +1300

What an exciting weekend - lots on around Southland, a rather important rugby match and then some wild weather to cap it off!

Sunday's Rugby World Cup final was amazing and I think I may have surprised a few people who didn't realise how loud I could scream or how many unladylike words I knew. I was beside myself, but the All Blacks did it - thank God! I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to hold the Cup and feel part of the whole event, which I believe has been a success, not only on the field but off it as well. Well done New Zealand.

Last week I had the opportunity to meet the new Fonterra chief executive, Theo Spierings, who promised to work closely with us in Southland. He listened when Environment Southland chair Ali Timms and I talked about the issues with dairying in Southland and in particular those of water and roading.

I also really enjoyed the Trendy Shoes day, a Rural Women's event, at Winton last week - it was a wonderful event and such fun. There were lots of innovative ideas but my favourite was the woman who covered her $1 Salvation Army shop shoes with the same material as a skirt she had and was told they were beautiful and Italian leather.

Our Southland communities were buzzing this weekend with all of the events taking place and I rushed around trying to attend as many in Te Anau as I possibly could. It's great to meet up with people at these events - I popped in for five minutes and ended up leaving hours later. I really enjoyed both the art exhibitions in Manapouri and Te Anau - the talent we have in this country is just fantastic.

The Steptoe Auction was another popular event and one which could be described as art in itself. For the first time in a long time, I actually sold rather than bought but I think someone upstairs was not particularly happy with that. I decided to clear out some things from Murray's workshop and I think he was not impressed as one of the deer horns fell on my head and I ended up with a stitch - divine intervention, do you think?

Keeping it pure

Sat, 15 Oct 2011 10:45:00 +1300

In today's world it is all about the global economy and global environment, but I think we must start being aware of possible issues in our own country first. New Zealand is sold overseas as 100% Pure, but that marketing slogan is very much at risk.

We are a wealthy country compared to the third world and we should be looked upon as leaders. I believe strongly we are only borrowing the land from future generations and as such, the resources we are so fortunate to have in Southland do not have to be used by this generation. In the future I am sure we will come up with alternative energy sources which are environmentally friendly.

New Zealand is responsible for only 0.2% of global greenhouse emissions, but that is still quite high per head of population, compared to other countries. We cannot expect to continue to market our agricultural exports to the rest of the world, using our clean green image to promote them, unless we show some commitment to reducing those emissions.

Of grave concern to me personally and to many others I talk to in Southland is the mining of our lignite resources. I know there are sceptics in the world who do not believe in climate change and the effects on our environment, but why take the risk.

Lignite mines of the scale proposed will be visible to any visitor and will affect our landscape and reputation to tourists and consumers in our overseas markets.

I guess it is hard to believe on a beautiful day in Southland that there are problems, but I am equally certain in the reality of climate change, particularly after the large number of in-depth studies on climate change and the various side issues, including fuel use, that surround it.

Not least in this list of studies is that recently released by Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Dr Jan Wright. Lignite and climate change: The high cost of low grade coal discusses lignite as a resource, New Zealand's climate change obligations, options to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and the impact of lignite use on those emissions.

In her overview, Dr Wright states that the Government agreed to reduce its annual greenhouse gas emissions to between 10% and 20% below the 1990 level by 2020. At the rate we are going at the moment, the emissions are on track to be 30% above the 1990 level by 2020. "The production of diesel from lignite on the scale contemplated would increase New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions, significantly," she says.

The report goes on to say that lignite is a carbon-intensive energy source and large-scale lignite use can result in greenhouse gas emissions much larger than other fuel sources. However, the production of diesel and urea from lignite are both new activities that could qualify for support from the Government in the form of free carbon credits. "But it makes no sense that the Emission Trading Scheme rules would lead to taxpayers subsidising, even at a modest level, new investment in outdated dirty technology," the report summarises.

Dr Wright goes on to make recommendations to the Government, but I want to emphasise to all Southlanders that if they do not want large-scale lignite mining, they need to voice their opinion to Central Government now.

Importantly lignite will not deteriorate while left in the ground until future generations discover technology to use it with less environmental impact.

For the present we need to capitalise on our New Zealand Pure image to maximise returns for the food products that we produce so efficiently from our land here in Southland for markets around the world.

Floral delight

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 18:47:00 +1300

The weather has been absolutely fabulous and Southland is a picture of greenery and flowers. Showcasing the flowers well was the Te Anau Spring Flower Show, apparently the second biggest spring show in New Zealand for entries, which was held this past weekend.

I really have the utmost admiration for the perfect daffodils produced and lovingly showcased at the show and people come from all over to enter these and many other beautiful examples of flowers.

However, my greatest memories of daffodils are of the ones my mother had growing throughout the orchard on our farm.

I had the privilege of watching the netball last week - the Silver Ferns v England at the ILT Velodrome and I was impressed on two counts. Well done to those who have done a fantastic job of setting up the velodrome to host these sorts of events after the stadium collapsed last year, and congratulations to a top New Zealand team of young women, who were certainly impressive in their demolition of England. Let's hope they keep that up when they play Australia soon.

At the moment I wouldn't want to be someone who is not keen on rugby as it is everywhere - you simply cannot not know that the Rugby World Cup is on in New Zealand and it's getting very exciting. These next two weeks will hopefully be memorable and successful for our All Blacks.

I was out to dinner in Te Anau on Saturday night and there was a crowd of Welsh and French supporters in the restaurant watching the two quarterfinals on the obligatory large television screen. When their two teams won, the roar of excitement could have been heard a block away.

It shows that there are still a lot of visitors travelling throughout New Zealand and watching the games on the television - that's good for our towns as well.

Go the All Blacks!

Arrival of spring

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 19:28:00 +1300

It's great to see spring arrive, with the blossom trees in full bloom and the tuis and bellbirds in a real spring mood. There are plenty of lambs in the paddocks as well, which is so much better than last year and the horrible snow storm that hit Southland so badly.

Of course there have been variations in weather throughout Southland but as a whole it is much more positive this year.

It is also really pleasing to see all the Rugby World Cup visitors around our towns. I went out to a restaurant in Te Anau at the weekend and it was full of people, who were there for the night to watch the rugby game.

They were really happy tourists who said they will recommend New Zealand to all their friends when they get back home as they are impressed with the friendliness of the people and the amazing scenery. And it didn't matter which team won or lost, everyone was in great spirits.

Council received more than 195 submissions on the proposed Around the Mountain Cycle Trail and it is excellent to see so much interest in it. I met with the Fiordland Trails group this week and it is moving forward in a positive manner. It is great to see the different trails around the area being developed and indeed throughout the district. These cycling/walking trails will be a big plus for our future as people love to do them.

I was impressed at the opening of the Te Anau croquet club on Saturday to see all the different ages of people who were playing. Well done to the enthusiastic group which has built the club so quickly.

We are blessed with choice in Southland with the many different choices of recreation and I encourage everyone to get out and have a go.

Busy schedule

Thu, 29 Sep 2011 16:37:00 +1300

It's been a busy time recently to the point where the Air New Zealand staff at the Invercargill airport are laughing at how many times I have been getting on a plane recently.

I represented Southland at the opening of the Rugby World Cup in Auckland, then was back home for the Living Legends tree planting. I then headed to Christchurch for a shared services meeting with Dame Margaret Bazley and several others. Often in Southland we overlook our successes and Venture Southland is rated by other regions in New Zealand as a success story and a really good example of councils working together as one. We have also recently met with Clutha District Council representatives to talk about Venture, and a great example of the work Venture does is the success of broadband. Through expertise and time and hard work, Southland is getting a good deal on the new broadband rollout, much better than other regions, and that is thanks to Venture. We often take this sort of thing for granted, but it is not happening elsewhere.

I returned to Invercargill for a series of meetings and then flew to Wellington for a Mayors' Taskforce for Jobs meeting with MPs over youth unemployment. The taskforce has a partnership with Central Government and a memorandum of understanding that there will be no wastage of youth. It is disturbing in Southland and throughout New Zealand that youth unemployment numbers are growing.

Our Working It Out model in Southland is managed by Work and Income New Zealand, who is looking at rolling it out throughout New Zealand. Every young person leaving school early is traced, has a mentor and has a pathway worked out for them. The scheme is fantastic and we need to be aware that every community in Southland has youth that need our support.

Last week was somewhat quieter. However, we had our Council meeting in Riversdale and also spent time in the Waikaia ward, checking out some areas of development and interest.

Then I was pleased to attend the opening of Relay for Life, which will be held in Invercargill next year. The concept began 16 years ago in the US and is all about celebrating and raising awareness for cancer survivors, carers, whanau and family. This year 17 relays were held across New Zealand raising nearly $3 million.

And now hopefully I am home for a few days!

Once in a lifetime experience

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 18:02:00 +1200

I was incredibly privileged to be invited by the Rugby World Cup organisers to represent Southland at the opening of the World Cup. The weather was perfect and I was able to stay with old friends whom I haven't seen since college training days.

I had to be at Sky City to be taken to Eden Park by bus, and my friends decided to come across with me on the ferry because they thought the roads would be too busy or closed. However, there were hundreds of people lined up for the ferry so we thought we would try the car. It was fantastic as there was hardly anyone on the roads and we got straight there easily. There were thousands of people walking though.

I would describe the experience as once in a lifetime - it was absolutely amazing. There were 150 people in the VIP area, and quite a few of those were leaders from countries attending the Pacific Forum. I really enjoyed talking to them and being a good Southlander, I had brochures in my bag which I gave them and invited them south. A woman's handbag is a wondrous thing, I tell you! The food was excellent as well and the caterers did a wonderful job of showcasing New Zealand produce.

I had to pinch myself during the opening ceremony as it was hard to believe it was real. I feel so proud and I have to admit I shed a few tears. The gentleman beside me was the brother-in-law of the main singer and he gave me a delightful running commentary on the performance. This just reiterated to me how we live in a small family country. I did feel incredibly sorry for those who missed out because of transport frustrations and I have to say if was Southland organised, the chaos wouldn't have happened.

Following that highlight, I came back south and took part in the Living Legends tree planting at Otatara on Sunday. There were huge numbers of people and I was amazed yet again at how quickly all those trees were planted. I have also visited A Taste of Southland in the SIT arcade and attended the play Home - One Thread in the Story of a Nation. So many of us have Scottish heritage and I really enjoyed the story.

Finally I was thrilled to welcome visitors to Fiordland when the first Whisper Jet flew into Te Anau Airport - Manapouri last week. This visit will hopefully be the first of many and well done to staff who have worked hard to get us to this point.

Quality education destination

Sat, 03 Sep 2011 16:15:00 +1200

Southland is a a quality education destination - that is the message the rest of the world is hearing and is the message we are receiving from those in the know.

Education Southland participating schools have pulled off a second international business relationship opportunity with a school in Thailand in the last 12 months. It was in August 2010 that Venture Southland was able to confirm the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with Srinakharinwirot University Prasarmnit Demonstration Secondary School (SUPDS) located in Bangkok, Thailand.

Now in August 2011 participating schools - Central Southland College, Fiordland College, James Hargest College, Southland Boys' High School, Southland Girls' High School, St Peter's College and Waihopai School - have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with The Prince Royal's College (PRC) from Chiang Mai, Thailand.

This week a delegation of six representatives from The Prince Royal's College was hosted by Venture Southland. The delegation of PRC school representatives took the opportunity to visit and see the Southland schools working first hand. This culminated in the participating schools signing an agreement with PRC on Tuesday evening.

The agreement allows for PRC to have up to 16 international fee paying students per year enrol at the Southland schools. As well as this a Short Stay Study and Cultural Programme has been entered in to whereby the Southland schools will host larger groups of PRC students for a two week period in March/April 2012.

The deal was facilitated by Venture Southland and A&T New Zealand Education Agency from Chiang Mai - following initial communications last year.

While in Southland the PRC delegation was not only impressed by the schools visited, but also many of the Southland visitor attractions including Milford Sound, the Southland lifestyle on offer and enjoyed some retail therapy supporting our local stores.

Education Southland is an international student recruitment marketing initiative. It was established to coordinate a collective approach to market Southland as a quality education destination to the rest of the world. It is a great example of Venture Southland supporting our region's economic and community development by working alongside the education sector.

At the civic reception held recently 100+ students attended from more than 20 countries. We heard from students from Sweden, Finland, Germany, Thailand and Hong Kong. What was most reassuring to me was the positive messages about the experiences from these students - safe, friendly communities that care for each other; hospitality and friendships which will last a lifetime; and while it can be cold it is nowhere as cold as some parts of the world these students come from.

What was most intriguing to me was the message from the young man from Hong Kong who attends James Hargest College. He mentioned that by the time his extended family have all been educated - 8 in total including cousins - they all will have been educated in Southland - not a bad advertisement for repeat business coming about because of quality and good service. As well as this number of students from one family residing in Southland over a period of time - when they are here they are visited by parents and grandparents and extended family members - adults visiting Southland who otherwise would not come here. Not a bad return on the investment for our region from the hard work done by schools and Venture Southland.

What is also a friendly reminder is that these visitors are coming to one of the most beautiful and caring places on earth. We must work hard to retain this image for Southland. These students are great ambassadors for our region - and remain so once they leave to further their lot somewhere else in the world. They take away great memories and experiences and value the great opportunities that otherwise may be lost on them in a busy and complex world if they were absorbed in some of the larger international cities. This fact was not lost on the young people I was able to talk with.

This latest international alliance for our Southland schools is also great news for the Southland District Council Friendship Committee - and adds considerable momentum to the SDC Friendship Committee developing its relationship with the Chiang Main Municipality. The SDC Friendship Committee has previously identified an opportunity to link with the significant groundwork done by Venture Southland and Education Southland participating schools to advance this relationship with Chiang Mai - especially with regard to youth development, environment, tourism, global citizenship and obviously education. This has been given a great boost with this alliance confirmed with PRC in Chiang Mai.

Seeing so many young people from all over the world in one place at the International Student Civic Reception not only made me and my fellow Mayors feel very proud to be Southlanders - it certainly reinforced the fact that Southland is becoming a truly global community.

Enjoyable trip with family

Thu, 01 Sep 2011 11:28:00 +1200

Arriving back from visiting family in the United States, it is always great to step off the plane and smell Southland's fresh clean air. California has lovely sunshine every day but I think it could get a bit boring. We have real weather here - a good variety.

It was lovely being with family and as I am involved in local government, the community and how it is run is always interesting to me. I had the opportunity to chat with a number of people connected with local government in San Diego, Las Vegas, California and believe it or not, Mexico.

Water is going to be or indeed is the real challenge, and as I have said before, will be the gold of the future. When you see millions of people relying on a source of water that comes from miles away, it really hits home. And yes, they do still talk in miles. It's funny as when metrics first came to New Zealand, I always converted it back to yards and miles and pounds. Now in America I found myself doing the opposite.

I took the opportunity to visit schools and talk to young people about New Zealand and I am impressed with the sense of community in schools. However, it is also disturbing to watch how education is first in line with budget cuts and longer holidays and bigger classes are examples of this.

The day after getting home, and yes a little jetlagged, I must admit, I was thrilled to meet representatives from the Prince Royal College in Chiang Mai, Thailand. About 6000 students attend this school and they are looking at sending a group of students to Southland, possibly even next year, to further their English skills. Each young person will be in a Southland school for a year, and this is very good news for all our communities.

Spring on the horizon

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 11:25:00 +1200

Spring - the busiest time of year for most farmers and if the weather plays its part and has a moratorium on polar blasts like what we are experiencing now, it can be the most satisfying. Southland can be likened to a coil of spring steel ready to burst into life.

Viewing some Rugby World Cup matches will also be on the agenda for many and Ripper (off) Rugby takes on a different connotation if one is in market for a particular jersey.

Those few who do not listen to, read or watch news may well be ill informed but those who do can just as easily be misinformed (apologies to Mark Twain). Understandings of events are easily manipulated especially if the tenor of the message is what to our perceptions believe it to be. Is the dramatic reporting of the world's current turmoil the reality?.

We recently had an opportunity to spend some time in the Emerald Isle. What a beautiful part of the world, extensive pastoral farming and a most hospitable people, very like Southland really. The All Black brand is alive and well and the Irish would dearly love to meet NZ in the final. (to be sure)

A disturbance caused by some teenagers in Belfast prior to our arrival fell within our perception of Northern Ireland's past and got world wide publicity.

The reality is that 95% plus of the population wish to move on. In London Derry a new walkway" Peace Bridge" has just been opened across the river that has historically divided the city. When crossing on the opening day an elderly women commented that she had not been on the other side for 35years and felt apprehensive about doing so. A 10-year-old on his bike thought the new bridge was great as it shortened his ride to the tennis courts by 20 minutes.

While this significant event got little publicity lets hope this next generation reflect and action the reality.

Snow storm brings back memories

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 11:20:00 +1200

Last month's snow storm was the biggest I have seen in Te Anau and people were saying it was the largest in 40 years. I have photos of the last one and I am standing by an igloo Murray had made with my baby son in my arms. That certainly puts a timeframe on it.

My sister and her family were in Te Anau on a visit for a few days and in the end they stayed a week because they couldn't get out. We lost electricity, but the house could be heated by fire and we had plenty of wood, which was great as we had lots of children's wet clothes. They had a ball in the snow.

This time it was hard to get out the driveway, but we didn't lose electricity and there was plenty of heat and food. However, it did make me think again about how hard it must be for the people of Christchurch. My sister-in-law is in the red zone and she still has to go to a portaloo, which is incredibly upsetting for her. The snow just added to the pressure.

The snow also meant the Milford Road was closed for a few days. It was only a few years ago that the road was closed for winter and people accepted that. Now it is expected the road will be open and it mostly is, thanks to the dedication and expertise of the people who work long hard hours to ensure it is open as much as possible.

It takes my thoughts back to Mr and Mrs Gus McGregor who lived with their five children in a tent on the road as he helped build it. They lived there through summer and winter and had incredible stories to tell, like many of the people who built the road.

Those stories were told at the party at the Divide in March 1992, after the final 1.86km of road was sealed. That's also the time when the then Minister stood up and said he was asking for another plan on the Mararoa Bridge, which was dangerous and had caused several accidents.

I was younger in the world of politics then, so I stood up and said "we don't want another bloody plan, we want a bridge." It brought the house down and I am still reminded about it, but we did get a new bridge, so sometimes bluntness does work!

I am away spending some time in the United States with my family now, so will see you all on my return.

Home sweet home

Thu, 04 Aug 2011 11:18:00 +1200

What a difference a warm home makes. More than $3.7 million of insulation has been carried out in Southland District by the Warm Homes Trust, for Council's $105,000 investment.

I personally have noticed the difference in our home and some of my friends are now happily complaining their houses are too warm.

There are also stories out there about kids who have been very sick improving markedly because their home is no longer damp, so I urge people to sign up to this programme. It really does make a difference.

I was thrilled to see Sir Les Hutchins receive a posthumous induction into the Business Hall of Fame. Sir Les was a hero and a true pioneer and when he and his wife Olive started their tourism business in Manapouri, they showed true vision, determination and courage. It wasn't easy and they had some very hard times with their young family, but the couple developed a world leading tourism business that we can all be proud of.

I did shed a few tears on Friday night when friend Chris Wilkie won the overall Art Society award for his painting titled A Pathway of Light (for Murray). He and my husband were good friends and the painting dedicated to Murray was amazing. I am keen to buy it!

The next day was also busy as Council had its CDA training day at Wallacetown. We have just finished CDA elections and so the day was about informing the new CDA members about what Council does and how they fit in to the picture. CDAs are unique in New Zealand and we believe they are important because it is all about local government being local.

I am off to visit family in America this week and as usual I will be taking my puppets - the kiwi, takahe and kea - and lots of information on Southland and visiting some schools. It's all about being a good Southlander as we never stop telling our story.

PS: Don't worry, the trip is not costing ratepayers anything as my son has paid for me to go.

Birdseye View

Sat, 23 Jul 2011 16:25:00 +1200

Often it is this time of the year when I like to sit at my dining room window and watch the birds feeding. I have sugar and water, and fat on an old plum tree which has grown from plum stones our kids threw out years ago.

It is so close that we have had many years of pleasure from it throughout the seasons, but most of all during winter and watching the birds.

The tuis are the bullies of the tree and having just returned from Wellington, you can easily identify them with human behaviour. They come swooping in and try to rule the roost, and are most certainly the most bossy ones. The younger tuis really do have to try hard to get anywhere. As for the bellbirds, they manage the singing department and they just hide while the tuis battle. Then while the tuis are chasing each other, the bellbirds duck in and have a good feed.

The waxeyes love the fat and they just swoop in in great numbers to have a good feed until they are seen. They are organised and seem to time it just right. Meanwhile the poor old sparrows seem to be at the bottom of the barrel at our place.

When you observe birds and animals, there are always those who are in charge of their own destiny. In local government you feed the same way. To survive we always have to change and adapt.

Good on Gore Mayor Tracy Hicks for bringing up the subject of what we are going to do in Southland about council size and number. We must look at ourselves in Southland and we, the politicians, must lead the way.

We are fortunate in Southland to have the ability to work and talk together. This is proved by our shared services between all the councils which work together on 49 different functions, such as rural fire and Venture Southland. Our most recent successes are civil defence and the new two-bin recycling service. We have also worked together on the review of our District Plan and Environment Southland's Regional Policy Statement.

We are also looking at having a regional building consent authority after it was suggested from the Mighty Tuis in Wellington that we have it centred there. We believe it is essential to have a regionally based service where we can still give local service where you deal with real people and not a telephone or computer.

Mayor Tracy talked about changing boundaries but honestly is making smaller units of local government to make one already small one larger the way to go? Is one rural and one urban council a better option with Gore having fully delegated powers as a Local Board similar to those introduced in Auckland? Within that the question has to be asked about whether we need a regional council or whether we have two authorities - one rural, one urban.

Another option is One Southland, but you then have to consider whether one unitary council for all Southland would see the rural sector fairly represented as representation is based on population.

There are several other options and we could go on and on. But there is also the old saying if it isn't broken, why fix it?

I have been through amalgamation in 1989 where several councils were amalgamated into Southland District Council and I don't believe we saved a lot of money. It took a long time for the council to come together and become one, and there was some bitterness doe to patch protection. I do believe, however, that for the very small councils, there was additional value for every dollar spent after amalgamation.

I have also visited amalgamated rural councils in Australia, which had become very large councils. The rural areas, when you spoke to them, said they have lost their local identity and feel isolated. I asked the question was their service better and the response was interesting.

So yes we can work it out in Southland and make decisions on our own destiny in the best interests of our region and community - perhaps like the waxeyes who work together to get everyone fed! We certainly don't want to be the sparrows.

We must have a Southland solution.

Picture perfect Southland

Thu, 07 Jul 2011 12:14:00 +1200

Life has been pretty hectic but that has been a blessing as it has certainly helped me keep positive when I have such a great area like Southland to cover.

For once I was given full permission to be parochial when I spoke at the recent tourism symposium in Wellington. We do have an amazing natural product in Southland, as I happily pointed out to those present. Interestingly one of the most photographed scenes in Southland-Fiordland, if you exclude Milford Sound, is that of clean white sheep in paddocks that are green and go forever. It is funny when you see yet another car parked at a weird angle on the side of a road and people climbing through ditches and high grass to grab that particular shot. It's good for tourism and it's good for selling our product overseas as well.

Last week we adopted our Annual Plan, which in plain English means we set our rates for the next year and how we plan to spend them.

We also attended the meeting on Waituna Lagoon at the marae with Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith and I believe congratulations need to go to Environment Southland for its leadership in driving the need to clean up the lagoon. It is an asset for both us now and for future generations and it is important we have buy-in from everyone from farmers, to councils, to the Department of Conservation. That co-operation and buy-in is something we are good at in Southland.

We also had a joint meeting of all the councils and some of the topics discussed included Solid Energy and lignite mining - a debate that all Southlanders must take part in. Then the chief executive of Fulton Hogan talked about the business and personal effects of the earthquake in Christchurch and how probably no one's lives there will be the same again. It just emphasises how important it is to be prepared. My sister-in-law's home is in the red zone and there is a huge grieving process for her and for all who have lost their homes.

On Friday night I joined in the celebrations of the Southland Sports Awards and I want to congratulate all the winners who so deserve the accolades they received, from junior up to senior, from administrator to coach. Once again it is so important we do celebrate our successes and this night was a fine example of that.

Trip to Dusky Sound

Fri, 24 Jun 2011 09:11:00 +1200

I was lucky enough to go to Dusky Sound recently with the Fiordland Conservation Trust, of which I am one of the trustees.

One of the trust's projects is Indian Island which lies near the mouth of Dusky Sound. The aim is to bring the birds back and so far so good, with many more birds being seen and heard since the trust, funded by private donors, paid for the Department of Conservation to drop poison last year.

Indian Island is about 168 hectares in size and is covered in forest and remnants of Maori history. The trip in June was to check and rebait the traps around the island, but also caused a long debate about a famous painting and Captain James Cook's visit to Dusky Sound.

So it's time to clear up the mystery - I have looked into the issue and found out the following:

Dusky Sound was first identified by Captain Cook in 1770 but he did not enter at that time. He then returned in 1773 and entered the sound. On this trip he had brought with him the painter and naturalist William Hodges.

The party first met with the Maori inhabitants on an island, now called Indian Island, with a man and two women appearing there and talking to Captain Cook, although neither understood what the other was saying. Mr Hodges also recorded and drew the family.

Captain Cook kept exploring the sound and with Mr Hodges, found a large cascade which fell from a mountain on the south side of the bay. Mr Hodges made a drawing of it and later painted it in oils.

Captain Cook wrote in his diary: "Being a fine afternoon, I took Mr Hodges to a large cascade which fails down a high mountain on the south side of the bay about a league up higher than the cove where we are anchored. He took a drawing of it on paper and afterwards painted it in oyle colours, which exhibits at one better view a description of it than I can give. Huge heaps of stones lie at the foot of this cascade, which has been brought by the force of the stream from adjacent mountains. The stones were of different sorts, none however appeared to contain minerals or mitals, nevertheless I brought away specimens of every sort of the whole country..." Cook journal, 12 April 1773.

These two paintings by Hodges cause some debate as there is the one of the three Maori on Indian Island and the one of one Maori on the rock below the cascade. However, the latter "Maori before a Waterfall - Dusky Sound"" is the one which was bought by the Southland Museum and Art Gallery in 1998 for about $566,000. The Community Trust of Southland helped fund this purchase for the people of Southland after then Southland Museum and Art Gallery staff member Wayne Marriott found the painting being advertised for sale by the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich. Mr Marriott was passionate about the history of this area and so the museum and art gallery applied for funding to buy the painting and to bring it to New Zealand.

One thousand prints were made of the painting and I have No 52 so I know the story well.

Now that that's cleared up, we also went to Anchor Island during our trip to Dusky Sound and the birdlife there was amazing. With the work that the trust is doing there, the island is pest-free and home to kakapo, saddleback, mohua and South Island robins. Apparently the saddleback numbers have increased from 27 to 700.

This success story paints a picture of what Indian Island could be like in the future - I look forward to seeing it.

Diverse mayoral duties

Thu, 23 Jun 2011 08:54:00 +1200

Youth, tourism and machine knitting have been the focus of my mayoral duties these past two weeks, externally at least.

Internally we heard submissions to our draft Annual Plan last week and I want to praise those who made submissions and also those who spoke on their submissions. A lot of thought and effort had been put into the 62 submissions received, with people making excellent points on various topics, ranging from Council grants to roads. Councillors discussed the submissions and made some changes to the plan which will be approved on 29 June.

I was lucky enough to be asked to open the New Zealand Machine Knitters national festival in Invercargill in the second week of this month. With more than 120 people at the festival from throughout New Zealand and Australia, and more than 140 garments competing in 18 different sections, there was a lot to see and some of the garments were just stunning. It's amazing what you can do on a knitting machine nowdays.

Demonstrations of machine knitting and felting, along with other crafts, were available for festival attendees and the public were able to attend at various times during the week as well.

On the youth side, another group of young people graduated from the ALIVE programme and once again the difference in them was noticeable. Unfortunately the outlook at a national level for youth unemployment was not so good as the numbers have increased. I attended the Mayors' Taskforce for Jobs meeting in Wellington last week and in between the ash from the Chilean volcano and the unemployment numbers, I was not happy.

It's a real concern to see the numbers climbing and it is going to take a combined effort from central and local government and communities to deal with this.

The ash fallout saw me stuck in Wellington for a night and so I am not looking forward to heading back to Wellington this week, but I must as I am speaking about Southland and its jewels to a tourism symposium. That will be fine but I am really hoping the ash stays away for a bit longer so I can get home again.