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THE WCB WORD
A regular update from Wānaka Community Board Chair, Barry Bruce
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Crimeline
Hunting the hunters
PHOTO: WĀnaka Sun
I hope everyone is making the most out of this outstanding run of weather we are having and taking in all that our town has to offer. I would like to start of this weeks Crimeline by bringing your attention to some unlawful hunting. On March 20 at around 8:15pm a boat on Lake Wānaka, north of The Faces near Glen Dene Station, was observed using a firearm to shoot at wild animals on private land. There were two males onboard, the boat is described as a hard top Mclay, possibly a 725. The back half of the hull appears dark in colour with a large mural/picture on the side. Police have images of the boat and are keen to hear from the owner or anyone who may know the owner. Police have been kept busy over the past week undertaking their gardening duties. A number of cannabis plants have been located and seized by Police around the area. Burglaries continue to be a trend in our community. Again, this is a timely reminder that whilst you may trust your fellow Wānakaites and leave properties or vehicles unlocked, there are some in our community who look for any opportunity to take your highly valuable and
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personal belongings. Please be vigilant and lock your homes and vehicles. The youth of Wānaka have come to the attention of police for a variety of reasons over the past week. This may be due to them being up to no good, metal health, driving or social media. Please check in with your children and ensure you know what they are up to, thinking and feeling. It doesn’t have to be an awkward conversation, just a check in and it is always worth following up with where they say they are going. Alcohol and drugs have been a strong influence in many of the cases we have dealt with this week including youths. We attended a near miss between a motocross bike and a pregnant female in the Dublin Bay area. The motorcyclist fell off soon after which indicated his level of ability. Dublin Bay is a road including a 4wd track around the bay. If it is not a road legal bike you cannot ride it on Dublin Bay Road. This week we are focusing on speed, restraints and distracted drivers. Leave your phone alone while driving and make it click. – By Andrew Bremner Constable
There’s a lot to talk about this month, literally. The Queenstown Lakes District Council is running a host of consultations and we need to know what our community thinks, so we can influence decisions. Let’s Talk Upper Clutha The draft 2022-23 Annual Plan and the draft Climate and Biodiversity Plan are both up for discussion. You can read the details and provide feedback at letstalk.qldc.govt.nz until April 25. A public drop-in session for those keen to chat about the plans will be held at the Lake Wānaka Centre from 3-6pm on Monday. The Annual Plan is the work programme for the year and lists key priorities for QLDC to deliver on behalf of the community. It sets out proposed spending on capital projects, and budgets for services such as rubbish collection, recycling, parks and community facilities. Importantly, it shows how these affect the rates you pay to keep the district humming. The Climate and Biodiversity Plan explains how we’re going to respond to climate change in our district. The plan has more than 60 actions, ranging from improving public transport to building food security. Community Grants Applications for grants for one-off community projects or operational costs for the 2022-23 financial year are considered as part of the Annual Plan process and also close on April 25. For details, see www.letstalk.qldc.govt.nz Waste Minimisation Applications for grants from QLDC’s Waste Minimisation Community Fund, which has $120,000 to distribute, are also open. The fund supports projects to minimise the generation of waste across the district and to divert waste from landfill. Recipients last year included the Wānaka Community Workshop Trust, Wanakup, and the Wānaka-based Wao Charitable Trust. Money also went to a food rescue charity, a worm farm for a preschool, schemes to salvage materials from building sites, and a project to compost food waste from a hotel. If you have a great idea to solve a waste problem, apply online at www.qldc.govt.nz/wmcf. Mount Iron acquisition QLDC is in the process of acquiring more than 100ha of land on Mount Iron and Little Mount Iron, but to settle the deal it needs resource consent for vegetation clearance, and approval to acquire and classify the area as Recreation Reserve. Hopefully, this will be granted by the end of the year. There will be no immediate changes to public use of the Mount Iron walking tracks, and Council will work closely with the community,
iwi, and the Department of Conservation on long-term plans for the area. If you're interested in this project, subscribe to a regular update at www.qldc.govt.nz/ mount-iron-acquisition. Water upgrade Good progress is being made on the Western Wānaka water upgrade. Golf Course Road is still limited to one lane of traffic. The southbound lane is open for resident and business access only. Access to Golf Course Road is via Ballantyne Road only with a diversion in place along McDougall and Brownston streets. Work along Golf Course Road is expected to be completed by the end of April/early May. Work on the pipeline will then continue along the remaining streets. Both the pump station and pipeline are expected to be complete by the end of 2022. Relationship Manager Council has appointed a Community Associations Relationship Manager, who will work closely with the board and support recognised community associations in Upper Clutha. Amy Wilson-White starts in this new role on May 2. Elections Local government elections will be held in October. Now’s the time to think about who you would like to represent you on the Council and Wānaka Community Board. Or consider standing yourself! Nominations open on July 15. Drop-in session An easy way to give us feedback on the Council’s plans is to drop into the Wānaka Recreation Centre between noon and 1.00pm on April 6. Members of the Wānaka Community Board will be available for an informal chat about any issue, large or small.
Building up our leaders A second Ignite Wānaka Leadership Academy will start in May. The programme, completed over five weeks, aims to provide leaders with the opportunity to build capabilities through their own personal development and by learning from the experience of others. The Leadership Academy enables participants to be better equipped for leadership roles and opportunities. It is open to anyone, but Ignite members get first priority.
THURSDAY 31.03.22 - WEDNESDAY 06.04.22
The Leadership Academy is for people looking at developing their existing leadership experience and who have the potential for holding senior positions or governance roles. It can be of use to business owners, team leaders in a large organisations, site supervisors, managers of not-for-profit organisations or people managing a retail or bar outlet. Organisers say the academy will cover many areas and examples of leadership to help people grow as a leader and as a person.
THE WĀNAKA SUN
