Welcome to the Clutha District Council E-Newsletter, a Council service that aims to keep ratepayers, residents and stakeholders more informed. The E-Newsletter is released every six weeks, following Council meetings. It is also be available online at www.cluthadc.govt.nz

If you wish to subscribe to the E-Newsletter, and haven’t already done so, please click here. If you no longer wish to receive the E-Newsletter, please click here

In this edition of Clutha District Council E-Newsletter:

‘Harmonisation’ to be debated

The issue of ‘harmonisation’, or whether sewerage and urban water consumers should assist smaller communities in paying for some vital infrastructure costs, will be debated during consultation on Council’s draft Long Term Plan 2009-19.

The Long Term Plan is the document which sets out the projects and initiatives Council intends to deliver over the next 10 years. A draft of the Plan will be released for public consultation on 23 April.

In it, Council has agreed to provide some information about harmonisation, or whether the district’s sewerage and urban water consumers could help assist consumers in smaller townships such as Benhar and Clinton to pay for sewerage and water services respectively.

Over the years, Council has maintained the philosophy that if a community pays for the level of service it demands, then it will demand only what it can afford. However, increasingly stringent standards are being set by central government and regional councils for water quality and for sewerage effluent. These standards, over which communities have little choice, are driving up the costs of delivering these services, which is particularly onerous for smaller communities.

Harmonisation for water services and sewerage services could mean an extra $11 to $16 per year on everyone’s sewerage and urban water charges in order to save up to $260 a year for those smaller communities facing very large sewerage and/or water rates.

This issue will be debated further and we will be asking for your view when the draft Long Term Plan 2009-19 is released for public consultation next month.

Owaka Museum in the ‘spotlight’

The Owaka Museum is the ‘museum in the spotlight’ this week on the national museums website.

The website, www.nzmuseums.co.nz, is a global showcase for the collections and activities of New Zealand museums. It includes a museum directory, an online collection management system, as well as news, blogs, and a ‘What’s On?’ section, so everyone can discuss and learn more about museum matters.

The ‘spotlight’ section of the website features various museums throughout the country on a regular basis, providing background on the museum itself and showcasing some of its collections.

The Owaka Museum feature can be viewed on the NZ Museums website by clicking here

Creative Communities NZ Funding Scheme

Funding to bring a tutor from Hamilton to teach Ripsmatta (traditional Swedish) weaving to members of the South Otago Spinners and Weavers group is one of the projects to benefit from the latest round of Creative Communities NZ funding.

The Creative Communities NZ Funding Scheme is administered by Council. Its purpose is to increase participation in the arts, the range and diversity of the arts, and to assist in strengthening the local arts sector.

Council’s Creative Communities NZ Funding Scheme Assessment Committee met on Wednesday 18 March to consider the applications received for the third round of the scheme for the 2008/09 year. They approved the following grants:

• $2,000 to the South Otago Theatrical Society to bring an outside director for the production of “Dad’s Army”.

• $1,500 to the South Otago Dance Group for the ‘Dance Your Sox Off Day’ in June 2009.

• $540 to South Otago Spinners and Weavers to bring a tutor from Hamilton to teach ripsmatta weaving to members of the group.

Applications for financial assistance for the fourth round of the scheme for 2008/09 are now being called for. Groups or individuals who have a specific arts project in mind should get in touch with us on 0800 801 350, or visit our website by clicking here for more information including application forms. Applications close on Friday 29 May 2009.

Clutha Country Photographic Competition winners

The winners of the 2009 Clutha Country Photographic Competition have been announced. They are:

Living in Clutha Country

1st – Alan Hughes – Puerua River

2nd – Peter Stevens – Blue Mountains

Playing in Clutha Country

1st – Miles McVicar –MotorCross, near Puerua.

2nd – Terry Johnson – Jet-skiing at Catlins Yacht Club

Working in Clutha Country

1st - Michael Venz – Sheep Yards, Kelso, West Otago

2nd – Terry Johnson – Tractor at Kahuika

Best Overall Portfolio

Michael Venz

The three competition judges - Otago Daily Times Illustrations Editor Stephen Jaquiery, District Development Board Chairman Jeff Seymour and local photographer Ivan Coutts – had a tough task selecting the winners due to the high calibre of entries received.

More than 500 photographs from 60 different entrants were received across the three categories – ‘Living’, ‘Playing’ and ‘Working’ in Clutha Country. The photograph judged best for each category receives $500, while runner-ups will each receive $200. There was also a $1,000 prize for the best overall portfolio (minimum three photographs in each category).

The judges felt that the winner of the overall portfolio, Michael Venz, submitted a range of photos that were not only visually stunning, but also captured and illustrated the real essence of Clutha Country – a rural environment, with stunning scenery and a wealth of recreational opportunities.

We would like to thank everyone who submitted photographs for the competition. While there can be only a limited number of winning photographs, many of the images submitted will be used by Council in material to promote Clutha Country both to our own residents and to the rest of the world. Many of these images remind us how lucky we are to live in such a special place.

The winning photographs can be viewed on our website by clicking here.

The general public will have the chance to view all the entries once they have all been uploaded to the Clutha District Council website within the next few weeks. Local community groups and organisations will also be able to use the images on request.

Community Development webpage launched

Council has launched a community development webpage aimed at being a gateway to a raft of resources for local community groups and organisations.

The webpage contains information and templates on topics such as running a community organisation, managing events, creating a business plan, and applying for funding. It also contains contact details and website links for over 20 funding sources, as well as links to other useful community development related websites.

Council’s District Development Manager Julie Pearse says the webpage brings together much of the information that local community groups often seek out.

“We hope that the webpage will become an interactive tool for everyone working in community groups and/or working on community projects. People who visit the webpage are encouraged to share any special links or other information they believe will be useful for others,” Mrs Pearse says.

“Links currently on the page give the opportunity to view community development projects in Canada, England and Australia. Often great ideas can be translated from a national to a local situation and so the opportunity to share links and information can be vital to an innovative and enterprising community sector.”

Mrs Pearse says she looks forward to a dynamic community development webpage that will be an exciting and inspirational resource which will continue to grow with the appointment of the new Community Coordinator for the Clutha District.

The webpage can be viewed at www.cluthadc.govt.nz/community.htm

Fire and water restrictions lifted

Recent rainfall and the onset of cooler temperatures have seen the lifting of the normal fire and water restrictions which had been in place for the entire district.

This sees an open burning season now effect, which means no permits are required for fires in the open air. The exception to this is for those areas within one kilometre from Ernslaw One Forest (Southern Rural Fire District) and Department of Conservation land, and within 500m of Wenita and City Forest plantations. Permits to burn in these fire safety margins are still required and should be obtained from the Rural Fire Authority for that area.

Meanwhile, Council will look at re-establishing the seasonal water restrictions if weather conditions demand again next summer.

Council has a standardised three-stage system of water restrictions to encourage the efficient use of water during summer months. The ‘Stage One – Summer Mode’ restriction means watering is restricted to between 8pm and 8am only; while Stages Two and Three ban sprinklers and hoses respectively at all times.

While many of the district’s water schemes have plentiful sources, restrictions are standard during times of high demand because the treatment plants and pipe capacity of the schemes restrict the amount of water that can be delivered to consumers.

Despite the lifting of the restrictions, consumers are still urged to avoid wasting water at any time and to report any leaks. Any wastage of water represents unnecessary cost to ratepayers.

The status of Council’s restrictions for fire and water, as well as other information about rural fire and water, are available on our website www.cluthadc.govt.nz

Community Directory

The Community Directory now lists almost 300 groups, committees, sports teams, and associations from throughout the district.

If the contact details of your sports club or community organisation have recently changed, please email your updated details to jamie.shaw@cluthadc.govt.nz so we can keep the online Community Directory up-to-date.

The Community Directory can be viewed on our website by clicking here.

Upcoming Meetings

Don’t forget to check out the Events page on the district www.cluthacountry.co.nz website for a comprehensive list of upcoming community events.

Clutha District Council

1 Rosebank Terrace

Po Box 25,Balclutha

(03) 419 0200

www.cluthadc.govt.nz