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ASHBURTON GUARDIAN, Saturday, November 24, 2012
News
www.guardianONLINE.co.nz
Worker search moves offshore By Myles Hume A local businessman, who recently travelled overseas to seek skilled workers, believes it’s a move that will become more prominent in trade industries. Insideout Property Services owner Shane Woods returned from the Philippines on Wednesday after visiting two potential employees, prompted by a lack of skilled workers in Mid Canterbury. It was a move he was reluctant to make, wanting to employ local workers, but after several inquiries and trials Mr Woods decided to make the trip to the South East Asian country where he offered one of the men a job. He said it was a decision that more employers would make as the demand for skilled workers continued to swell, offset by a housing boom in the district. “At the moment it’s about wanting people with skills, there was that bus here the other day who wanted people to sign up for the Christchurch rebuild. We could have a van load full of those people, but they are not what we are after,”
Mr Woods said. Employing unskilled workers was time-consuming and Mr Woods believed it was time to be proactive. “What do you want me to do? The work is there in abundance and we are waiting for a train crash ... it’s a decision I had to make.” Christchurch businesses were already looking overseas for workers and the Filipinos were highly sought after, Mr Woods said. After spending about $3000 trekking to the Philippines, Mr Woods was “confident” the investment would pay off, saying Filipinos had a strong work ethic and huge respect for their employers. The man he employed had more than 20 years of experience in the industry, working up to 14 hours a day for the past 10 years in Dubai. “Over in Dubai he had to do things like mural paintings and special paint effects life marble ... some of the stuff he did I couldn’t do.” Mr Woods’ employee Photo Emma Hargreaves 231112-EH-080 could enter New Zealand shores as early as next Insideout Property Services owner Shane Woods recently travelled to the Philippines to employ a painter after struggling to find local skilled workers. year.
Let us entertain you! 211a Wills Street, Ashburton Phone 307 2010 www.ateventcentre.co.nz
Mary McPoppins - Julie Hawke School of Dance TONIGHT Sat, 24 Nov, 5pm Tickets: Adults $22, Child/Student, $17 (incl fees) Door sales available
Arts on Tour
Home
Home tells the story of two Scottish immigrants, Maggie and Johnnie who meet and marry in New Zealand just before the First World War. A heart-warming production with a beautiful, elegant simplicity. Michael Wray on theatreview.org.nz The two performers do a sterling job, both in portraying the emotional highs and low of the characters, and singing majestically….Douglas Mews does a wonderful job on piano. Ewen Coleman, Dominion Post.
Sun, 25 Nov, 7.30pm Tickets and door sales $25
Brett Hallam Holland - Acoustic Guitar concert Ashburton born guitarist Brett Hallam Holland will treat his hometown to an evening of acoustic Guitar music. He tours and performs as a solo fingerstyle guitarist and is currently showcasing his singer/songwriter material from his CD “The Zone” and “ Point Of View” which were recorded in Nashville.
Thur, 29 Nov, 8pm Tickets: $15 (incl service fees).
IN FLAGRANTE In Flagrante, meaning ‘Caught in the Act’, is a modern, sassy and beautifully deviant take on today’s burlesque revival. Six exquisite dancers ‘caught in the act’ with a fetish for leather, nudity in public and a wild equestrian spirit. In Flagrante is 11 short pieces set to the music of quirky Austrian cabaret group Waldeck’s ‘Ballroom Stories’.
Fri, 30 Nov, 8pm Tickets: Adults $35, Concession $32, Students $30 (plus fees).
Master Hypnotist “Brian Gee” Stage Show - Hilarious family entertainment; perfect for Christmas functions, recommended 16+. A fundraiser for Childs Play Preschool Tinwald. Sat, 1 Dec, 7.30pm Tickets: Adults $27 (incl fee)
Tickets are available from our Ticket Direct office at the Event Centre or online
www.ticketdirect.co.nz
Wheelchair-bound locals struggle to access parks By Sue Newman Ashburton’s wheelchair bound people say they are struggling to access essential services because the town’s mobility parking spaces are not in a userfriendly location. The district’s total mobility committee has asked the Ashburton District Council to relocate its taxi stands from Burnett to East Street to create a better drop-off spot for the disabled. To do this, however, the council would need to put three prime central town parking spac-
es off limits to other motorists. And that is a deal it has decided it is not prepared to strike. Currently there is a mobility parking space on the south side of Burnett Street and two taxi ranks on the northern side, both immediately around the corner from East Street. Total Mobility has 409 clients living in Ashburton who rely on taxis for transport or who come into town in wheelchair capable vans. These vans, the organisation’s committee says, need a greater space than a regular carpark to load and unload wheel-
chair passengers safely. When work begins on buildings on a vacant site fronting East and Burnett streets, the mobility park will be temporarily moved to East Street. The council rejected the request, saying there was ample room for a wheelchair taxi to load and unload from the eastern taxi stand. From there it was just a short distance to the pharmacy and banks. It did not see the option of moving taxi ranks to East Street and having wheelchair vans unload there as a good traffic safety move.
Focus on native vegetation Native dryland vegetation along Ashburton District’s roadsides will be identified, surveyed and protected. As part of the Ashburton District Council’s biodiversity action plan, it commissioned a survey of roadside sites last summer and plans to follow this up with a programme of consultation with affected landowners this summer. At this week’s meeting of the council’s environmental services committee, ecologist Mike Harding outlined the work that had already been done and made suggestions for
building on the knowledge past surveys had gathered. Last year’s survey was based on a survey carried out by car in the mid 1990s. This survey identified about 650 sites that had remnants of native vegetation. Rather than try to re-evaluate all of those sites, Mr Harding said ecologists decided to focus on the most significant areas. A total of 238 sites were visited and 66 of those were found to have significance under the Resource Management Act. Four at-risk plant species were
identified. Measured against data taken in the 1990s, Mr Harding said 7 per cent had improved in plant life, 25 per cent were unchanged, 13 per cent had disappeared and 55 per cent had deteriorated. The most common native species was the cabbage tree and this was found at 80 sites. Four very rare species of grass, herb or shrub were found. During the summer consultation will be undertaken with landowners as the first step in ensuring the native vegetation remnants are protected and where possible enhanced.