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On the road to trouble…

Today we review the week that was the last week of the school holidays for July 2022. More sickness and Covid is hitting all ends of the industry. Thank you to the community for working through this and helping each other out.

A reminder to people who like to drive their cars around in circles “really-fast”.

The public roads are not the place for this. If you don’t want to do it in your own back yard then please approach a friendly owner of a fenced off area, that the public does not have the right to enter and see if you can do some agriculture on their grass.

A couple of crashes saw people not see the end of the 100km/h road they were on, fail to turn left or right and instead use a fence as their stopping mechanism. Please use the vehicles brakes prior to the intersection as Mr Ford intended it.

Some animals are being reported on the roads north and south of Wānaka my motorists. Please be mindful we live in an area where not just the sheep and cows can jump, but deer and pigs. The odd possum and hare are sometimes seen on the roads too. Watch out two for rocks and falling trees. The weather is not our friend at the moment. I’m hoping the sun will come out and stay out for a few months soon.

A young lady was reported as missing after not getting home about 40 minutes after she was supposed to. After an hour or so she turned up, safe and well. Let’s be wary of our surroundings - which reminds me that Winter normally sees the odd person returning home to the wrong address after enjoying a beverage and being found sleeping on the couch by the householders. There hasn’t been that many this year, but… please lock your doors.

Censor security lights are great and for those who want to be in the loop while away from home, so is CCTV.

Speeding around the traps is still an issue. I was told by the speed camera van operator that sites like Cardrona Valley Road by the medical centre and McDougall Street can see many hundreds of speed tickets being issued in one day. This is not a great thing to hear. Is life that busy we have forgotten to smell the roses? Slow down a tad.

What is 30 seconds onto a journey that some have taken years to get to?

Take care everyone

PHOTO: Wānaka Sun

Council Comment

Getting you to the polls

It’s a local election year!

If this is your first-time voting, or you’re feeling a bit rusty on the details, don’t worry - we’ve got you covered.

This year’s election day is October 8 and there are a few important things to know.

In this column we’ll look at how to vote, who you can vote for, and what to do if you need to make a special vote.

But first up - nominations are still open. You have until noon on August 12 to put your name in for mayor, councillor or Wānaka-Upper Clutha Community Board member. As long as you’re a citizen and enrolled to vote, you can stand for election.

There are a few bits and pieces involved with a nomination – such as including a photograph, a small profile statement, and proof of citizenship – so don’t leave it until the last minute.

By standing for election you will help shape our district for current and future generations.

To find out more, including what the role involves, pay rates, and how to get nominated, check out our candidate’s handbook at www. qldc.govt.nz/elections.

Next up, who can vote? You can vote if: • you are 18 years or older, and • you are a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident, and • you have lived in Aotearoa New Zealand for one year or more continuously at some point.

If you are unsure if you meet these criteria, call the Electoral Commission on 0800 36 76 56.

To vote, you need to be enrolled. This happens automatically if you're a Queenstown Lakes District resident and are already on the parliamentary electoral roll for the general election.

The preliminary electoral roll is available to view at QLDC’s Queenstown and Wānaka offices and libraries until August 12. If you haven’t received notification from the Electoral Commission (‘the orange guy’) that you’re on the roll, it would pay to check your name and correct address are there. This is especially important if you have changed address, or recently moved to the district.

To enrol, check or update your enrolment details, go to www.vote.nz.

Freephone 0800 36 76 56 or free text 3676 to get a form sent to you in the mail.

Everyone who is enrolled will be sent voting papers in the mail. These will arrive in midSeptember, so keep an eye on your mailbox. And if you have a Post Office box instead, remember to check that too.

When you get your voting papers, we encourage you to read them carefully and consider who you want to vote for. For those living in Upper Clutha, you will be able to vote for: • Mayor • Councillors on the

Wānaka-Upper Clutha Ward • Members of the Wānaka-Upper Clutha

Community Board

And if you happen to live on the other side of the hill, you’ll be able to vote for councillors in either the Queenstown-Whakatipu or Arrowtown-Kawarau wards.

By voting, you are having your say about who represents you on local matters, whether that’s recycling and rubbish collection, parks and sports facilities, or the future of our district economy.

You need to pop your voting papers back in the envelope and into a public mailbox by October 4 to ensure they are delivered by the deadline of October 8. You can also drop your voting papers into a ballot box in the Wānaka or Queenstown offices. There is no cost involved.

Now, if you didn’t manage to update your enrolment details before the election, or if something has happened to your voting papers (the cat knocked a cup of coffee on them, for example) don’t worry, because you can get new or replacement voting papers.

Special votes are available for people who are not enrolled but qualify to vote, for people who did not receive voting papers in the mail, or whose papers have been spoilt or damaged, and for those whose names appear on the unpublished electoral roll.

All you need to do to make a special vote is pop into the QLDC office at 47 Ardmore Street (or our Queenstown office at 10 Gorge Road) between Friday September 16 and Saturday October 8.

You’ll be able to fill out a special vote on the spot or you can take it home – just make sure you deliver it back in time to be with the Electoral Officer by October 8.

Elections and voting may feel daunting, especially if you’re doing it for the first time, but we’ll keep you updated each step of the way.

Voting is a great way to take part in our democracy and to stand up for what you care about. I strongly encourage you to keep up to date and take part in QLDC’s local elections.

Stay up to date at facebook.com/QLDCinfo.

– By Jane Robertson

QLDC Electoral Officer

Jane Robertson

thewanakasun.co.nz

Sun News

New bridge a step closer

A key milestone for the SH8 bridge over the Clutha River has been reached.

Colin MacKay, Principal Project Manager for Waka Kotahi, says the first steel bridge beams have arrived and this week the temporary trestle over Mata Au, which will be used to build the new bridge, will be completed.

The 137-year-old single lane bridge forms an important link between Dunedin, Central Otago and Queenstown, but is no longer suited to traffic volumes, or the larger and heavier trucks regularly using the route.

Getting the beams onto the site will involve a long journey – and will cause other motorists delays.

In total, 20 main beams are being prefabricated in Napier, ahead of a 1200km journey to Beaumont that could take up to five days. Two beams a week are being transported to the site over coming weeks.”

Mr MacKay says several different components make up the main bridge beams, which vary in size and weight, creating spans of up to 40 metres. The beams will be stored on site until they are positioned on the new bridge structure from late September.

Once they reach the South Island, the trucks will travel south on State Highway 1 from Picton to Clarks Junction, just south of Milton. From there, they head inland on SH8 for the final 60km of their journey to Beaumont.

A similar system has been successfully used over the last five years to move large beams to the sites of several new South Island highway bridges.

“While the truck drivers will pull over where possible throughout their journey, people need to build potential delays of up to 20 minutes into their travel plans,” Waka Kotahi Journey Manager Nicola Felts said.

The new, two-lane bridge will be 195 metres long, formed by curved steel girders, supported by four piers sitting about 12 metres above the average river level.

The weathering steel beams are high strength structural steel which form a corrosion-inhibiting surface and do not require maintenance. They continue to weather where they are positioned resulting in minimal maintenance costs and a more economic long-life bridge solution.

Construction on the bridge began in January and is expected to be completed by bridge builder HEB Construction late next year. The project will cost $25 million.

View from on high shows flood details

Transporting the bridge beams will delay traffic.

PUBLIC NOTICE

Noticeboard | Papa P ā nui

Alcohol Licensing Applications

Current alcohol licensing applications can be found at www.qldc.govt.nz/services/alcohol-licensing.

Applicant / Licensee Trading Name & Address

Kiwi Badgers Limited Fat Badgers Pizza, 33 Camp Street, Queenstown

Coco Cabana by Franks Limited Coco Cabana by Franks, Ground Floor, 24 Frankton Road, Queenstown The Glenorchy Marketplace Mrs Woolly's General Store, 62-64 Oban Street, Glenorchy

Dropping Inn Limited Hello Ranger, 3 Northlake Drive, Northlake

Nature of Business

Last Date for Public Objection

Tavern 15/08/2022

Restaurant 15/08/2022

Other - General Store 11/08/2022

Restaurant 10/08/2022

State Highway 1 at the Waikouaiti bridge area was closed at the height of last week’s heavy rain. Otago Regional Council says public interest has been high around the work of the hydrology staff’s use of helicopters to gauge water way flows.

Numerous North Otago waterways were in flood last week.

ORC’s Team Leader Monitoring Eve Bruhns says on one day last week three staff were in a helicopter, having left the Taieri aerodrome at about 8:30am and were out until past 3pm.

“At that time they had gauged the Waikouaiti, Waianakarua, Kauru and Kakanui rivers, and were also looking to gauge the Shag River,” she says.

To measure time critical flood peaks safely, ORC use the heli-gauging method where an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler is towed across the river multiple times to get highly accurate flow data, Ms Bruhns says. The ADCP can measure water depth, speed and direction of currents and the distribution of sediment and help produce more reliable flood forecasting information. “Heli-gauging is cheaper, faster and more accurate than any other method used worldwide,” Ms Bruhns says. As was the case last week, it is often the only possible option when it comes to accessing a region which is inundated by flood water, she says. While the ORC was taking photos during the flights between gauging sites, Ms Bruhns says they were not specifically looking for damage to river banks and public infrastructure. However, ORC’s Engineering teams have been carrying out inspections assessing how infrastructure and flood banks performed in recent days.

Crimson Badger Brewing Limited

Queenstown Lakes District Council

Millennium & Copthorne Hotels New Zealand Limited

Crimson Badger Brewing, 141C Glenda Drive, Frankton, Queenstown Queenstown Memorial Centre, 1 Memorial Street, Queenstown Copthorne Hotel & Resort Queenstown Lakefront, Corner Frankton Road and Adelaide Street, Queenstown At Thai Queenstown Limited At Thai Cuisine, Level 3, 8 Church Street, Queenstown Remote Sales 10/08/2022

Function Centre

Hotel 10/08/2022

08/08/2022

Restaurant 08/08/2022

If you have a query about an application, a public notice, or the notification process, you can find more information here: www.qldc.govt.nz/services/alcohol-licensing. Or, alternatively, please call 03 441 0499 or email services@qldc.govt.nz.

This notice is dated: 4 August 2022.

Heavy Motor Vehicle Regulations 1974, Regulation 11 - Weight and Speed Restrictions on Bridges

Notice is hereby given that pursuant to Regulation 11(3) of the Heavy Motor Vehicle Regulations 1974, the Queenstown Lakes District Council has fixed the following maximum weight and speed limits for heavy motor vehicles and combinations including a heavy motor vehicle on the bridges described below:

Bridge No. Bridge Name Road Name Gross Vehicle Weight (%Class 1)

2

3 Sawyer Burn Bee Burn Meads Road 100%

Meads Road 80%

4 Peter Muir Timaru Creek Road 80%

5 Johns Creek Timaru Creek Road 40%

6 Grandview Creek Gladstone Road 70%

Axle Limit (kg) Speed Limit (km/hr)

10

10

10

10

10

25

35

36

54

55

56

84 Invincible Rees Valley Road 65% Deep Creek Skippers Road 40% 10

10

Skippers Skippers Road 3,000KG 1,500KG 15 ONE VEHICLE AT A TIME

Matukituki West Wānaka Road 13,600KG 8,200KG -

ONE VEHICLE AT A TIME

Motatapu River Motatapu Road 30% 3,500KG 10

South Von Von Road LIGHT VEHICLES ONLY

Muddy Creek Greenstone Station Road 100% - 10

102 Larch Hill Place Larch Hill Place 2,500KG 1,500KG 10