Road safety improvements for North Canterbury

We’ve talked to you in the past about safety along this stretch of highway. Your feedbackalong with ongoing technical investigations - has helped to shape our designs.

We’d like to share these with you.

You can see our plans and subscribe for updates, by visiting our project webpage at: nzta.govt.nz/projects/sh1north-canterbury-corridor

Or, pop in to our community information session - meet our project team and find out more: Thursday, 16 February, anytime between 3:30 and 6:00pm Woodend Community Centre, School Road, Woodend.

Questions? Email us at safetynorthcanterbury@nzta.govt.nz

We look forward to helping you in 2023 with free, confidential, independent information and advice about your rights and the services available in your community.

At CAB North Canterbury, in addition to our face-to-face, phone and email services, we offer additional services for clients including:

Free Justice of the Peace service (please check for days/times)

Free Budgeting, Employment, Immigration and Legal clinics (please check for days/times)

Free CV preparation and cover letter service (by appointment only)

One-to-one help with online forms and applications (by appointment only)

A face-to-face settlement information service to newcomers to New Zealand Language Support

Citizens Advice has an internal Language Support service which means that

CAB volunteers can check to see when other volunteers across the country are available to assist clients in another language. Currently, we are able to support more than 30 different languages using this service. We also have access to a telephone and video interpreting service through Immigration New Zealand. This complements our own nationwide pool of volunteers who speak various languages.

If you or someone you know needs information, advice or support, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us. We’re here to help.

Our opening hours are 9.30am to 3.30pm, Monday to Friday.

You’ll find us at 209 High Street, Rangiora, or you can phone us on 03 313 8822 or 0800 367 222, or send us an email northcanterbury@cab.org.nz

The Pegasus ladies biking group (The Cyclettes) is nearly four years old.

The group was started early 2019, by a small group of newly retired /semi-retired friends, that wanted regular exercise as well as interacting with ‘new to the area’ people. In the years since, the group has continued to grow, as have the length of the rides, providing huge health and social benefits for every Member.

By using mainly, the bike trails and devoted cycle paths, it is possible to cover more than 50ks return. Using the new cycleway, which winds alongside the Northern Corridor Motorway, one can easily cycle into Christchurch. This motorway path provides opportunities to also bike to Homebase (Marshlands), to Cranford St / Rutland St (Christchurch) or even (by exiting the Factory Road exit) out to Clearwater Golf Club. This bike trail winds through the Groynes before arriving at Clearwater.

The Café there is very accommodating of us arriving in a large group. Our bike group also enjoys the forest tracks, which take us from Pegasus to Kaiapoi, via the Tutaepatu Trail and the Pegasus Trail. We are seldom on tar- sealed roads, it feels safer to use the trails provided.

E bikes are well entrenched on cycleways now and the recent announcement from NZTA (Waka Kotahi) that funding has been approved for a new connection from the roundabout at Pegasus to Woodend and on to Kaiapoi, was great news for any cyclist in our area.

Many of us now have good bike racks, so planning rides further afield happens regularly. A favourite is the Te Aro pathway (or City to Surf) starting at Fitzgerald Ave. This follows the Avon River all the way to New Brighton, winding through the red zone.

We invite new Members to come and join us, we meet at the Flat White Café every Wednesday and some Members who prefer longer rides meet up on other days as well.

We usually stop somewhere for coffee and a chat - we are social, social, social!!

As one member said, “A 2-hour ride is much more fun than driving to a gym to ride a stationary bike for 1 hour”.

Interested? Live in Pegasus / Ravenswood? Call 027 442 0899 or grab a brochure at the Pegasus Community Centre.

There are a lot of happy bowlers at the Woodend Bowling Club. They are back home and playing on their magnificent new green. In August last year the old green’s top was planed off, new soil spread and a new green established. This was successfully completed due to the hard work of greenkeepers, Stu Jenkins and Brian Brown, along with a huge number of volunteers, both players and non-players, who put in the hard yards and countless hours barrowing topsoil etc. While the new green was growing players were accommodated by neighbouring bowling clubs.

The opening of the new green at Woodend at the beginning of January was welcomed by all members of the club who are delighted to be playing on such a smooth surface. Players are now catching up on club championship play, tournaments, and also relaxing and having fun on Tuesday and Saturday afternoon club days.

On Thursday, 9 February at 6.00pm the annual Community Bowls resumes. This is a fun but competitive event where teams of three new bowlers from organisations in the community or family groups can come along and join in. You don’t have to be an experienced player or a club member. It is held over three Thursday evenings followed by a tournament on Sunday 26 March. Light refreshments are provided. To register for this popular event please contact Alan Pegley on 027 437 7260 or email pegley306@ gmail.com held recently on their new green

Maybe you would just like to try bowls to see if you might enjoy it. Please ring the secretary, Sheryl, on 021 225 5778 for details. We are known to be a very friendly club and you will be made very welcome.

WOODEND VET CLINIC

WOODEND VET CLINIC offers compassionate, personal service in a quiet environment. Our experienced, dedicated team take great pride in getting to know both patients and their owners well, developing long-standing relationships.

Vet Lynda and her team are available for all routine veterinary care and will work with you to manage chronic conditions and longterm illness. They are also skilled, resourced and equipped to offer dental care, de-sexing and minor surgery.

Unfortunately, life doesn’t always go to plan, so it’s reassuring to know if something more serious were to happen, any time of day or night, our Best Practice 24 Hour RVC Hospital is just 15 minutes down the road in Rangiora. As an RVC client you will always be welcome and your pets records are at our fingertips.

Phone: 03 312 8387

138 Main North Road, Woodend Monday to Friday: 8am to 6pm

For more info or to book online visit www.woodendvetclinic.co.nz

We have a cosy,

Gardening workshop – End of summer garden care

Composting, mulching, cover crops, harvesting & soil health.

18 February, 10am at Kaiapoi Community Garden. Gold coin donation

Wednesday 10am – 12pm and the last Saturday of every month 10-12pm, as we are now on our summer hours. Come and join the Community Garden and learn about organic produce, composting skills and find likeminded people to share your love of gardening. For more information follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/KaiapoiCommunity-Garden

We are now recruiting volunteers for Camera Operation and Patrolling. Full training given. If interested, please contact Owen 027 442 4436.

All volunteers are required to be vetted by police.

Saturday 4 February 8.30am - 1pm. Cnr Church St and 353 High St. Cafe, BBQ, books, clothing, crafts and car boot sales. Hosted by Anglican Parish of Rangiora. Text Robyn 021 2761574, email market@anglicanliferangiora. church or visit our Facebook page.

Falls Prevention Exercise Class - 1.30pm Thursdays, Pegasus Community Centre, Pegasus Main St (by the Flat White Cafe).

All Welcome. $2 donation please. Simple activities, seated and standing, proven to improve balance, flexibility and strength. A fun social group; join us for a cuppa after class!

We are currently running at full capacity at the moment - ask about our waiting list.

Kaiapoi Toy Library, 9 Cass Street

Kaiapoi, open 10.30-12.30 Saturdays. Access to a range of toys for a small annual fee, no toy rental charges. Check us out www.kaiapoitoylibrary. org

Held in Woodend monthly. Phone 021 022 49443 for an appointment.

Fundraising for local community projects as a volunteer. Support club activities but having fun and friendship. New members are very welcome.

Dinner meetings on 3rd Thursday each month (own cost). For more details contact Brian on 027 958 8888.

If you would like your community group or club listed in our community contacts page, please would you contact the Editor providing the appropriate details. If you are listed, please check your details are up-todate and correct.

Email our Editor Debs on debs. thewoodpecker@outlook.co.nz

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The Woodpecker has 11 issues per year, Feb to Dec incl (December covers January). Each month the deadline is 25th of the month with a 5pm of deadline sent out to all contributors, advertisers and community contributors as a reminder.

Ngā mihi o te tau hou and best wishes for the coming year from the ranger taiao at Te Kōhaka o Tūhaitara Trust. We hope you have enjoyed your holidays and have made the most of the fantastic weather we have been having recently. The past few weeks have been busy for our team who have been tackling weed and grass growth at the park. As well as cleaning up recreational areas, mowing and brush cutting will help to reduce the risk of fire in this warmer weather. Watering has also been on the agenda to help our newest plantings survive these rainless days and give them their best shot at establishing.

Our team has been checking traplines which have had consistent possum activity. Our most recent trapping records show that a total of 4700 pests (incl. possums, hedgehogs, mice, rats, and weasels) have been eradicated due to the high level of commitment and hard mahi put in by our volunteer trappers. (Shown in photo above)

Recently our team has come across

Great Willowherb growing in a small corner of Tūtaepatu Lagoon. Great Willowherb requires immediate attention due to its highly invasive and aggressive nature which poses a serious biosecurity threat in New Zealand. This is because it can cause significant damage to our wetlands and rivers. (Shown in photos below and overpage)

Great Willowherb can be identified by its bright pink flowers that are about 2 - 3cm in diameter which have a white centre, their stems grow vertically and are branched. Their leaves are shaped like willow-tree leaves and grow in pairs opposite each other, they are hairy, and tooth edged. If you think that you have identified Great Willowherb, please do not attempt to remove it yourself. Instead, we advise you to take a photo, record the location and call Biosecurity NZs exotic pest and disease hotline on 0800 80 99 66.

Save the date: Our open day is coming up on Saturday 4 March in collaboration with sea and parks week! The event will run from 10am - 2pm at the Woodend domain and will include local food and drink vendors, BBQ, live music, guided walks, planting and for tamariki we will be hiring a bouncy castle and organising sea themed face painting. We would love to see you there!

Facebook: Friends of Tūhaitara Coastal Park

Instagram: tuhaitara_ coastal_park

Photo 1 - One of our newest planting sites located along the edges of Tūtaepatu Lagoon where the fire ripped through. We have been planting tī kouka and ribbonwood amongst the ashes of bracken fern which is regrowing at lightning speed)

Photo 2 - Great Willowherb in flower photo by Christina Stet)

Photo 3 - Great willowherb found by our team at Tūtaepatu Lagoon)

The complex is finally completed after many months. We are very excited with the finished building. The complex comprises of:

• Church

• Hall

• Small meeting room

• Lounge area

• Foyer

• Updated kitchen

• New toilets

Sliding doors now allow the hall area to be opened up to use part or the whole of the entire complex if needed. The complex is now available for hire to the community. For any enquiries during January 2023 please contact Evelyn Wilson on 03 312 7740.

From February 2023 all enquiries are to be to Kaye at 03 313 3448 or methodist.rangiora@gmail.com. From February office hours are at Trinity Methodist Church, 176 King Street, Rangiora

Tuesday 10.00am to 1pm

Wednesday 9.45amto 1.45pm

Thursday 10.00pm to 1pm

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