In brief: News bites for Saturday, December 21

Saturday, 21 December 2024

Timaru District councillor Allan Booth says he has resigned from the board of Venture Timaru as he has done his time after more than five years in the role.

Keep up with today’s news briefs from across South Canterbury. You can send your news tips to editor@timaruherald.co.nz.

Venture Timaru director resigns

Changes are afoot on the board of Timaru’s economic development and tourism agency, Venture Timaru. Timaru District councillor Allan Booth has stood down from his role as a director after more than five years on the board. Booth, who was a council appointed director, said he had made the decision to resign at the AGM as he had done his time on the board, having been appointed in November 2019. Booth’s resignation leaves five directors on the board; chairperson Tony Brien, Logan Hanifin, Tony Howey, Erin McNaught and Stacey Scott.

Applications open for grants

Applications are now open for Sport NZ Rural Travel Fund grants, the Mackenzie District Council has said. The fund is open to sports clubs and school teams with young people aged between 5 and 18 who need help with transport expenses to attend regular, local sporting competitions. Further information, guides and application forms are available on the council’s website. Applications close on February 12.

Consultation on climate change completed

Community engagement on the Waimate District Council’s climate resilience strategy has been completed, with the council receiving 488 pieces of feedback. On Friday, the council said its draft document would be presented to councillors early in the new year.

The council’s climate change and biodiversity officer, Andrew Oliver, said the feedback had been received since the consultation period started in March.

“It has never been a top-down process, we set out to capture the knowledge, feelings and opportunities that already existed in the district, and we now have it in one place,” Oliver said.

“Essentially what we’ve done is a shadow audit of the economic, social, and environmental opportunities this strategy has presented. Now we have the framework, it is up to the community to lead it, and council to facilitate.”

Oliver said two of the strategies participants emphasised were the need for the development of a ‘Waimate’ brand to market locally sourced and climate resilient products and services, such as wool, wood and local tourism, and the need to initiate a collaboration network for key industry and small business which could facilitate the sharing of best practices and resources and enable stakeholders to work together towards common climate goals.