What is being done about the slash/damage/erosion in the streams?

Following the August 2022 weather event, Council assisted in the emergency with work in rural streams. Council has since undertaken a complete survey of all its urban and rural rivers/streams and has developed a priority matrix. Work on the top priorities is already underway. No further work in rural streams will be programmed at this stage pending a decision on rural properties paying a flood rate – that will be consulted on as part of the Long Term Plan.

As mentioned at the meeting, there is a new integrated catchments team setup to support communities to improve freshwater health and sustainable land management at a catchment scale. For the past four years we’ve been working with landowners to deliver environmental grants focused on planting trees on steep erodible land, fencing off and planting waterways and restoring existing native forest remnants. Due to the recent flood events our region has experienced, we welcome any and all discussion about upcoming work we have planned and how the community would like to see the grant funding spent in the future to achieve the best outcomes for the catchment as a whole.

Gravel is blocking many of the culverts and causing flooding (especially along the State Highway). How can these be cleared?

The gravel build-up along the State Highway is the responsibility of Waka Kotahi and we are working with them on this issue.

What about Teal Valley Bridges – are these Council’s assets to check?

The bridges in the Teal Valley are all private bridges and up to the respective land owners to check and maintain. Council has no funding to assist in this matter.

Why won't the electric buses extend out to North Nelson?

The North Nelson area was identified as part of the Regional Land Transport Plan (RLTP) as a possible area for expansion in the future as the current demand was not yet known (due to the small population and spread out area).

Funding was earmarked for a “Community provider” to meet the need in this area – the community can apply for funding to run a service that will substitute as a bus service. This is what happened in Wakefield, a local service was funded and driven by the community. It was successful enough to show that there was a demand, and so the bus service was extended out to that area. Nelson North Residents have already been in touch with the Nelson Tasman Community Transport Trust, that delivered this service in Tasman, and we look forward to talking with them further if the community wishes to continue investigating the service.

It is very difficult to extend bus services into an area of low density. However, if a community service can show demand, then a future service could be considered when the bus routes are reviewed in 12 months’ time.

What are the plans for extending a cycleway out to North Nelson (including to Hira)?

A cycleway out towards the Glen has been on the work programme for a number of years. The timing of this will be determined in next year’s Long Term Plan and Regional Land Transport Plan, and you submit on these matters at the appropriate time.

Logging in the Glen area is a concern. What are the environmental protections in place to prevent damage to our wider area and to minimise the impact on the roads?

The logging in the Glen area is being carried out by private logging companies under resource consent, which has various conditions to minimise the impact of harvesting. The consent also includes providing traffic management plans, limiting hours of operation (nothing before 7:00 am) and restrictions on heavy vehicle loads to minimise the impact on the roads.

Could a bus shelter be built before Hira School for those that take the school bus into Nelson?

We’ve investigated this, and Waka Kotahi have given approval for a shelter to be installed on their land. We’ve allocated a spare bus shelter and will install it when a contractor is available. This is not something Council provides on behalf of others, and as part of this installation, we ask that the residents take on the responsibility of the cleaning of the bus shelter. Please note that it won't be possible for Council to attend to mainetacne and vandalism.

Stop/go signals on Cable Bay taking a long time to change

The traffic management in this area is currently under review to work out the best solution for the upcoming repair work. The timing of the stop/go signals are constantly monitored.

Why was the Hira Reserve so much to hire?

Hira Reserve is $56 to hire for a community event. The $56 includes an administrative charge and grants exclusive access to the park, ensuring that no other reservations can be made for events on that specific day.

If the event is a commercial event (Commercial means that the public pay to enter or the intention of the event is to sell products & services) then a commercial rate is charged. This is $1245. If the event is a fundraiser, then we recommend having a chat with our Parks team who will be happy to assist you.