Our Nelson Issue 165 – 15 March 2023

Councillor caravan at Nelson Market – what you need to know
As of Saturday 4 March 2023, Nelsonians wanting to speak to an elected member face-to-face will be able to find Nelson City Council representatives in a big blue caravan at the Nelson Market.
The caravan will be in Montgomery Square on the first Saturday of every month, and more regularly during consultation processes.
Council has hosted pop-up tents at the Nelson Market in the past to promote consultation for the Annual Plan and Long Term Plan, as the Market is a popular weekend destination with excellent foot traffic and a great way to be visible and accessible to the public.
Thanks to the generosity of a local businessman, Council has been given access to a retro-style caravan – dubbed “Norma Jean”.
Nelson Mayor Nick Smith and councillors will be there each month to answer questions, help people find the information they need and listen to feedback. No appointments are necessary – you are welcome to drop-in for help with anything from “Can I get married in a public park?” to “How do I get a BeeCard?”  
“This initiative is about better connecting Council with the Nelson community. This is an easy way to give feedback directly to an elected member,” says Mayor Nick.
The Council caravan will be at the Nelson Market, next to Robert Harris café by Bank Lane, which leads to Trafalgar Street, on the first Saturday of the month from 8:30am until 12:30pm.

Innovative recovery solutions 
The work currently going on at the Maitai golf course involves a rather ingenious solution to a complex problem.
During the August floods, a large amount of gravel and debris eroded several riverbanks along the Maitai River. 
Two sections of the river urgently need rock armouring to protect both the road by Groom Creek and the golf course. Removing the gravel and debris from the riverbed, so it can return to pre-flood levels, also improves the river’s ability to deal with increased flows during future heavy rainfall. This will provide extra flood protection to nearby properties and the golf course.
To clear the debris Nelson City Council diverted the river using a pump that can send about 750 litres per second through a series of pipes. This gives us easy access to the riverbed and prevents any adverse effects downstream. All of the work is being carried out under the supervision of a river ecologist to ensure the environmental impact is minimal. For instance, before the river was diverted, 14 staff salvaged fish from the area.
This is a great example of the sort of lateral thinking staff and contractors have applied to Council’s recovery work. Our aim is to build back better, and this work will help the Maitai cope with future heavy rainfall events. The work between golf course and Groom Creek is expected to be completed by the end May this year but is weather dependent. The estimated cost is $1.4m.

Nelson Fringe Festival returns 
Ten days, 40 shows, three venues - join a universe of fringy awesomeness when Nelson Fringe Festival returns. 
Featuring performers from around Aotearoa and the world, the festival is organised so attendees can go to multiple shows in a night - start with a bit of theatre, move onto a dance show, and finish the evening with a laugh. 
Festival Director Giles Burton says Fringe is all about taking risks, for the audience as well as the performers.
“Look through the programme and choose some things you like the look of, then plunge in, try something different, something you wouldn’t normally go to. For an hour of your time and the price of a couple of drinks, you might find something unexpectedly magical.”
Nelson Fringe Festival runs from 23 March – 1 April at Refinery ArtSpace, Studio One and Red Door Theatre. All shows are about an hour. Tickets start at just $15 (kid shows for $10!).
nelsonfringe.co.nz

Public Notice
NOTICE OF PROPOSED LEASE TO CITY CLUB INCORPORATED AT TRAFALGAR PARK LANE.
Public Notice Date: 15 March 2023
Closing Date and time: 19 April 2023 at 4pm
Council proposes to grant a ground lease to City Club Incorporated of the land at Trafalgar Park Lane on which the building currently owned by Tasman Rugby Union is situated, for a period of up to eight (8) years, for a facility that members can use for club activities including snooker, darts and other indoor sporting activities.
The land at Trafalgar Park Lane is approximately 390m2 shown outlined blue on the map below, described as part of the land in record of title NL11C/1243 (Lot 1 DP 17772) held as recreation reserve subject to the Reserves Act 1977; and part of the land in record of title NL22/128 (Lot 7 DP 93) held for the purpose of a sports ground. 
Any person wishing to make an objection or submission to this proposal should do so in writing by sending it to Jules Read, Leases Officer, Nelson City Council 110 Trafalgar Street Nelson 7010, or to PO Box 645 Nelson 7010, by email to enquiry@ncc.govt.nz or online through the Shape Nelson page. Objections and submissions must be received by the Council by 4:00pm on 19 April 2023.
Objections or submissions should state if the objector or submitter wishes to make an oral objection or submission to support their written objection or submission.
Additional Information:
Both clubs currently share facilities at Kinzett Terrace, however the City Club’s lease there is due to expire in November this year.
Tasman Rugby Union have proposed that City Club Incorporated purchase their Trafalgar Park Lane building to allow both clubs to expand and develop their activities. The sale is dependent on the City Club being approved the ground lease from Council for the building.
Should the sale go through, the lease to Tasman Rugby Union at Kinzett Terrace would be amended to allow them to lease the building in its entirety. This will allow for Tasman Rugby Union to relocate their whole organisation to one building, establish a high-performance unit, provide Mako team rooms for men and women's rugby and install an all-weather turf to the outside area.
Tasman Rugby Union have confirmed that if the proposed changes go ahead then the all-weather turf would be available for bookings by other groups and sports.
For further details on the proposed lease and subsequent changes at each site please visit our Shape Nelson page at nelson.govt.nz. Alternatively, you can contact Jules Read, Leases Officer, on jules.read@ncc.govt.nz or call into the Council Office or libraries to view the details.
Recovery cost update 
An update on the extreme weather event recovery was provided for elected members at a Council meeting on 9 March 2023. 
“As we’re six months into the Recovery effort we know more detail about the cost we are facing as a community,” says Alec Louverdis, Nelson City Council Group Manager Infrastructure. “The cost of repairs from the August event was originally estimated to be somewhere between $40-$60M. We have a more precise estimate now of $57.1M, and we anticipate that we will get around $23M from insurance and other sources.”
Council’s application for a Lottery Minister’s grant of approximately $450,000 to fund the Navigators and additional consultant support was awarded $150,000. This grant was intended to help fund salaries, office rental, set up of the Navigator Hub and other ongoing costs. 
“Our Navigator team has been a lifeline for anyone affected by the weather event, particularly residents who are grappling with damaged homes and land and making their way through the complexities of dealing with multiple agencies,” says Nelson Mayor Nick Smith. “Their service is vital to the health and wellbeing of the people they are helping. They appreciate a familiar face and a regular, single source of contact.”
Mayor Nick says while Council is grateful for central government’s grants, noting that the government also contributed $300,000 for the Mayoral Relief Fund and $90,000 for those affected by the SH6 closure, the overall bill for Nelsonians is still large. 
“I am doing all I can with our Council team to recover as much of the $57.1 million as possible from our insurers and through Government assistance. I will have further meetings with Ministers to put our case so as to reduce the impact on ratepayers. My hope is to get the cost down for ratepayers to about $35 million.”

Meetings
The following meetings of the Nelson City Council have been scheduled. 
Nelson Tasman Regional Landfill Business Unit
9:30am	17 Mar
Council
1pm	23 Mar
Hearing Panel
9am	24 Mar
Regional Pest Management Joint Committee
1pm	24 Mar
Joint Committee of Tasman District and Nelson City Councils
9:30am	28 Mar