Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More

Local Govt | National News Video | Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Search

 

Cyclone clean up about half way

Parks clean up about half way

Two weeks on from Cyclone Cook the cleaning up of the district is well advanced but there is still a lot of work to do, especially in the district’s parks.

It had been a massive job, with more than 80 per cent of Hastings’ 170 parks and reserves needing attention. Some had been particularly hard hit.

“It is still a bit of a battle and we are asking for patience,” said Hastings District Council parks manager Colin Hosford.

Over the weekend after the cyclone, clearing fallen trees from roads and powerlines was the first priority. Teams worked shifts over almost 24 hours for three days to get that work dealt with.

After that the parks were checked for dangerous trees and limbs, with work prioritised based on the danger. Particular priority was given to playgrounds and sports parks – where large numbers of people typically gathered.

“One of the problems is getting the manpower we need. We have roads and parks teams across all our councils in the region looking to the same specialists; and there is also a big call on those same people from private property owners needing to deal with their own trees,” said Mr Hosford.

“We have managed to bring two contracting companies on board, to supplement our in-house team of six, and they are all working extended hours to try and get through the work.”

He said each of the worst hit parks took a long time to clear. “At Frimley Park we lost eight trees with diameters of about two meters, in some cases bigger. These were very large trees that needed to be made safe; chopped up and removed. On top of that there was a huge amounts of downed tree limbs. As one of our councillors said: ‘it looked like a war zone’.”

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

It took a team of nine almost a week to clean that park up.

In some places branches had been collected into one space in a park, ready for collection once a team became available. “We do ask parents to keep children out of these piles. We will get them cleared out as soon as possible.”

Mr Hosford said safety had to be the first priority. “I know people want their parks back to their normal condition as soon as possible. It will happen, but we think there is probably another two to three weeks work until we can consider it done.”

Even then, there would still be more less-noticeable work to be tackled including stump removal and reinstatement of gardens.ENDS


© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines


Gordon Campbell: On The US Opposition To Mortgage Interest Deductibility For Landlords


Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don't think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of political capital by giving landlords a huge $2.9 billion tax break via interest deductibility, while still preaching the need for austerity to the disabled, and to everyone else...
More


 
 

Government: Concerns Conveyed To China Over Cyber Activity
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity... More

ALSO:


Government: GDP Decline Reinforces Government’s Fiscal Plan

Declining GDP for the December quarter reinforces the importance of restoring fiscal discipline to public spending and driving more economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says... More

ALSO:


Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.