“It’s a space that can support water safety programmes, education, workshops and community gatherings as well.”
Trust Tairāwhiti said the upgrade was 90% complete after four months of work.
“The club has been closed to members for four months during our busiest season, so the anticipation to return is high,” Webb said.
“We’re grateful to our funders for their support. This investment has created a vibrant, functional home for paddling that will serve the region for decades to come.”
Arson on Titirangi Maunga
A fire crew was called to the Titirangi Maunga/Kaiti Hill summit on Thursday night to what is suspected to be a deliberately lit grass fire.
Emergency calls came in about 10.30pm.
“There was an area of grass burning alongside the roadway on the Endcliffe Rd side of the hill,” a senior firefighter said. “Exactly how it started, we’re not sure, but it was probably deliberately lit.”
The fire covered about 10 metres by 15 metres.
Retaining wall to be installed at slip
Work has been finalised on the design of a modular retaining wall to be installed at the Waikura slip site on State Highway 35 between Potaka and Wharekahika/Hicks Bay.
That stretch of road has been closed every night since the weekend after the discovery of further cracking between the hillside and the guard rail.
Since the weekend, the Waikura slip site has undergone an engineering assessment each morning before reopening.
A NZ Transport Agency/Waka Kotahi spokesman said: “Urgent stabilisation work is required to control movement in the affected area.
“This work could take four-six weeks to complete and the restrictions will remain in place during this time.
“While most of the work will take place during the night closures, the initial work will need to take place during daylight hours.
“That means next week for four days, between Monday and Thursday, the road will be open during the day under stop/go traffic management, before closing again each night,” he said.
“At this stage the road will reopen without stop/go traffic management from Friday next week.”
El Niño shift
A predicted shift to an El Niño weather pattern from winter onwards could bring less rain in Tairāwhiti.
Global climate models are showing a clear consensus for an El Niño event to arrive this winter.
An Earth Sciences New Zealand statement said the weather event had been developing in the tropical Pacific Ocean for the past six months.
Weather scientists predict a greater than 60% probability it will be classified as “strong” by spring and could intensify further later in the year.
They described it as a “significant-formidable” event.
“La Niña has only just ended, but there are indications that we’ll see a rapid flip to El Niño,” the statement said.
“This could bring increased rainfall to Southland, parts of Otago, and western facing areas, primarily of the South Island, but reduced rainfall for much of the remainder of the country.
“Dryness could become an issue as spring approaches for areas that see a reduction in their normal winter rainfall such as the east of both islands, or the upper North Island.”
