Far North news in briefs: Building consent times nailed; Matariki artist call and sleep workshop

Far North District Council is among the best in the country and is nailing processing timeframes for building consents.

Nailing consents

Far North District Council’s building consent team is nailing processing timeframes for building consents compared to other local authorities.

According to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s (MBIE) latest report on Building Consent System: Performance Monitoring, FNDC processed 100 per cent of building consent applications within the statutory 20 working day period. Across New Zealand, the rate was 90.7 per cent.

Out of the 69 building consent authorities, FNDC was one of just eight that processed 100 per cent of applications within the statutory period.

The median time to process an application is nine working days – FNDC has been doing this within seven working days.

LTP submissions

More than 500 submissions were received on the Far North District Council’s proposed Long-Term Plan 2024-27 (LTP) during a month-long consultation which ended on April 28. FNDC staff and elected members engaged with the community through six drop-in sessions and pop-up meeting events across the district during the consultation. Elected members will now review all submissions and other feedback, with formal deliberations on the LTP proposals and feedback. The final version of the LTP for 2024-27 will be adopted by the council on June 26 and come into effect on July 1.

Matariki exhibition

Northland artists of all ages and abilities are invited to exhibit their work in a special Matariki-themed exhibition at Whangarei’s Reyburn House Gallery. A subsidy from Whangarei District Council means entries are reduced to $10 each and there is no limit to the number of entries. The exhibition will run from June 4 to 30, with an evening market on June 7. See reyburnhouse.co.nz for details.

Sleep workshop

Te Hiku Business Boosters is holding a free workshop in Kaitāia for people having trouble sleeping.

People tired of tossing and turning and struggling to find a peaceful night’s sleep can discover the keys to unlocking restful nights and energised days at the Sleep Workshop.

The expert-led workshop will teach invaluable techniques to enhance your sleep quality and overall well-being.

It’s on June 12, from 10am to 11.30am at Kaitāia Digital Hub.

Writing grants

Far North writers can apply for the CLNZ | NZSA Research Grants to help research a fiction or non-fiction writing project.

Four grants valued at $5000 each are available to New Zealand writers.

One of the grants targets diverse writers and topics, including writers from, and writing about, parts of Aotearoa that are not broadly represented in writing and publishing, and projects on issues or subjects that are topical in present-day Aotearoa.

For more information go to https://authors.org.nz/clnznzsa-research-grants/application-guide-and-criteria/