Latest news with #LDR
Otago Daily Times
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Otago Daily Times
Council hopes to ‘get on top' of staff speeding
A Southern council is upping the ante as it clamps down on speeding work cars. Environment Southland vehicles are fitted with devices in all vehicles which record speeding events later sent to managers. Every quarter, a summary is presented to the council showing the results. The most recent set of data revealed a jump in the number of events where the speed limit was exceeded by more than 10kmh, with a total of 458 recorded from January to March. That number was an increase of 51 from the previous period. Council health and safety manager Paul le Roux said proactive action was happening at the council as a result of the bump. An increase in reporting was the focus, so that managers could receive information weekly instead of monthly. The goal was to intervene more quickly and "get on top" of the speeding, Mr le Roux said. Overtaking manoeuvres were still proving an issue, as were areas where speed limits had changed, he said. Council reports also highlight speeding events where the limit was exceeded by more than 20kmh. Nineteen such events were recorded in the most recent quarter, up from just four in the previous. Despite the overall increase between the two most recent quarters, numbers were down on the whole. For the quarters ending June 2024 and September 2024, there were 856 and 884 recorded incidents, respectively. Council cars are fitted with both a monitoring system and an audible alarm that goes off when the speed limit is exceeded. The council regularly notes the size of the region in its reporting, with 220,367km travelled in work cars over the most recent reporting period. • LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
1News
3 days ago
- Climate
- 1News
South Auckland storm repairs almost complete
Road damage repairs from extreme weather events almost two years ago is almost complete in south Auckland. In 2023, heavy rain on Auckland's Anniversary Day weekend and Cyclone Gabrielle caused severe flooding, and more than 2000 slips were reported to Auckland Transport on local roads, across the region. In the south, 30 complex slips needed repairing: nine minor (less than $250,000 to repair) and 21 major (more than $250,000 to repair). In a statement, Auckland Transport (AT) said their flood recovery team has repaired 83% of the slips. AT road asset maintenance and renewals general manager Alan Wallace said 25 slips have been fixed, and three more will be repaired in the second half of the year. ADVERTISEMENT These are Ararimu Rd, Cemetery Rd, and East Coast Rd. 'Last month, we completed the repairs to the second slip site on Kemp Road in Āwhitu, and Urquhart Road in Karaka – both substantial slips which closed the road," he said. Wallace said work involved the installation of a soil nail retaining wall and drainage improvements. Work to repair two slips on Kemp Rd began in February; the first involved building a timber retaining wall and repairs to the road surface, he said. The second involved installing a soil nail retaining wall and drainage improvements. Construction to re-establish the connection on Urquhart Rd began in April 2025, and was completed last month. He said work included the installation of new drainage across the road and the construction of a mechanically stabilised earth (MSE) wall to mitigate the slip. ADVERTISEMENT By the end of May 2025, 56% of minor slips, and all but one major slip in the south had been repaired. Only one major slip, Manukau Heads Rd, is still currently under construction. Construction teams have continued work on the general fill of the Manukau Heads site, switching to the use of crushed concrete because of the wet ground conditions. New rock armour on the face of the MSE wall now protects the road from further erosion. AT said the head of the slip has been trimmed back and was ready to be planted. "One of the two large stormwater pipes that will protect the road from flooding in the future has been installed." Since the 2023 weather damage, AT has fixed 1200 small slips across the region, but more than 800 bigger slips have required extensive investigation to inform sustainable and resilient engineering design solutions. ADVERTISEMENT LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Otago Daily Times
5 days ago
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Fears southern town will be ‘overrun' with Airbnbs
Methven resident Paul Dixey is calling on the council to impose stricter regulations on holiday rentals. Photo: LDR / Jonathan Leask A Methven resident fears an epidemic of Airbnb owners flouting the rules and over-running residential areas. Paul Dixey is calling on the council to act before it gets out of hand in the Canterbury town. Methven, just over an hour's drive from Christchurch, is popular with skiers and holiday makers. Dixey said three of the 15 properties in his new subdivision are being listed for rental accommodation. "The industry needs better regulation. "If they don't act, I fear it will become epidemic and then how will they stop it?" Dixey said it doesn't seem right that properties are paying residential rates to the council but are operating as a commercial property. "It needs to be addressed when the hotels down the road are paying through the nose to be commercial accommodation operators." Paul Dixey is concerned about built-for-purpose holiday lets popping up in the new Camrose Subdivision in Methven, a residential area under the district plan. Photo: LDR / Jonathan Leask The growth of holiday rentals has sparked concerns across the country, with councils considering how to regulate the industry. There are about 290 Airbnb rentals listed in Mid Canterbury. Ashburton District Council compliance and development group manager Ian Hyde said the council is considering how to handle the increase and impact of the short-term rentals. "Council staff are looking at all these issues currently and have been reviewing work done by other councils. "There is a workshop planned with councillors this month on the wider subject of Airbnbs in our district." Hyde said the district plan allows for visitor accommodation as a permitted activity for up to five guests. "If a property was advertising for more than that, they would need to stop or get a resource consent to operate. The council doesn't comment on specific enforcement complaints, but investigate where non-compliances are found. "Sometimes people make an application once they realise that what they are doing requires consent. "Council has the power to enforce the rules of the District Plan under the Resource Management Act, this can include fines, and where appropriate through the Courts. However, we prefer to work with people to address issues where we can." Dixey said he felt the rules hadn't been enforced so far. "We have no objection to them taking five [guests], but one has been advertising up to 12." He said the majority of groups are fine but you can get "that one group that they have no control over". The rental owners are not onsite so do not know how many people turn up and can mot monitor behaviour, he said. One property owner has applied for a retrospective land use consent to carry out visitor accommodation for up to 11 people. The consent document states the house would only be available for 90 nights a year. Dixie said it could set a dangerous precedent that could result in residential areas being overrun by temporary accommodation, he said. "What's to stop every house on the street applying for consent to be an Airbnb. "You might as well turn the whole place into a commercial accommodation area as the zoning rules aren't worth the paper they are printed on." - LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Otago Daily Times
10-06-2025
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Frustrations grow as golfers can't access course
A map showing the Amberley Beach Golf Club's proposed extension to Grierson Avenue in red. Image: Supplied by Hurunui District Council Amberley golfers have called on the Hurunui District Council to get on with building a new access road to their golf course. In a submission to the council on Tuesday, June 10, Amberley Beach Golf Club president Bruce Yates and club member Paul Wylie called for access to their golf course to be restored. The main access to the golf course has been lost due to coastal erosion at the southern end of Golf Links Road. A recent golf tournament had to be cancelled, while a number of visitors to the course on King's Birthday had to be rescued as their vehicles became stuck in the mud, Mr Yates said. Access to the golf course is now by four-wheel-drive or on foot. The council received a resource consent from Environment Canterbury on Monday, June 9, to install culverts on two wetlands which would allow for the extension of Grierson Avenue and provide long term access to the golf course and club house. It would also secure access to mahinga kai areas in the Waimaiaia Reserve, and the Waipara River mouth. ''We are asking you to act now,'' Mr Wylie said. ''We don't need to wait. Work can begin immediately if there is the will.'' The club has been lobbying the council to take action for the last two years. Mr Yates said sea level rise effectively meant most club members no longer had access to the golf course. ''It is too late to think about maintaining the road. Repairs are futile.'' Mr Yates said the golf club would make some land available for the road, which will have an impact on car parking. Erosion is a long term problem for the Amberley Beach settlement. The Amberley Beach golf course. Photo: Supplied / LDR Amberley Beach resident Paula Le Compte reminded councillors that residents were paying a targeted rate to fund a bund to protect the community from the sea. She noted the golf club was not contributing towards the bund. Last year the council back a residents' proposal to debt fund the cost of building a new bund, as part of its Amberley Beach Coastal Adaptation Plan, with residents paying a targeted rate. A bund is a type of embankment which protects against the sea. The council received 43 submissions, with 35 making reference to the issues of road access to the golf course and the majority requesting an extension of Grierson Avenue. A roading budget of $13.5m is proposed this year, with $7.5m from rates, after the council received less than half of the subsidy of $12.2m it had requested from Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency. An average rate rise of 3.3% has been proposed, with the council due to meet again on June 24 to adopt the annual plan. By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter ■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Canadian Nuclear Laboratories and the University of Ottawa Accelerate Low Dose Radiation Research and Foster Next Generation of Scientists
New partnership furthers Canada's international leadership in low dose radiation research CANADIAN NUCLEAR LABORATORIES AND THE UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA ACCELERATE LOW DOSE RADIATION RESEARCH AND FOSTER NEXT GENERATION OF SCIENTISTS CHALK RIVER, Ontario, June 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL), Canada's premier nuclear science and technology organization, and the University of Ottawa (uOttawa), one of Canada's most innovative universities, are pleased to announce a new partnership to advance knowledge, education, research and innovation in low dose radiation (LDR) exposure health effects. Leveraging the leading research organizations' complementary capabilities, the new partnership builds on CNL's global leadership in LDR research with the establishment of a CNL-led LDR innovation hub, accelerating research critical to public safety and the health of Canadians. It will also serve to increase capabilities, education and training opportunities to graduate students and early career researchers. The partnership will also extend uOttawa researchers' access to Atomic Energy of Canada Limited's world class facilities at Chalk River Laboratories, including the unique Biological Research Facility, associated irradiation facilities and LDR Tissue Bank, and establishes a CNL satellite laboratory within uOttawa's new Advanced Medical Research Centre (AMRC) – set to open in 2026. This physical presence will be co-located with the Ottawa Institute of Systems Biology (OISB) as well as uOttawa state-of-the-art Core Facilities, which altogether will support new research directions in radiation sciences and advanced organoid-based systems biology. These areas are rapidly developing strengths at uOttawa, positioning the university as a national, and potentially international, leader in this field. uOttawa will also offer reciprocal access to key research facilities on campus, in addition to those located at the faculty of medicine and in AMRC. 'As a major player in the global research and development effort to support LDR research, CNL is focused on the prevention or reduction of radiation exposure effects in workers, patients and the larger population,' says Dr. Stephen Bushby, Vice-President, Science & Technology, CNL. 'We are very excited to include uOttawa as a major partner in the work needed to shed light on this complex field of research.' As part of this partnership, CNL will be contributing towards the acquisition of a mass spectrometer, which will be installed in the in the Metabolomics Core Facility at uOttawa. This strategic investment, supporting collaborative initiatives between OISB and CNL, will enable leading-edge single-cell metabolomics and spatial metabolomics, a rapidly advancing field with transformative potential in biomedical research. This will be the only equipment of its kind in eastern Canada, offering unique capabilities for high-resolution chemical imaging at the cellular level. The instrument will not only serve researchers at uOttawa, but also attract national and international collaborators, firmly establishing uOttawa as a leader in metabolomics and precision health research. The mass spectrometer will be a central component of the new Spatial Biology and Single-Cell Suite (3S) within the AMRC. This cutting-edge suite will integrate transformative new technologies into a coordinated workflow that complements and enhances five existing and intensively used Core Facilities: Flow Cytometry, Metabolomics, Gene Editing, Cellular Imaging, and Bioinformatics. By bridging these platforms, 3S will significantly expand research capabilities in some of uOttawa's strongest areas of discovery, particularly brain, heart, and cancer biology—driving breakthroughs in systems biology, precision medicine, and therapeutic development. 'This new equipment, the only one of its kind in Eastern Canada, positions the University of Ottawa as a leader in metabolomics and precision health research, while attracting national and international collaborations,' says Julie St-Pierre, Interim Vice-President, Research and Innovation, uOttawa. This new partnership builds on over a decade of collaborative research involving CNL and multiple uOttawa faculties, including Engineering, Science and Medicine. These collaborations have advanced understanding of the biomedical impacts of LDR, including studies on DNA damage and repair, protein synthesis, epigenetics, mitochondrial biology, metabolism, immunity, and stem cell functions. As part of this partnership, CNL has also provided funding support for postdoctoral fellow stipends, further enabling high-impact research and talent development. With the field of LDR research growing and Canadian leadership in LDR research well-recognized, both organizations will continue to explore additional opportunities to further strengthen this partnership. About CNL As Canada's premier nuclear science and technology laboratory and working under the direction of Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL), CNL is a world leader in the development of innovative nuclear science and technology products and services. Guided by an ambitious corporate strategy known as Vision 2030, CNL fulfills three strategic priorities of national importance – restoring and protecting the environment, advancing clean energy technologies, and contributing to the health of Canadians. By leveraging the assets owned by AECL, CNL also serves as the nexus between government, the nuclear industry, the broader private sector and the academic community. CNL works in collaboration with these sectors to advance innovative Canadian products and services towards real-world use, including carbon-free energy, cancer treatments and other therapies, non-proliferation technologies and waste management solutions. To learn more about CNL, please visit About the University of Ottawa The University of Ottawa is powered by research. Located in Canada's capital, we bring together energetic and creative scholars to tackle urgent global challenges and to respond to emerging opportunities. As one of Canada's most innovative universities, we generate breakthroughs and discoveries that make a real difference in communities across Ontario, Canada and the world. Our thought leaders provide evidence-based insights that inform policy and support industry. Our influence keeps growing due to our vast range of international partnerships, including our membership in the U7+ Alliance. As the world's largest French-English university, we are a driving force in the Francophonie. To learn more about uOttawa, please visit CNL Contact:Philip KompassDirector, Corporate Communications1-866-886-2325media@ uOttawa contact:media@ A photo accompanying this announcement is available at
