July 15, 2026 • 17 mins
Christchurch Mayor Phil Mauger has pushed back on a Councillor's suggestion the city's relationship with central government is failing.
Heathcote Councillor Nathaniel Herz Jardine says the council is still waiting for a reply after writing to South Island Minister James Meager in February.
According to Herz Jardine, the lack of communication is creating uncertainty around infrastructure planning and future collaboration with the Government.
However, Mauger says those concerns are overstated.
Speaking to Canterbury Mornings, he described the comments as "bollocks" and said he speaks with Meager "from time-to-time".
"We're doing okay and I don't want Christchurch to be seen as greedy buggers."
Finance Minister Nicola Willis claimed last month the Christchurch City Council did not ask for anything in this year's Budget and that was why it missed out on funding.
Mauger also discussed the council's proposal for an additional glass recycling bin, local government amalgamation, and the Government's plans to shift responsibility for climate adaptation planning to councils.
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Canterbury Mornings podcast with John McDonald
from News Talks.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
There'd be about how you doing very well, welcome back,
nice to talk to you again. Yesterday counselors in Selwyn
they challenged the christ Church City Council to give them
one good reason why they should amalgamate with you. Show
us the money was that the language used, So here's
your chance to convince, to convince them why should they
go with you? Guys?
Speaker 3 (00:31):
No, Well, I think well we're still we're still we're
still going through. As you know, we've got some counselors
that have said, oh this is here, were happening too fast.
But the government did ask all councilors around the place
do you want to do it in five years or
do you want to do it in two years? And
the vast majority of councilors went back said two years please.
So people that known about it there happening too quick.
(00:52):
That's well yeah, yeah, I mean.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
We know the background to it film, but what's the
what's the cell job you can give to Selwyn to
convince them to merge with christ Church City because that's
what they want to hear.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
Yeah, well we if we well, we haven't decided that
we're going to merge with with Selwyn. We're putting it
out there to say we're going out with pre options
three scenarios, us by ourselves at the size we're at,
us with all of Selwyn and us with all of
Sewn and Wymac mixed together, so that that stuff will
(01:25):
come back in about ten days, we'll have the power. Well,
we're going to make this proper decision on the second
of August and then it goes to the government on
the ninth.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
Right, But you can't give Selwyn right here, right now
a reason that they should join up with you guys.
Speaker 3 (01:37):
There'll be a lot of there'll be a lot of
savings on things that we do already, building consents, all
that sort of thing. People out, people out to say,
I'm just picking Sellen, and I'm not saying it's going
to happen. The people that are still doing the workout
and seen are still going to be doing the work.
We just governance. It's different at the top.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
Yeah, But that is that that's and that's that's the
best reason you can come up with.
Speaker 3 (01:58):
No, And also don't forget that there is going to
be that he can will not exist, right, so that
the only thing that I feel that as the cristi
at city Council or a unit Tree has to do
is look after public transport properly and look after rivers.
Everything else we do all right, and those savings from
(02:19):
what he can won't need to do because you can
also remember that the government may take some of these
functions and put it up up in central. We don't
know what those are yet. There are going to be
some savings cost savings with Eken being just I shouldn't
they disbanded it. It's not fay to say.
Speaker 2 (02:38):
That put down the toilet. I know what you're saying.
That's what you want to say.
Speaker 3 (02:43):
No, no, no, no, And I'm not placed saying that you.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
Are you are? Now Kaikoder has decided to merge with
the Marlboro Council, which will be tricking for wy Macareri
because they thought merging with kai Coder would suit them.
What do you think this means for why make ITERI now?
Speaker 3 (02:58):
Yeah, well, I'm sure as far as Kakuric goes, I'm
just reading in the paper what they're doing, and he
thinks that so lot more settled up there, which is
fair enough and to move Marlboro's boundary, which is a
unitary straight down and envelop KLi kura, very simple, very
cheap and easy to do. It is going to put
pressure on the Waimakari her Nui Kaikoura model. So it's
(03:22):
going to be interesting to see. I'm sure there's some
phone calls floating around somewhere, but it's going to be
interesting to see what happens there. And that's why putting
out her and we have put out a proposal, and
so have Ashburton to have all of rural Canterbury as
one yeah, sorry, all of real cats sorry, all of
(03:43):
real Canterbury North, including Ashburton North as one and christ
Church as a unitry. But the sticky point of the
point of question is are we unitry where we are? Sorry?
Is our urban boundary where it is? Or does it
expand out that? That's the question. That's the million dollar questions.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
Dan Gordon been on the blow.
Speaker 3 (04:02):
To you, not yet, but I'm sure.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
What's your response to one of your counselors, Nathaniel Hertz
Jardine saying that the city's relationship with central government is
failing bollocks? You want to elaborate on that.
Speaker 3 (04:17):
Yes, I find that a bit rich. You know, christ Church.
Christ Church has done extremely well out of various governments. Okay,
first thing billion dropped in here after the earthquake, and
lately we've got Halls, all road all is all done
and finished and paid for. We've got Brown Street coming
down the pipe. We've got Pages Road Bridge which is
in design and going out for tender probably early, very
(04:38):
early next year. I've got three large anger budgets collectively
with a billion dollars of government money. That's why christ
Uch is doing as well as it is. And I
don't want christ Church to be ungrateful and be standing
there like Oliver with his begging bole saying we want
more and more. We have done very well. That's why
christ Each is doing as well as it is. And
(04:59):
I find that that's a bit rich. I do talk
to James Mega from time to time, and he has
asked me any things that the government can do for
Chriistich and your christ Chair not crossing Kenby. They're all
doing that, but christ Church and we have given a
list of Ah. I don't want to be greedy.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
And what's what's come of that conversation with those conversations.
Speaker 3 (05:21):
Yeah, but well I'm thinking that they are thinking that
they haven't come back to me say yes and or otherwise.
But I've only put up some little things, like say
little things like traffic lights on the end of y
Mai sorry Whipple's Road and Yoldes Road, ceiling chip seiling,
a road out to the aerospace thing out in Birdling
(05:42):
Slat because there's some of the companies have got some
very expensive gear out there, and the previous government spent
a shedloaded dough out there and they want they want
is the road to be tidied up so it's not
damaging all their intricate gear that goes out there, plus
other things.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
Okay, yeah, I mean you've done a great cheerleading John
for the government. But one of the things that Nathaniel
saying today is that the Minister of the South Island
has never actually with all of the christi At City councilors.
Is that a bit weird?
Speaker 3 (06:10):
A not. He's certainly met with me. No, he hasn't
met with all of christ At, Saysity councilors. That's fair
to say.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
Is that weird? Is that weird?
Speaker 3 (06:19):
No? I don't think so that at the time will
come any will.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
It's New Zealand's second largest city. He's the Minister of
the South Island. He hasn't met with all of our
CHROSTI at city councilors.
Speaker 3 (06:28):
Not weird, yeah no, no, no, no, no, no no no.
Now what we get told is by some counselors are
christ Church Me, I'm failing because I haven't done city deals. Now,
some of these councilors are under the impression that if
you get a city deal, the government wanders up to
the boundary with a shed load of money and a
wheelbearer and tips it in. That does not happen. We've
(06:48):
been doing city deals here since the earthquake and working
on getting a whole lot of different partnerships across the line.
As I said, bounced out pages Roy brown Street, all
of those things we are doing, okay, And I don't
want christ Church to be seen as greedy buggers.
Speaker 2 (07:02):
All right. So are some of your counselors in La
La Land? Are they?
Speaker 3 (07:05):
Ah? I wouldn't say that that ra really had their opinion.
That's fine, and it is of course election here and
is probably helping his side of the sense along of it.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
What do you mean by that.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
Getting stuck into the existing government. It's election here, all
sorts of things come out.
Speaker 2 (07:23):
What do you think of the National Party's plan to
let engineers carry out inspections and sign off work on
commercial buildings instead of council inspectors.
Speaker 3 (07:32):
This is this is good, just one of the things.
As far as building concerents go. We've been asked to
do all the supermarkets for the whole of the country.
You know that's good, you know, yes, yeah, that's good. Now,
what you've got to do as far as you're talking
builders doing their own sort of inspections so to speak,
is that what you're saying.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
Well, we're talking about commercial buildings. That was the policy
announced yesterday that the National wants to let engineers do
the inspections to sign it off rather than the council inspectors.
Because because we had people bringing up yesterday saying that
the inspectors at the council not just yours, but they
were mention saying they're out of the depth, out of
the depth and shouldn't be doing this work anyway. How
fair is that?
Speaker 3 (08:11):
Well, I think there's horses of courses, like some inspectors
would be extremely good at doing residential stuff, and now
we're starting to get in some high rise stuff. It's
a whole different world. And I'm not saying our guys
aren't up to that. But there's engineering firms in town
that you can rattle up a whole lot raft of
them who are more than capable of doing it. And
(08:32):
if they are insured up to the wazoo and they've
got indemnity insurance and all that sort of stuff, if
they make a shambles out of it, that's their problem.
But it is a way to be able. Council will
still have an overarching look at it, but when it's
under a lot of pressure, I see no problem at
all with using engineering consultants are good ones. Don't don't
(08:54):
let every man's dog have a crack at it that
good solid companies do the work for them.
Speaker 2 (09:00):
All right, Let's not wheely boons. Because the council's proposing
another wheely bin for glass, why is that had a
good idea?
Speaker 3 (09:08):
Well, glass, I'm a glass nut. Glass. Glass can be
recycled forever and five future is not recycling glass. We
put it in our yellow bins. But it goes to
the mirth and materials recovery place. It falls out the bottom,
gets crushed and gets buried in the road. In my view,
that is not recycling glasses. You're burying it in the road.
(09:28):
We're the only place in the South Island it doesn't
recycle glass to make more glass. It needs to be
I feel going out and collect it separately like they
do in Tasman, like they do in Timaru especially, and
then it gives us a lot better quality glass. The
other thing is that our cardboard and paper and all
(09:51):
that which goes through the other machine doesn't get little
spix of glass through it. It's just it's a wind
win all the way around. But we just got to
look at the cost of it. But everyone else is
doing it. We're the odd man out.
Speaker 2 (10:01):
Right, So you're doing the consultation. It sounds like the
decision has been made.
Speaker 3 (10:06):
No, no, no, no, not free disturbed. I just I
just liked because we go up to much Wacre at
Christmas time and I watch how they collect their glass there,
and the quality of what they collect can be crushed
straight into it and go straight to the furnace and
make more glass. It isn't all contaminated with other rubbish,
so that just makes perfect sense to me.
Speaker 2 (10:27):
Do you accept though, that people would find a fourth
wheely benepine in the backside?
Speaker 3 (10:31):
Yeah, it is. That is going to be hard yacking. Now,
whether it's a wheely bin happen much wacre. What they
do is they have like our old, our old ones,
you know, the little green ones we used to have.
Speaker 2 (10:42):
Yeah they were hopeless.
Speaker 3 (10:44):
Yeah, yeah, for rubbish, for recycling, absolutely, but they have
those just for glass only now. That then creates a
problem of say, older people wanting to get that out
to their gate because it's not on wheels. I strongly,
myself strongly recommend that we should do separated glass collection
at the curb, not have a wheely bin with a
(11:06):
lid on, because you can fill it up with all
sorts of other junk and that's where you get your contamination.
The secrets of success is collect it at curbside and
sort of at turbside like they do in Timaru and
much wager.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
All right, One final thing, So the government's selling councils
today that they have to come up with their own
climate change adaptation plans, but the government's not saying yet
who should pay if communities have to upsticks and move
because of climate change? Do you think you should pay
the government or or councils or none of.
Speaker 3 (11:33):
Well, the government has got to throw some dough out
somewhere along line because we're getting all this we're getting
all this extra future glocal government. Three. What does all
this ring reform? And we're not getting the extra any
extra money for it. I find it hard on our
staff that they come to work to do the job
they're employed for, and they're doing all the other stuff.
But to get back to question, we're already doing climate
(11:56):
climate change stuff. We've done Littleton Harbor and Port Levy
in that area that we're now working on.
Speaker 2 (12:02):
What do you mean by climate change stuff?
Speaker 3 (12:04):
Can you just explain that well as far as good
stuff climate change with sea level rise and what we're
doing with extra rain events and all that sort of thing.
Like we're talking about little little river the other day.
Was we're talking to you about that. Probably it's an
adaptation plan. And so there are areas like over in
(12:24):
Port Levy where the road was low and they said
what are we going to do here? And everyone's got
together and said, right, the road will need to be
built up one day. Once a sea level rise comes in.
The next one we're doing is a lower heathket out
to tail this mistake, to see what goes there, and
of course just to throw a bit of borax at
it for you that there'd be nothing wrong with the
tidal bearrage, which I've been dribbling on about forever. Throw
(12:46):
that in the in the estuary.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
You're you're still holding that on to that one.
Speaker 3 (12:52):
Well, just you know, we'll just see it doesn't matter.
I don't talk about it forever, and if it doesn't happen,
it doesn't. But we shouldn't lose sight of things like
just think about them anyway.
Speaker 2 (13:00):
So who should pay tho the council, the government or
no one.
Speaker 3 (13:05):
It'd be you'd have to make them with government, because
well there's no no one's. Some people say it's someone's
fault because sea levels rising. It's sort of everyone's fault,
so to speak, the sea levels coming up. And it's
not so much also that it's the rain events that
they might be less than further between, but by golly,
(13:25):
when it rains, they comes down like a bloody fire hose.
And that's where we've got to get water out of
the city or down drains quickly. I'll tell you what
if the rain at Kikora or the rain from Omaru
had met and held hands over christ Church last week,
we would be in very deep trouble.
Speaker 2 (13:43):
Whatever happened to the Council's whatever happened to the Council's
Climate Resilience Fund, which was supposed to be for the
sort of thing.
Speaker 3 (13:51):
Yeah, yeah, we're doing. It's still collecting it. Yeah, yeah,
that's right, we've got I thought it was frozen paused.
No no, no, no, no it was And I'll get
this right. I'm sure that we were collecting two million
dollars a year and then.
Speaker 2 (14:05):
I thought it has been you I thought it's been
paused for twenty six, twenty seven.
Speaker 3 (14:10):
Now it's been. It's up to we're up so that
it's an anal plan. It's up another so it's four
million a year that's getting collected. So we've got to
and they are the things that we can use to
naturalize drains or make them wider so they have more
flow down them, because we've got to get the water
when it does rain out of town, because there's only
(14:31):
one way water gets out of our city, and that's
a shared rock that's the only way out to the sea,
whereas Auckland and Wellington have got all sorts of drains
and that going down to the sea where we're stuck
with one out here.
Speaker 2 (14:41):
Right, So the Climate Resilience Fund is still thing, yes, yes,
all right, Yes.
Speaker 3 (14:47):
We're still collecting money for it. Yes, it's still we're
still rating for it, I should say.
Speaker 2 (14:51):
Okay, I brilliant.
Speaker 3 (14:51):
All right.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
Do you think the Council needs to stop issuing building
consents and areas where there is likely to be sea
level rise we'll likely to cause a problem down the train?
Speaker 3 (14:59):
Yes, well this is this is where that new start,
as I said, start for working on all this other
stuff at the moment and not doing what they I
shouldn't say important to do, but what they come to
work to do. And one of those things is Plan change.
I think it's twelve twelve and that is where there
is a risk of flooding. And as soon as we
(15:19):
get some of those other future lever of government stuff
out of our hair, we'll be able to get onto that,
because that is important.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
Right, So that you you agree that the Council shouldn't
be issuing consents in places where sea level rise is
going to cause an.
Speaker 3 (15:32):
Issue where it is. There is a bit of stuff
floating around at the moment, definitely over in Sumner area,
which has said, oh, this is what it's going to
be if it raises by so much, so much in
a certain time, and the figure that they've used as
the base model, I understand, is being challenged rather hard
(15:53):
at the moment that it's unachievable, it will never happen,
and the government are looking at that because what we've
got over in summer to hold you up over in
some if you buy a whole raur houses. Know a
developer who's done this by a whole row of houses,
and he wants to take two away and put four
in or five in. He's been told that if he
(16:14):
gets the consent and the water triggers to a certain
level right and it might be in fifty years time,
he has to or whoever lives there, has to demolish
the house and turn it back in the grass. Well,
that's the darkest thing I've ever heard in my life.
But they are the sort of things. See. Half of
the Netherlands is below sea level. The vast majority of
(16:35):
New Orleans is below river level. Stop banks and pump
stations is you know, people live with water. It's not
a new thing to.
Speaker 2 (16:45):
Us, so there's still work around it.
Speaker 3 (16:49):
I think that there's the solutions to work around things, yes,
but not fill extremely low, low lying areas up with houses.
That there is areas where it just doesn't happen. It
shouldn't happen, that's for sure, all right.
Speaker 2 (17:02):
I'll really enjoyed our cheat, appreciate time. Catch up in
a fortnite.
Speaker 3 (17:06):
You bye.
Speaker 1 (17:08):
For more from Category Mornings with John McDonald, listen live
to news talks at be Christchurch from nine am weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the Canterbury Mornings podcast with John McDonald
from News Talks.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
There'd be about how you doing very well, welcome back,
nice to talk to you again. Yesterday counselors in Selwyn
they challenged the christ Church City Council to give them
one good reason why they should amalgamate with you. Show
us the money was that the language used, So here's
your chance to convince, to convince them why should they
go with you? Guys?
Speaker 3 (00:31):
No, Well, I think well we're still we're still we're
still going through. As you know, we've got some counselors
that have said, oh this is here, were happening too fast.
But the government did ask all councilors around the place
do you want to do it in five years or
do you want to do it in two years? And
the vast majority of councilors went back said two years please.
So people that known about it there happening too quick.
(00:52):
That's well yeah, yeah, I mean.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
We know the background to it film, but what's the
what's the cell job you can give to Selwyn to
convince them to merge with christ Church City because that's
what they want to hear.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
Yeah, well we if we well, we haven't decided that
we're going to merge with with Selwyn. We're putting it
out there to say we're going out with pre options
three scenarios, us by ourselves at the size we're at,
us with all of Selwyn and us with all of
Sewn and Wymac mixed together, so that that stuff will
(01:25):
come back in about ten days, we'll have the power. Well,
we're going to make this proper decision on the second
of August and then it goes to the government on
the ninth.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
Right, But you can't give Selwyn right here, right now
a reason that they should join up with you guys.
Speaker 3 (01:37):
There'll be a lot of there'll be a lot of
savings on things that we do already, building consents, all
that sort of thing. People out, people out to say,
I'm just picking Sellen, and I'm not saying it's going
to happen. The people that are still doing the workout
and seen are still going to be doing the work.
We just governance. It's different at the top.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
Yeah, But that is that that's and that's that's the
best reason you can come up with.
Speaker 3 (01:58):
No, And also don't forget that there is going to
be that he can will not exist, right, so that
the only thing that I feel that as the cristi
at city Council or a unit Tree has to do
is look after public transport properly and look after rivers.
Everything else we do all right, and those savings from
(02:19):
what he can won't need to do because you can
also remember that the government may take some of these
functions and put it up up in central. We don't
know what those are yet. There are going to be
some savings cost savings with Eken being just I shouldn't
they disbanded it. It's not fay to say.
Speaker 2 (02:38):
That put down the toilet. I know what you're saying.
That's what you want to say.
Speaker 3 (02:43):
No, no, no, no, And I'm not placed saying that you.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
Are you are? Now Kaikoder has decided to merge with
the Marlboro Council, which will be tricking for wy Macareri
because they thought merging with kai Coder would suit them.
What do you think this means for why make ITERI now?
Speaker 3 (02:58):
Yeah, well, I'm sure as far as Kakuric goes, I'm
just reading in the paper what they're doing, and he
thinks that so lot more settled up there, which is
fair enough and to move Marlboro's boundary, which is a
unitary straight down and envelop KLi kura, very simple, very
cheap and easy to do. It is going to put
pressure on the Waimakari her Nui Kaikoura model. So it's
(03:22):
going to be interesting to see. I'm sure there's some
phone calls floating around somewhere, but it's going to be
interesting to see what happens there. And that's why putting
out her and we have put out a proposal, and
so have Ashburton to have all of rural Canterbury as
one yeah, sorry, all of real cats sorry, all of
(03:43):
real Canterbury North, including Ashburton North as one and christ
Church as a unitry. But the sticky point of the
point of question is are we unitry where we are? Sorry?
Is our urban boundary where it is? Or does it
expand out that? That's the question. That's the million dollar questions.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
Dan Gordon been on the blow.
Speaker 3 (04:02):
To you, not yet, but I'm sure.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
What's your response to one of your counselors, Nathaniel Hertz
Jardine saying that the city's relationship with central government is
failing bollocks? You want to elaborate on that.
Speaker 3 (04:17):
Yes, I find that a bit rich. You know, christ Church.
Christ Church has done extremely well out of various governments. Okay,
first thing billion dropped in here after the earthquake, and
lately we've got Halls, all road all is all done
and finished and paid for. We've got Brown Street coming
down the pipe. We've got Pages Road Bridge which is
in design and going out for tender probably early, very
(04:38):
early next year. I've got three large anger budgets collectively
with a billion dollars of government money. That's why christ
Uch is doing as well as it is. And I
don't want christ Church to be ungrateful and be standing
there like Oliver with his begging bole saying we want
more and more. We have done very well. That's why
christ Each is doing as well as it is. And
(04:59):
I find that that's a bit rich. I do talk
to James Mega from time to time, and he has
asked me any things that the government can do for
Chriistich and your christ Chair not crossing Kenby. They're all
doing that, but christ Church and we have given a
list of Ah. I don't want to be greedy.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
And what's what's come of that conversation with those conversations.
Speaker 3 (05:21):
Yeah, but well I'm thinking that they are thinking that
they haven't come back to me say yes and or otherwise.
But I've only put up some little things, like say
little things like traffic lights on the end of y
Mai sorry Whipple's Road and Yoldes Road, ceiling chip seiling,
a road out to the aerospace thing out in Birdling
(05:42):
Slat because there's some of the companies have got some
very expensive gear out there, and the previous government spent
a shedloaded dough out there and they want they want
is the road to be tidied up so it's not
damaging all their intricate gear that goes out there, plus
other things.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
Okay, yeah, I mean you've done a great cheerleading John
for the government. But one of the things that Nathaniel
saying today is that the Minister of the South Island
has never actually with all of the christi At City councilors.
Is that a bit weird?
Speaker 3 (06:10):
A not. He's certainly met with me. No, he hasn't
met with all of christ At, Saysity councilors. That's fair
to say.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
Is that weird? Is that weird?
Speaker 3 (06:19):
No? I don't think so that at the time will
come any will.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
It's New Zealand's second largest city. He's the Minister of
the South Island. He hasn't met with all of our
CHROSTI at city councilors.
Speaker 3 (06:28):
Not weird, yeah no, no, no, no, no, no no no.
Now what we get told is by some counselors are
christ Church Me, I'm failing because I haven't done city deals. Now,
some of these councilors are under the impression that if
you get a city deal, the government wanders up to
the boundary with a shed load of money and a
wheelbearer and tips it in. That does not happen. We've
(06:48):
been doing city deals here since the earthquake and working
on getting a whole lot of different partnerships across the line.
As I said, bounced out pages Roy brown Street, all
of those things we are doing, okay, And I don't
want christ Church to be seen as greedy buggers.
Speaker 2 (07:02):
All right. So are some of your counselors in La
La Land? Are they?
Speaker 3 (07:05):
Ah? I wouldn't say that that ra really had their opinion.
That's fine, and it is of course election here and
is probably helping his side of the sense along of it.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
What do you mean by that.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
Getting stuck into the existing government. It's election here, all
sorts of things come out.
Speaker 2 (07:23):
What do you think of the National Party's plan to
let engineers carry out inspections and sign off work on
commercial buildings instead of council inspectors.
Speaker 3 (07:32):
This is this is good, just one of the things.
As far as building concerents go. We've been asked to
do all the supermarkets for the whole of the country.
You know that's good, you know, yes, yeah, that's good. Now,
what you've got to do as far as you're talking
builders doing their own sort of inspections so to speak,
is that what you're saying.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
Well, we're talking about commercial buildings. That was the policy
announced yesterday that the National wants to let engineers do
the inspections to sign it off rather than the council inspectors.
Because because we had people bringing up yesterday saying that
the inspectors at the council not just yours, but they
were mention saying they're out of the depth, out of
the depth and shouldn't be doing this work anyway. How
fair is that?
Speaker 3 (08:11):
Well, I think there's horses of courses, like some inspectors
would be extremely good at doing residential stuff, and now
we're starting to get in some high rise stuff. It's
a whole different world. And I'm not saying our guys
aren't up to that. But there's engineering firms in town
that you can rattle up a whole lot raft of
them who are more than capable of doing it. And
(08:32):
if they are insured up to the wazoo and they've
got indemnity insurance and all that sort of stuff, if
they make a shambles out of it, that's their problem.
But it is a way to be able. Council will
still have an overarching look at it, but when it's
under a lot of pressure, I see no problem at
all with using engineering consultants are good ones. Don't don't
(08:54):
let every man's dog have a crack at it that
good solid companies do the work for them.
Speaker 2 (09:00):
All right, Let's not wheely boons. Because the council's proposing
another wheely bin for glass, why is that had a
good idea?
Speaker 3 (09:08):
Well, glass, I'm a glass nut. Glass. Glass can be
recycled forever and five future is not recycling glass. We
put it in our yellow bins. But it goes to
the mirth and materials recovery place. It falls out the bottom,
gets crushed and gets buried in the road. In my view,
that is not recycling glasses. You're burying it in the road.
(09:28):
We're the only place in the South Island it doesn't
recycle glass to make more glass. It needs to be
I feel going out and collect it separately like they
do in Tasman, like they do in Timaru especially, and
then it gives us a lot better quality glass. The
other thing is that our cardboard and paper and all
(09:51):
that which goes through the other machine doesn't get little
spix of glass through it. It's just it's a wind
win all the way around. But we just got to
look at the cost of it. But everyone else is
doing it. We're the odd man out.
Speaker 2 (10:01):
Right, So you're doing the consultation. It sounds like the
decision has been made.
Speaker 3 (10:06):
No, no, no, no, not free disturbed. I just I
just liked because we go up to much Wacre at
Christmas time and I watch how they collect their glass there,
and the quality of what they collect can be crushed
straight into it and go straight to the furnace and
make more glass. It isn't all contaminated with other rubbish,
so that just makes perfect sense to me.
Speaker 2 (10:27):
Do you accept though, that people would find a fourth
wheely benepine in the backside?
Speaker 3 (10:31):
Yeah, it is. That is going to be hard yacking. Now,
whether it's a wheely bin happen much wacre. What they
do is they have like our old, our old ones,
you know, the little green ones we used to have.
Speaker 2 (10:42):
Yeah they were hopeless.
Speaker 3 (10:44):
Yeah, yeah, for rubbish, for recycling, absolutely, but they have
those just for glass only now. That then creates a
problem of say, older people wanting to get that out
to their gate because it's not on wheels. I strongly,
myself strongly recommend that we should do separated glass collection
at the curb, not have a wheely bin with a
(11:06):
lid on, because you can fill it up with all
sorts of other junk and that's where you get your contamination.
The secrets of success is collect it at curbside and
sort of at turbside like they do in Timaru and
much wager.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
All right, One final thing, So the government's selling councils
today that they have to come up with their own
climate change adaptation plans, but the government's not saying yet
who should pay if communities have to upsticks and move
because of climate change? Do you think you should pay
the government or or councils or none of.
Speaker 3 (11:33):
Well, the government has got to throw some dough out
somewhere along line because we're getting all this we're getting
all this extra future glocal government. Three. What does all
this ring reform? And we're not getting the extra any
extra money for it. I find it hard on our
staff that they come to work to do the job
they're employed for, and they're doing all the other stuff.
But to get back to question, we're already doing climate
(11:56):
climate change stuff. We've done Littleton Harbor and Port Levy
in that area that we're now working on.
Speaker 2 (12:02):
What do you mean by climate change stuff?
Speaker 3 (12:04):
Can you just explain that well as far as good
stuff climate change with sea level rise and what we're
doing with extra rain events and all that sort of thing.
Like we're talking about little little river the other day.
Was we're talking to you about that. Probably it's an
adaptation plan. And so there are areas like over in
(12:24):
Port Levy where the road was low and they said
what are we going to do here? And everyone's got
together and said, right, the road will need to be
built up one day. Once a sea level rise comes in.
The next one we're doing is a lower heathket out
to tail this mistake, to see what goes there, and
of course just to throw a bit of borax at
it for you that there'd be nothing wrong with the
tidal bearrage, which I've been dribbling on about forever. Throw
(12:46):
that in the in the estuary.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
You're you're still holding that on to that one.
Speaker 3 (12:52):
Well, just you know, we'll just see it doesn't matter.
I don't talk about it forever, and if it doesn't happen,
it doesn't. But we shouldn't lose sight of things like
just think about them anyway.
Speaker 2 (13:00):
So who should pay tho the council, the government or
no one.
Speaker 3 (13:05):
It'd be you'd have to make them with government, because
well there's no no one's. Some people say it's someone's
fault because sea levels rising. It's sort of everyone's fault,
so to speak, the sea levels coming up. And it's
not so much also that it's the rain events that
they might be less than further between, but by golly,
(13:25):
when it rains, they comes down like a bloody fire hose.
And that's where we've got to get water out of
the city or down drains quickly. I'll tell you what
if the rain at Kikora or the rain from Omaru
had met and held hands over christ Church last week,
we would be in very deep trouble.
Speaker 2 (13:43):
Whatever happened to the Council's whatever happened to the Council's
Climate Resilience Fund, which was supposed to be for the
sort of thing.
Speaker 3 (13:51):
Yeah, yeah, we're doing. It's still collecting it. Yeah, yeah,
that's right, we've got I thought it was frozen paused.
No no, no, no, no it was And I'll get
this right. I'm sure that we were collecting two million
dollars a year and then.
Speaker 2 (14:05):
I thought it has been you I thought it's been
paused for twenty six, twenty seven.
Speaker 3 (14:10):
Now it's been. It's up to we're up so that
it's an anal plan. It's up another so it's four
million a year that's getting collected. So we've got to
and they are the things that we can use to
naturalize drains or make them wider so they have more
flow down them, because we've got to get the water
when it does rain out of town, because there's only
(14:31):
one way water gets out of our city, and that's
a shared rock that's the only way out to the sea,
whereas Auckland and Wellington have got all sorts of drains
and that going down to the sea where we're stuck
with one out here.
Speaker 2 (14:41):
Right, So the Climate Resilience Fund is still thing, yes, yes,
all right, Yes.
Speaker 3 (14:47):
We're still collecting money for it. Yes, it's still we're
still rating for it, I should say.
Speaker 2 (14:51):
Okay, I brilliant.
Speaker 3 (14:51):
All right.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
Do you think the Council needs to stop issuing building
consents and areas where there is likely to be sea
level rise we'll likely to cause a problem down the train?
Speaker 3 (14:59):
Yes, well this is this is where that new start,
as I said, start for working on all this other
stuff at the moment and not doing what they I
shouldn't say important to do, but what they come to
work to do. And one of those things is Plan change.
I think it's twelve twelve and that is where there
is a risk of flooding. And as soon as we
(15:19):
get some of those other future lever of government stuff
out of our hair, we'll be able to get onto that,
because that is important.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
Right, So that you you agree that the Council shouldn't
be issuing consents in places where sea level rise is
going to cause an.
Speaker 3 (15:32):
Issue where it is. There is a bit of stuff
floating around at the moment, definitely over in Sumner area,
which has said, oh, this is what it's going to
be if it raises by so much, so much in
a certain time, and the figure that they've used as
the base model, I understand, is being challenged rather hard
(15:53):
at the moment that it's unachievable, it will never happen,
and the government are looking at that because what we've
got over in summer to hold you up over in
some if you buy a whole raur houses. Know a
developer who's done this by a whole row of houses,
and he wants to take two away and put four
in or five in. He's been told that if he
(16:14):
gets the consent and the water triggers to a certain
level right and it might be in fifty years time,
he has to or whoever lives there, has to demolish
the house and turn it back in the grass. Well,
that's the darkest thing I've ever heard in my life.
But they are the sort of things. See. Half of
the Netherlands is below sea level. The vast majority of
(16:35):
New Orleans is below river level. Stop banks and pump
stations is you know, people live with water. It's not
a new thing to.
Speaker 2 (16:45):
Us, so there's still work around it.
Speaker 3 (16:49):
I think that there's the solutions to work around things, yes,
but not fill extremely low, low lying areas up with houses.
That there is areas where it just doesn't happen. It
shouldn't happen, that's for sure, all right.
Speaker 2 (17:02):
I'll really enjoyed our cheat, appreciate time. Catch up in
a fortnite.
Speaker 3 (17:06):
You bye.
Speaker 1 (17:08):
For more from Category Mornings with John McDonald, listen live
to news talks at be Christchurch from nine am weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
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