GDC to consult over playground sales

The Gore District Council has changed its stance on the future of three of the town’s playgrounds and has voted consult over their future, with a view to selling them.

The future of the community playgrounds at Sword St, Moa Place and Merlin Place/Broughton St have been in question since planning for the $370,000 Gore Kids Hub playground began.

That playground would be given to the council when it was completed and be maintained by parks and recreation staff.

The council voted at a meeting last week to instigate a public consultation process to dispose of the playgrounds.

A report from council chief executive Stephen Parry, which was tabled at the meeting, said once the playground was completed, ‘‘there appears to be little reason why the council should retain three small neighbourhood playgrounds that are located in close proximity’’.

The Sword St playground has a rating land valuation of $94,000, Moa Place $121,000 and Merlin Place/Broughton St report says.

Gore District Council parks and recreations manager Ian Soper said ‘‘further dialogue’’ needed to take place before public consultation began and he was unsure when that would happen.

The vote indicates a change of direction for the council over the future of the playgrounds.

Soper said in January 2016 that $84,000, the the reserves would remain but the play equipment on them would be reviewed ‘‘in due course.’’

‘‘The equipment on them has been in place for a time frame that is probably exceeding their life cycle. That’s not to say the equipment won’t be maintained and kept safe in the meantime, it just won’t be replaced when the time comes, Soper said.

At that time, he said the savings to ratepayers in maintaining one big playground instead of three small ones would be minimal.

‘‘We’ll take over the Kids Hub playground checks. The monitoring costs are minimal monthly to bi-monthly. We do a full annual inspection and that’s not too onerous but it gives us a record of the functionality.’’

Pateke released in sound

Twenty pateke/brown teal have been released on to Resolution Island in Dusky Sound, Fiordland. Department of Conservation principal ranger of biodiversity Lindsay Wilson said the aim was to establish Dusky Sound’s first wild pateke population since they became locally extinct in the late 19th century. The pateke will be monitored for up to two weeks postrelease and once a month during their first year. If the population settles into their new home, it is likely that more pateke will be moved to Resolution Island.

March for Maternity

A march is being held to protest against the closure of the Lumsden Maternity Centre today, from 2pm in Te Anau. A mum of a 7-month-old boy, Jennifer Haslam, of Te Anau, said it was disappointing to see the centre could close especially after the recent closure of the Tuatapere Maternity Unit. Haslam organised the march to voice the communities opposition to the closure, she said. The march will start at the Fiordland Medical Practice car park for a brief march through the town to Takahe lakefront. A decision on the future of the centre is expected on July 31.

Police seek missing man

Southern district police are seeking sightings of 34-year-old Rory Phimister who has not been seen since yesterday afternoon. Police say Phimister’s disappearance is out of character. He was last seen in Hampden wearing a grey T-shirt, blue jeans and Converse type shoes with a white toe cap.