Gore council backs dog ranger
Gore District mayor Tracy Hicks says his council backs its dog ranger after an outpouring of anger on social media criticising the way the ranger does his job.
‘‘Personally, I have no issue with the job he is doing. He’s doing a job that the council have asked him to do and that is dealing with problem dogs.’’
The council posted a message on its Facebook page on Thursday about a post by a former council employee featuring a video and comments from an incident about a year ago.
The post by the former employee, which has been widely circulated, is highly critical of the council’s dog ranger.
Several people replied to the initial post also saying they had had negative experiences with dog control.
In April, council regulatory and planning general manager Ian Davidson-Watts said the dog control officer had been wearing a body camera for about 14 months.
‘‘When dealing with dog owners, some situations can become quite emotive, which can lead to conflicting accounts of what happened.’’
The dog control officer works alone a lot of the time and Davidson-Watts said he believed the body camera had acted as a deterrent since the officer started wearing it.
Footage from the body camera has proved helpful. Most of the footage is deleted each week, but some is kept as required.
Hicks said on Friday that some of the comments on the council’s Facebook page had been disturbing but there had also been some ‘‘really good stuff’’ for council to learn from.
‘‘There is a need as an organisation for us to look at how we deal with things.
‘‘Council has been concerned for some time about how we can do better. We’ve always taken a regulatory approach but now we should look at a more holistic, educational approach, where we encourage good ownership.’’
The council is developing a dog control action plan which focuses on working with dog owners to deliver advice, information, incentives and support for responsible dog ownership while also ensuring public safety.
Dog owners were invited to be part of a working party and could contact the council if they would like to be involved.
Hicks had not seen support for a dog park in Gore before but he was keen to see one established.
‘‘That needs to be in the mix. Dogs need to be exercised and socialised. I’ve been a dog owner for 40 years; I know that they are part of the family.’’
Train v truck
Three people suffered minor injuries following crash between a train and a logging truck in south Invercargill yesterday. A police spokesman said the crash was reported at 11.11am, and happened at a level crossing on Lake St, off Bluff Highway. Police, fire crews and St John staff attended. St John spokesman Gerard Campbell said the injured people were taken to Southland Hospital.
Court appearance
Two men were expected to appear in the Invercargill District Court yesterday, following their arrest at an incident on Sunday night. A 26-yearold man was arrested on charges of driving while disqualified, meth and cannabis charges, and possessing a non-approved psychoactive substance. A 29-year-old man was arrested on similar charges, as well as for breach of community work.
Nominations open
Dairy Women’s Network is putting the call out for the next inspiring industry leader. Nominations open for the 2018 Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year Award on September 11. This is the seventh year for the prestigious award which celebrates the outstanding leadership of women in the business of dairy.
Pool delay
The opening of Wanaka’s new $12.2 million swimming pool has been delayed again, this time until May next year. Earlier completion targets were for October, and then the end of March. The Queenstown Lakes District Council said the pool was ‘‘50 per cent complete’’. Building frames should be erected within the next few weeks. Cook Brothers Construction business development director, Simon Glass, said the team was ‘‘working hard to bring [the project] back on track’’. The existing pool will continue to operate until the new pool opens.
Shorter Motatapu
The Motatapu Xterra triathlon in Queenstown has replaced its 15km run leg with an 8.5km trail run, which can also be done as a stand-alone event. The run leg will take athletes along the Sawpit Gully loop track in Arrowtown. Race director Danielle Sherman said the change made both events more achievable to a wider participant base, but still presented a tough challenge for all.
Wanaka chefs
Wanaka real estate agents Chris and Rebecca Wright will feature in the new season of My Kitchen Rules on TVNZ. The reality cooking show is judged by celebrity chefs Pete Evans and Manu Feildel, from the Australian edition of the show. The season begins on September 25 on TVNZ2.
Burnoff got out of control
Firefighters spent several hours battling an out-of-control blaze next to the Remarkables Ski Area access road and will assess the scene in the morning. Several rural fire crews had worked to extinguish the burnoff with the help of helicopters with monsoon buckets yesterday afternoon. A Fire and Emergency NZ spokesman said a ‘‘controlled burnoff’’ jumped the boundaries of the farmer’s property and spread.
Another royal expected
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have announced that they are expecting their third child. The Queen and members of both families are delighted with the news. As with her previous two pregnancies, The duchess is suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum. She is being cared for at Kensington Palace.