David Bruce

The historic Mill House at Waianakarua will become a new venue for artists and crafts people to sell their wares at a monthly fair which starts tomorrow.

The sale of 1000ha of forest for $4.26 million by the Waimate District Council is another step closer after the Overseas Investment Office gave Blakely Pacific approval to buy.

Six people have been appointed to a new committee meant to ensure the community has more input into the use of water in the lower Waitaki catchment and Waimate district.

The Waitaki District Council wants to get tough on people who dump both domestic and business rubbish in council litter bins.

Future development in the Mackenzie Basin and its environs, including Omarama and Ohau areas, is to be the focus of a symposium at Twizel in November being planned by four environmental groups.

A carrot-and-stick approach will be used to stop freedom campers dumping litter and effluent.

Parents of babies living in the Waitaki district from next month can be more environmentally conscious under a new subsidy scheme for cloth nappies being launched by the Waitaki District Council.

Wataki residents can now get a health warrant of fitness from Oamaru Hospital, instead of going out of town and probably paying more.

Anglers have the chance to tell their fishy stories, which may eventually be included in a booklet, through an event being planned by the Oamaru Library as part of Victorian Heritage Week celebrations from November 17 to 21.

Stormwater and sewerage systems in Oamaru and Weston will come under the spotlight over the next two months in a Waitaki District Council investigation.

Duntroon wants to be ready to cater for thousands of cyclist when the Alps 2 Ocean cycle trail opens.

Criminals in the Palmerston area may soon be caught on camera.

The organisation leading Canterbury's civil defence efforts in the wake of the 7.1-magnitude earthquake on September 4 and the aftershocks is itself facing millions of dollars of costs.