I’m looking forward to a field trip on Monday when Councillors will get to see one of the largest and most complex fish screens in the southern hemisphere. And it is in our patch, on the side of the Rangitata River at Klondyke.

Water from the river is drawn under consent into the Rangitata Diversion Race, which distributes it for hydrogeneration, irrigation and stockwater use around the Ashburton District. That water helps ensure our farmers have a buffer against drought and can reliably deliver their crops to market, in New Zealand and around the world.

The new fish screen looks a bit like a bullet train. It has seven separate cylinders covered with fine mesh and they rotate to keep young salmon, trout and native fish in the river and out of the diversion race. The screen is also an essential part of the consent to take water, which is vital for our economy as well as the ecosystem of the Rangitata River.

Council has a share in the company that manages the race and the fish screen is being shown to a wide range of stakeholders and interested parties this week and next, culminating in a public open day on Sunday 10 April.

I encourage you to take a look, as this fish screen may possibly lead the way for other fish screens around New Zealand and while it was made in Australia, it has been put together onsite by an Ashburton company, Grant Hood Contracting.

The RDR was built 80 years ago in Depression times to stimulate agriculture and remarkably it remains an important piece of plumbing for our district as we move to a future where climate change and protecting the environment have a big focus.

A completely different era we are hoping to see the back of soon is the Covid-19 pandemic.

While case numbers are dropping and restrictions are easing, the virus is here to stay and will hopefully evolve over time into nothing more serious than a cold for most people.

Thank you to everyone for playing their part in the past two years, for working their essential jobs, for staying home when asked, for masking up, and getting vaccinated and boosted – this has helped our wider community.

We are seeing a move to more normal times with the end of vaccine passes and compulsory QR code scanning. But don’t delete the app from your phone … these are early days yet and Nature often has a trick or two up her sleeve.