In recent months our resource management manager, Steve Wilkes, has been keeping himself busy co-ordinating, on behalf of Marlborough District Council, the resource consent applications lodged by Trustpower Limited for a hydroelectric power scheme in the Wairau Valley.

The scheme proposes that water from the Wairau River be diverted through some 46 km of canals via 6 power stations to generate an annual output of 415 gigawatt hours. Construction costs will be in the order of $270million.

The proposal, which involves in excess of 300 individual resource consents, has recently come off notification. A brief analysis of the almost 1500 submissions received reveals that 63% of submitters oppose the scheme while 37% are in support. Some 40% of all submitters want to be heard in support of their submissions.

Hearings for the proposal are likely to begin in late April 2006 and run for 4 – 5 weeks.

Further information about the scheme can be found on our project case studies page.

Water for Flaxbourne?

The ochre coloured hills of the Flaxbourne area in Marlborough are a familiar sight to travellers of SH1. Tourists exclaim over how desert like the landscape is. To the west the mighty peaks of the inland Kaikouras force prevailing winds to drop what moisture they carry before they reach Flaxbourne. This is a dry area where lack of water has always been an issue.

Things, however, may be about to change. The objective of the Flaxbourne Water Enhancement Group (FWEG) is to investigate ways of supplying irrigation water to the Flaxbourne Community. The area affected by the investigation extends from Lake Grassmere in the north to the Ure River in the south.

Abel Properties Limited has been contracted as project manager by FWEG to undertake a feasibility study into irrigating the area and to ascertain landowner interest in a local community scheme.

To date APL has identified three water sources, which have the potential to supply the quantity of water required. These are the Awatere, Ure and Clarence Rivers.

APL has also just completed a round of community consultation in which it surveyed landowners within the scheme area in order to define the design parameters of the scheme.

The Survey concluded that:

• Of the 24,045 hectares within the scheme area, only around 2,538 hectares are irrigable with owners willing to commit to a community scheme, provided it is economic. The relatively low number of irrigable hectares reflects the local topography of the scheme area.

• The vast majority (90%) of landowners want water to be available during an irrigation season lasting from 1st October through till 1st May.

• Twenty one land owners, covering some 50% of the scheme area, want water at an application rate of 30m³/ha/day or more.

• 50-60% of landowners consider that a staggered approach to irrigation would best suit their current or future farm management practices.

• The majority of landowners are in favour of on-farm storage.

• The majority of farmers are in favour of the scheme being funded through a rating based system.

APL is now in the process of identifying indicative scheme costs and undertaking pump testing to quantify the water resources of the Ure River.

The banks of the Taylor River where it flows through central Blenheim at Riverside Park have been much improved in the past two years through the construction of a boardwalk, fountain and amphitheatre by Marlborough District Council.

A unique site overlooking the recent improvements has now become available and Marlborough District Council has given approval for its development into a café/restaurant.

As a result of the earlier improvements, Riverside Park has many attractive features and activities on offer and it is expected that the café/restaurant will further enhance the vibrancy of this area.

The prime location of the site, with views overlooking the Taylor River, has already attracted considerable interest from developers, even at this early stage, prior to the request for registration of interest.

Abel Properties is excited to be involved in the tendering process for the site. It is envisaged that registrations of interest will be called for in January 2006 with the closing date being the beginning of March. Council will review all registrations and create a short list. The short listed applicants will then be asked to submit their tenders for rental of the site. A bare land lease will be offered to the successful tenderer with the option to develop it as a café/restaurant.

For further details please contact Clare at Abel Properties clare@abelprop.com

The Nelson/Marlborough Institute of Technology and the Royal New Zealand Air Force got together to develop an Aviation Maintenance Programme for interested students. The programme operates from the Airforce Base at Woodbourne in Marlborough. It is run in two one year blocks and offers student accommodation at reasonable rents within the RNZAF Base Woodbourne Residential complex.

The course has attracted students from throughout New Zealand as well as overseas and the rental accommodation is in constant demand.

Abel Properties Ltd manages the student rental properties on behalf of the Nelson/Marlborough Institute of Technology. It is responsible for all aspects related to the maintenance of the buildings and grounds. As part of this responsibility it carries out fortnightly inspections to ensure the students are adhering to the required standards. General building maintenance is carried out by the RNZAF except in cases of vandalism when Abel Properties arranges for repairs to be made.

The student houses are near the Training Centre at RNZAF Base Woodbourne. They are fully furnished with three bedrooms each which means that three students are expected to share one house. Abel Properties Ltd is responsible for acquiring and furnishing new houses as they are required. At present we manage 11 houses with the expectation that this will increase to 20 houses.

Abel Properties Ltd is accessible to the students 24 hours a day, seven days a week if required.

IQP Inspections

Abel Properties Limited has recently completed the Independent Qualified Person (IQP) Inspections for buildings under our management.

Under the New Zealand Building Act 1991, Section 44 (4) (c) we are required as building owners or property managers to complete inspections in accordance with the Building Warrant of Fitness schedule issued for each building. This involves engaging a registered IQP inspector to undertake annual, and in some cases monthly, inspections of features pertaining to the buildings.

The main issues highlighted by these inspections were the need for owners/occupiers of buildings to carry out the inspections for which they are responsible and the requirement to have in place a system of inspection and reporting procedures.

The owner/occupier checks include ensuring escape routes are clear from obstructions and exit signs are in place etc. The annual inspection identifies those matters that need rectifying, while the monthly checks ensure that all requirements are met.

Undertaking these checks is not time consuming, but is an important aspect of building compliance. To assist occupiers with their inspections Abel Properties provides them with inspection sheets listing the features they need to inspect together with a simple method of recording when the inspection was carried out and what the results were.

These records are then provided to the IQP inspector to fulfill the obligations of the owner.

DESIGNATIONS?

Marlborough District Council Radio Communication Facilities are now protected

APL has just successfully acted for Marlborough District Council – Asset & Services Department to get six designations approved and adopted by Marlborough District Council.

What is a designation? A designation is a provision made in a District Plan to allow a utility provider to undertake certain works or to occupy a site for a specific purpose under specific terms (as specified by the designation).

The Designations are over essential radio-communication facilities. These facilities are the control points for many essential community functions such as:

• Control of Water Supplies
• Control of Sewer Stations
• Monitoring climatic factors
• Providing flood warning telemetry
• Control of the Southern Valleys Irrigation Scheme
• Rural fire paging
• Emergency services repeaters
• Linking between communication facilities.

The designations provide controls for the co-siting of radio-communication activities, so as to mitigate the potential effect from other radio spectrum users who have the potential to cause interference.

The designations will have the impact of securing the future use of the sites for radio and telecommunication facilities for the benefit of the Marlborough area. It is understood that Marlborough District Council is the first local authority to secure this level of protection for essential community services.

Queenstown Business Excellence Awards

It is six years ago that the last Business Excellence Awards were held in Queenstown. Not surprising then that the competition for this year’s awards was fierce. Luckily this did not deter our office in Queenstown from having a go. Our team entered a very classy application and won 3 of the top awards.

Rose Burnard won the Young Businessperson of the Year award. Rose joined our Queenstown team last year and was instrumental in securing the property management contract for Land Information New Zealand’s 1200 titles in the South Island. Rose now manages all aspects of the contract.

The second award which came our way was the New and Emerging Business award. Our Queenstown office was established in 2003 and has already built up a reputation for reliability, excellence and professionalism. This is probably why we also won our third award, coming top in the Professional Services catergory.

The awards were presented at a formal dinner held on Friday 11th November at the Millennium Hotel in Queenstown. More than 350 guests attended to see who won the Oscars of the Queenstown business world. With only one other company winning a second award and 3 of the 13 awards going to them, our team must have felt a little like New Zealand did at the Oscar ceremony where Lord of the Rings snaffled all the big prizes.

And more …

Not that these are the first awards which have come our way. The Marlborough Indoor Sports and Events Centre in Blenheim has won a national award for its Fundamental Skills activity programme. This one week programme brings physical activities and biomechnics to over 2000 Marlborough primary school children throughout the year and has been acclaimed for its innovative approach and positive results.

And another project managed by us has received an award for best facility. This is the state of the art stadium at Pettigrew Green in Hawkes Bay. Details of this project are found on our project case studies page.

Location, Location, Location

It’s been an exciting year for us, not least because we relocated to new premises at the other end of town. A good move, as the other end of town is where a lot of the pavement cafes are found.

The new building on the corner of Scott and Kinross Streets had not had any TLC bestowed on it for many years and needed some badly. Stylist and designer Janneke Bowling was brought in to assess the potential and achieved remarkable results with some very innovative ideas.

The interior was gutted and rebuilt. The new open plan design with its modern colours, river stone pillars and thoughtful layout is complemented by fine art prints, original paintings and a number of potted plants. The atmosphere is friendly, yet efficient. It encourages communication while providing everyone with a personal, spacious work area.

The move took place in May with the official opening being held in August. This gave the team plenty of time to ensure all was shipshape and brightened up the last of the cold winter months.

The opening was a great success, in fact so popular that it had to be held over 2 evenings. Over 150 people attended to wish us well and comment on the new look. Informative entertainment was provided by a continuous powerpoint presentation with sustenance provided in the form of finger food accompanied by excellent Marlborough wines.

The new premises reflect the go-ahead, professional outlook of the Company which has also been enhanced by the publication of its new website. Abel Properties Limited is working towards a successful future and is looking forward to the challenges of the new year.

At the age of 43 I decided to realise my teenage dream, the purchase of a dirt motorbike for trail riding and motocross racing.

Making a list of suitable bikes was the easy part. Convincing Jenny (the wife) that she really needed a dirt bike required a more cunning approach.

This took the form of leaving open motorcycle magazines around the house and always reading these when Jenny was in the same room. Or mentioning that dirt bike riding is one of the most intensive body workouts available (just look at all those posters of scantily clad toned bodies draped over motor bikes).

Having finally got the nod (I think), I shot off immediately to the local Yamaha dealer to look for a second hand bike. They told me I wouldn’t get a decent bike for my budget, but luckily they had a brand new one for just a little bit more. I said all the usual things, bike too expensive, have to buy riding gear etc etc. Big mistake. I was offered discount on the bike with all gear at cost plus a few bits and pieces thrown in. I feel the pressure and I just have to buy the bike.

Off home I go for a bit of groveling which got me the financial authority to go for it (there is some dispute about this), so back to the shop to do the deal. I’m now the proud owner of a Yamaha WR450F enduro bike. Every boy’s teenage dream.

You Can Always Rely on a Buddy.

Very excited as I have just picked up the bike. Took Friday off work to embark on a lengthy gravel road ride. Half way through the trip the main petrol tank runs out and I need to go onto reserve. No problem, I’ll call into the little township of Seddon just a few klicks down the road. Bad mistake. The petrol bowsers have been removed from Seddon (apparently oil companies don’t make enough profits!).

No option but to head back to Blenheim along the State Highway. Got as far as Montana (close to Blenheim but no cigar) when, sputter splutter, no engine noise. Get on the cellphone to the wife and, as usual, no answer. Mutter mutter “waste of time buying it for her”. Phone buddy at work, “Um, I need a bit of a favour”. You can always rely on a buddy, but as for the wife…!

Some Days Are Luckier Than Others.

Petrol and me just don’t seem to get along. The other day I was having a good time riding up and down the graveled Taylor Pass Road when my main tank ran dry. Turned on the reserve tank thinking I’m close to town so I won’t need much petrol to get back. First though, a few more runs up the road, cos this sure is fun.

In town I decide to go via my mate’s place. About 400 metres from his house the engine splutters. Sped up to get some momentum and put the bike into neutral. Engine cuts out and bike free wheels down the road. Whaddya know! I had enough momentum to glide into my mate’s driveway and come to a slow stop at his front door. Some days are Luckier Than Others.

The success of our athletes in international rowing events has earned the sport a lot of kudos in New Zealand in the last four years. Its popularity has rocketed and membership of school and club rowing has quadrupled.

This surge in interest has had a knock on effect. During 2004 Rowing New Zealand called for regional tenders for national high performance centres to further the sport in New Zealand. The managing director of Abel Properties Limited, Luke van Velthooven, rowed for New Zealand in 1983, 1984, 1987 and 1990 and is currently the regional Rowing New Zealand manager for the Marlborough Region. So Abel Properties naturally had to get involved in the Marlborough bid to become a high performance centre.

Marlborough has a long and productive rowing history. The Wairau River, Nelson Lakes and Marlborough Sounds provide great training water and the Marlborough community has consistently produced high quality athletes and coaches passionate about the sport. Positioned in the centre of the country with the best climate in the land, Marlborough had to be an obvious choice for a high performance centre and a bid was sent off to Rowing New Zealand.

There is however one commodity Marlborough is a little short of, a large pool of potential athletes, and the first bid was returned with a recommendation that this be addressed. Again Marlborough’s location was a bonus in that it is just across the ditch from the densely populated Wellington region with its many schools and clubs. The Marlborough bid therefore became the Central Region bid comprised of Marlborough/Nelson, Wellington and Wanganui sub-regions. This time the bid was successful and the Central Region was awarded high performance centre status with the headquarters located at the Wairau Rowing Club in Marlborough.

The other regions awarded high performance status are Auckland, Canterbury and Dunedin.

In its first season as a high performance centre, the Central Region has already achieved a lot. It has a pro-active Board which has approved a detailed and comprehensive strategic and business plan. It has employed the coaches and back up infrastructure to support these and it has a list of promising athletes which it has started training.

A lot of this work was undertaken and completed in the offices of Abel Properties Limited. Luke van Velthooven has been employed by Rowing New Zealand as the Central High Performance Centre manager. He also sits on the Management Board of the Centre. Abel Properties hosts the Board meetings and provides much of the resource required to administer the strategic and business plan. This will all contribute to the success of the Central High Performance Centre and the development of the young athletes training there.

We make no apologies for the fact that there are 2 stories in this edition of our newsletter about Steve F and his new trail bike. This one just begs to be written.

Enthusiasm is a pale word to describe Steve's passion for his new hobby. No opportunity to get out on the bike is missed. Unfortunately however, Steve had not, as yet, actually had the chance to go trail biking on his new machine. So, when he saw an ad in the local rag for a trail riding competition, he was up for it.

The event promised great things. There were to be competitions for beginners, medium and experienced riders. There were long rides, short rides, themed rides and tough rides. And it sounded like a professional outfit. There was even going to be someone vetting gear, for safety reasons Steve supposed.

With mounting anticipation Steve dialled the number given in the ad. A charming lady answered, which surprised Steve a little as he had expected a bloke. Still, these days shelias were doing a lot of blokey stuff. Not as well of course, but some of them were okay. So Steve launched into his enquiries fully confident he would get the answers he was looking for.

It went well. The woman certainly knew her stuff and Steve was kept busy scribbling down details of the meet. There was a strange silence when Steve answered 450 to a question about how many horses he was riding, but the sheila was probably just impressed. She did seem to make a bit of a thing about the vetting though. Steve had never heard of anyone needing a certificate before. It was getting so you had to have a certificate to get out of bed these days. Never mind, after 20 minutes of a lot of talking on his part, Steve had what he needed. It was going to be a blast.

The day of the trial ride was a beauty. The Marlborough climate had come good again. The sun blazed out of a blemish free blue sky, giving that coruscating, shimmering light seen nowhere else in the world. Boy Steve felt good. Checking that he had all the gear the sheila had told him was required (strange rule about the gumboots though), Steve revved up the bike, waved the missus goodbye and was off with a roar on his adventure.

His bike was singing sweetly over the tarmac while Steve bellowed out a less harmonious tune in the saddle. The trail ride was being held at Lake Grassmere and it was a neat ride up through the Dashwood Pass, over the Awatere and through Seddon. Tappie's snow covered flanks gleamed in the sun and the air was fizzy with Steve's excitement.

Following the signs to the start of the ride Steve began to wonder why he wasn't seeing fellow bikers congregating on the spot. Was he late? Cresting the last brow of the dirt track he was relieved to see cars and activity ahead. With a whoop he roared among them and pulled up with a flourish.

Sixty pairs of angry eyes glared at him from under riding caps while the sound of terrified whinnying rent the air. A sinking feeling told Steve he had made a terrible mistake.

Our in house artist has immortalised the APL team in a Christmas card with a difference this year.

We’re a neat looking bunch ….