News in brief

Mad Max does burgers

Appleby is a far cry from Thunderdome in a post-apocalyptic desert, but it does feel like a rebel from a Mad Max movie has rumbled into its midst since Anarchy Burgers parked up at Greenwood Park. One of the family members behind Anarchy Burgers, Alan Gundry, says the vehicle was built in Christchurch with a Mad Max theme, but using a 1963 Fairlane Compact lodged on top of a Dodge International. A gun turret, gas tank and the general impression of anarchy sets the scene for a business that is more about selling a decent burger.

Museum ARC secures further funding

The Nelson Provincial Museum has received a $10,000 boost to its Archive, Research, and Collection facility project from the Nelson Historical Society as part of the Society’s 70th birthday celebrations. The society’s financial support contributes to the museum’s mission to fulfill its mission to care for, strengthen, and make widely accessible, the taonga and heritage collections of Nelson Tasman. Currently, over 200,000 irreplaceable taonga and treasured objects in their collection, including a UNESCO-inscribed photographic collection, are housed in a flood-prone, leaking, and earthquake-vulnerable building riddled with asbestos. It has also recently suffered damage, which saw staff racing against the clock to rescue and protect vulnerable treasures. The new state-of-the-art facility will be housed closer to the museum on Church St, on land currently used as a car park. The total construction cost is $14.9 million, with $8.5 million of funding already secured.

Grants for cycle trail and Rainbow

Tasman Great Taste Trail has received a grant of $2,900 for its Waimea Estuary Enhancement Project, thanks to OneFortyOne. Trail Manager for Nelson Tasman Cycle Trails Trust, Belinda Crisp, says they saw an opportunity to beautify the segment last year and launched a project to shield two industrial areas from the trail using a modular fencing system. They installed 22 wooden modular sections along a 185m stretch of trail to create a visually pleasing barrier, and the grant will go towards another module. “We also intend to do further native planting to enhance the natural environment, and this is scheduled for this winter,” Belinda says. Rainbow Sports Club Inc also received a grant of $2,500 from OneFortyOne for its highway beautification project.

RSE workers’ challenging returns

Employers are facing numerous challenges as they try to book flights for Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) workers from Vanuatu - after the collapse of the country’s airline. Air Vanuatu went into voluntary liquidation earlier this month, grounding all flights and leaving 1458 workers stranded in New Zealand and the Tasman region with visas soon to expire.

Wakefield Youth Hangout

Wakefield Village Hall has become a teenage dream on Wednesday nights. Wakefield Youth Hangout is a free hub for locals in Year 9 to 13 to wind down with indoor sports, music, board games, food, and a chill out zone. The first session started this week and the hub will be open every Wednesday from 6:30pm to 8:30pm.