Council Alerts
This page shows 'alerts' the Council has published as media statements regarding COVID-19. At times we may publish other alerts here that are important to our residents, for example road closures due to flooding. If you wish to only see COVID-19 updates, filter by COVID-19.
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Roading update 24 July 2021
Roading update as at 4.30 pm
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Marlborough Weather Event Update 24 July
Recovery efforts are continuing this weekend with roading and river stop bank repairs being carried out today.
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Roading update 23 July 2021
Roading update as at 5.00 pm.
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Marlborough Does the Mahi
If a region could be measured by the compassion of its residents, Marlborough would be off the scale, says Marlborough Mayor John Leggett.
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State of Local Emergency extended in Marlborough
The state of local emergency has been extended until 12.20 pm on Saturday 31 July in Marlborough.
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Sports parks closed until further notice
Sports parks, with exception of Lansdowne Park Netball Courts and College Park Hockey Turf, are closed until further notice due to weather conditions.
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Stop Banks Off Limits to Vehicles - Selmes Road to SH1
Marlborough’s stopbank system and river reserves from Selmes Road to State Highway 1 (SH1), and covering all roads in between, are now off limits for vehicles.
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The Diversion closed until next week
The Diversion has also been closed until further assessment next week
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Beaver road footbridge
The Beaver road footbridge over the Taylor has moved during the flood and will be closed till next week
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Mayoral Relief Fund to assist regional storm recovery
Marlborough Mayor John Leggett has established a Mayoral Relief Fund to assist the region in its storm recovery effort following the weekend’s event.
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Sports parks closed until further notice
Sports parks, with exception of Lansdowne Park Netball Courts, are closed until further notice due to weather conditions.
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Marlborough Weather Event Update 22 July
Marlborough’s recovery effort is continuing with agencies and contractors working hard to connect communities still isolated.
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Marlborough Weather Event Update 21 July
The team at Marlborough’s Emergency Operations Centre is keeping an eye on a small, fast moving weather system expected to bring rain to Marlborough this evening.
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Sports parks closed until further notice
Sports parks, with exception of Lansdowne Park Netball Courts, are closed until further notice due to weather conditions.
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Bailey bridge to be installed at Waihopai Valley Road
Marlborough District Council has confirmed that a temporary Bailey bridge will be installed at Waihopai Māori Ford, until a new bridge can be built.
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Awatere Water Supply turbidity event
Saturday's rain event has caused high turbidity (silty water) in the Black Birch catchment.
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Boil water notice for Wairau Valley
A boil water notice for the Wairau Valley water supply on Saturday and currently remains in place.
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Marlborough weather event update 20 July
Marlborough’s recovery from the weekend’s storm continues, with the focus remaining firmly on residents and communities, particularly in areas where some people are still isolated.
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Havelock sewer pipes repaired - stay out of water until it clears
The sewer pipe in Havelock along Mahakipawa Road to the oxidation ponds was damaged during the flooding.
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Marlborough weather event update 19 July 2021
Marlborough’s recovery from the weekend’s storm is underway with the focus firmly on residents and communities, particularly in the Marlborough Sounds, where many people are still isolated.
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Queen Charlotte Drive
Work is continuing along Queen Charlotte Drive to make the road passable and safe for users. Queen Charlotte Drive is closed today.
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Marlborough weather event update
“Many local roads are still closed or have limited access for residents and emergency services only,” said Marlborough’s Deputy Mayor Nadine Taylor.
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SH1 to reopen from midday; all residents can return to their homes
Evacuees are being reunited with vehicles stranded along SH1 between Picton and Blenheim.
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Sports parks closed until further notice
Sports parks, with exception of Lansdowne Park Netball Courts, are closed due to weather conditions.
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Evacuation underway for Tuamarina township
All of Tuamarina township near Blenheim has also been advised to evacuate due to a breached stop bank.
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Evacuation underway for Spring Creek township
All of Spring Creek township near Blenheim has been advised to evacuate due to an overtopping stop bank.
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SH1 Wairau River bridge is closed, further evacuations advised
The State Highway 1 bridge over the Wairau River has just been closed. The river is running very high, just under the structure.
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Evacuation - an area of Lower Wairau
Residents are being requested to evacuate an area of the Lower Wairau.
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Emergency declared in Marlborough
A state of local emergency was declared at 12.20pm today by Marlborough’s Deputy Mayor Nadine Taylor.
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Renwick Lower Terrace residents advised to evacuate
Residents of the Lower Terrace in Renwick are being advised to evacuate their properties and stay with family or friends for the next 24 hours.
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Heavy rainfall expected to bring flooding to Marlborough
The best plan for the weekend is staying home and off the roads, particularly tomorrow, Saturday.
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Water main shut down - Seaview area and Marama Rd
On Tuesday 6th July the Marama Rd trunk water main will be shut down from 9am until 3pm to enable three water leak repairs.
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Air Quality NES Exceedances
The NES for PM10 allows the threshold of 50 µg m-3 to be exceeded on no more than 1 day per 12 month period. These exceedances mean the NES has been breached on four occasions in Blenheim in 2021.
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Parker Street - Blenheim Sewer Upgrade
Schick Civil Construction are installing two new gravity sewer lines along Parker Street, so please expect disruption for the next eight weeks approximately.
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Muller Road services upgrade
Investigation works are nearing completion and digging will start this coming Monday in Muller Road as part of a significant services upgrade in Blenheim.
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TEAM recovery work programme enters second phase
Phase 2 of TEAM’s programme is underway with a refreshed governance group focused on the affected sectors, under the leadership of Councillor Mark Peters.
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Marlborough District Council services at Alert Level 2
Under Alert Level 2, please adhere to 2m physical distancing at all Council facilities including libraries, customer services centres, parks, Marlborough Airport and waste facilities.
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Funding welcomed for library and art gallery development
Mayor John Leggett has warmly welcomed today’s announcement of $11m in infrastructure funding for the new Marlborough District Library and Art Gallery planned for Blenheim’s CBD.
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Two hours free parking extended until 30 September
Councillors have agreed to extend the two hours of free parking in Blenheim and Picton until 30 September.
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Council adopts Annual Plan
Marlborough District Council adopted its 2020-2021 Annual Plan today, setting a rates increase of 1.88%.
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Resource consent applications maintained through lockdown
Despite the COVID-19 lockdown, the first 22 weeks of the year have been busy for the Council Resource Consents Team. Over this time the Council received 395 resource consent applications.
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Mayor welcomes Picton ferry precinct fast tracking
Marlborough Mayor John Leggett has welcomed today’s Government announcement that the Picton Ferry Precinct Redevelopment Project is in the COVID-19 Recovery (Fast Track Consenting) Bill.
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COVID-19 Support grants for community organisations
The Planning, Finance and Community Committee allocated emergency funding to a range of Marlborough community organisations to help them get through the COVID-19 crisis.
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Marlborough’s initial economic recovery response plan unveiled
A first phase economic recovery response plan has been released detailing 60 projects and initiatives to offset the initial impacts of COVID-19 on Marlborough businesses and jobs.
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Council reception reopens at reduced hours
Council’s reception reopened its office doors in Blenheim this morning with reduced hours of 10.00 am to 4.00 pm and a different way of working.
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Two hours free parking until 30 June
At this morning’s Council meeting, Councillors decided to offer two hours free parking in all of the Council’s car park spaces in Blenheim and Picton until 30 June.
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Top restaurant shares re-opening tips
Leading Marlborough restaurant owner Liz Buttimore is hearing some local food outlets are confused or worried they will get the rules wrong in reopening under Level 2 restrictions.
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Marlborough District Council services at Alert Level 2
With the switch to Alert Level 2 on Thursday 14 May, a number of Council services will reopen. There will still be some restrictions at our libraries and customer services centres.
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Shots in the arm for Marlborough businesses
A campaign to ‘support local and buy local’ and another to get early domestic visitors back to our region are in a package of COVID-19 economic recovery projects recommended to councillors this week.
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New roading contract gets underway in the midst of COVID-19
The seven-year roading contract in Marlborough that was awarded as a 50/50 joint venture between Fulton Hogan and HEB Construction officially started on 1 April.
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Resource consent demand drives duty planner service improvements
Marlborough District Council’s Duty Planner Service helps people who are applying for a resource consent to understand the Resource Management Act’s requirements for their project.
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Further support for ratepayers agreed
Today’s Planning, Finance and Community Committee meeting discussed a range of measures to help ratepayers whose finances may have been affected by the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Final call for Annual Plan feedback
With just five days to go before submissions close on this year’s 2020-21 Annual Plan Update, Council is encouraging Marlburians to have their say.
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Marlborough District Council services at Alert Level 3
As we switch to Alert Level 3 on Tuesday 28 April, a number of Council services will be restarting. Some services will remain closed however, including public toilets and playgrounds.
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Stay home this Anzac weekend
The Marlborough Harbourmaster is urging people to stay home, and not to head out on the boat or visit the bach this Anzac weekend.
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Boosted Community Grants Fund opens
A total of $500,000 is available this year to sports, recreation, heritage, environment, arts, culture, social services and welfare organisations.
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Marlborough’s economic recovery from COVID-19 gears up
The new group to lead Marlborough’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 crisis has been formed, held its first meeting (via Zoom) and started work.
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Mayor thanks wine industry
Marlborough Mayor John Leggett has praised the local wine industry for successfully handling the 2020 vintage under the extreme circumstances created by COVID-19.
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Message from Mayor John Leggett – stay home this long weekend
Mayor John Leggett is urging Marlburians to stay home, stay local and stay safe this Easter weekend.
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Marlborough recovery: infrastructure to lead the way
Marlborough District Council has a key role to play in countering and recovering from the serious economic effects of the international COVID-19 crisis.
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Marlborough District Libraries direct to you
Marlborough District Libraries may be closed but there are thousands of ebooks, audiobooks, magazines, newspapers and more for Marlburians to access online.
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Keep dogs in your bubble and on a lead
Whether you’ve got two legs or four, if you’re out exercising with your family, all members, including your dog, need to stay in your ‘bubble’.
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Don’t flush your wet wipes
Council Operations and Maintenance Engineer Stephen Rooney is urging people not to flush wet wipes down the toilet.
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Wither Hills and Victoria Domain mountain bike parks to close
Following recent rainfall and discussion with the Marlborough Mountain Bike Club, Council has decided to close mountain bike parks in Blenheim’s Wither Hills Farm Park and Picton’s Victoria Domain.
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Council support to get Marlborough through COVID-19
Mayor John Leggett says this week’s full Council meeting on Thursday will offer a range of measures to help Marlborough get through the COVID-19 crisis in the short and longer term.
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Use kerbside services, don’t visit the transfer stations
Residents in Blenheim and Picton are urged to use the kerbside rubbish and recycling services rather than traveling to transfer stations.
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Observe the lockdown and save lives – Mayor John Leggett
Marlborough Mayor John Leggett is urging everyone to observe the COVID-19 lockdown for the sake of the community.
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Don’t take the boat and don’t go to the bach
The Marlborough Harbourmaster, Port Marlborough, Police and many of New Zealand’s authorities are telling boaties not to try to take vessels out on to the water during the Level 4 COVID-19 response.
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Marlborough bus services update
Off-peak bus services in Blenheim, Picton and Renwick will continue to operate as normal, while commuter services have been cancelled until further notice.
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Rubbish and recycling services during the COVID-19 event
With immediate effect due to COVID-19, some changes in rubbish and recycling services supplied by council will apply.
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Some Blenheim and Renwick commuter bus services cancelled
As a result of staff shortages brought about by COVID-19 work restrictions, Blenheim commuter and Renwick commuter bus services have, with immediate effect, been cancelled until further notice.
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Council focuses on lifeline services as country locks down on COVID-19
Marlborough District Council is completing its planned transition to the provision of critical lifeline services, and moving most of its non-critical staff to working from home.
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Marlborough library services update
Marlborough District Library, Blenheim and Picton Library and Service Centre are closed as a precaution to slow the spread of COVID-19.
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Council announces closure of public facilities
Marlborough District Council has confirmed today that many of Marlborough’s community facilities will be closed to the public as a precaution to slow the spread of COVID-19.
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Marlborough Pandemic Group update
The Marlborough Pandemic Group met again today to discuss the COVID-19 crisis and share the latest information about the economic challenges now facing the Marlborough region.
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Council eyes rates freeze in light of COVID-19
This morning’s Planning, Finance and Community (PFC) Committee discussed a range of agenda items, including Council’s response to the threat of COVID-19.
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Marlborough District Council responds to COVID-19
Marlborough District Council has taken a close look at its services and operations to ensure they are ready in case the coronavirus develops in the Marlborough community.
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COVID-19 - Events at Council’s parks and reserves
If there are less than 500 attendees and the event organisers have a health and safety management plan that aligns with current Ministry of Health guidelines for COVID-19, they can go ahead.