Sept 2010 - Newsletter, September 2010

19 September 2010

Ongoing works

Awatea Basins
It is great to see that the Awatea Basin earthworks are nearing completion. The diggers are still working at the southern end of the basins and this fill is being reused in Stage One to level the area. These works have been slower than first anticipated due to the weather, but now that the sun is shining work is picking up and we should soon be back on schedule.

Cecil Hill
Cecil Hill is coming along really well. The sewer and stormwater services are progressing steadily, while kerb and channel work on the roads is due to start shortly. This work will really begin to define the neighbourhood. As the weather continues to improve work should progress swiftly with the earthworks being completed and the grass sown. Installation of further services will also be completed. It is anticipated that construction will be completed by early December 2010.

Corsair Drive / Springs Road Junction
In anticipation of growth at Wigram Skies, Ngai Tahu Property is installing new traffic lights at the corner of Corsair Drive and Springs Road. This work will greatly improve the efficiency and safety of the junction. Work started on 26 July and is expected to last 10 weeks.

Show Village
The building of the show village in Cecil Hill will commence in November. A total of nine show homes will be built by Golden Homes, Mike Greer Homes, Orange Homes and Peter Ray Homes. For further information on buying sections within this neighbourhood, please contact Dene Maddren on 0800 944 726 or 021 622 749.

Sioux Avenue
Connetics are currently undertaking work within Sioux Avenue where they are bringing in a new power supply from Springs Road.

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Awatea Basin planting

Totara and South Island kowhai trees are at the heart of the Awatea Basin landscaping.

Totara (Podocarpus totara) is one of New Zealand's native conifers which once grew in the drier soils of the Canterbury Plains. At Papanui Bush there was a totara-dominated forest until it was felled for timber in the mid-1800s.

At Awatea Basin, totara trees have been planted in small groves. In time, the trees will provide a dramatic backdrop, and a food resource for native birds, such as fantail piwakawaka, grey warbler riorio, brown creeper pipipi, tomtit komiromiro, wood pigeon kereru, bellbird korimako and tui.

The South Island kowhai (Sophora microphylla) has also adapted to our drier soil types. Not only will the kowhai provide an attractive display of colour when in-flower, but it is New Zealand's only tree species that provides a year-round food source for forest birds.

Along all waterways within the Basin, dense plantings of native grasses, large growing forest trees, and shrubs will emphasise the stream corridors.

The forest trees include more totara, along with matai (Prumnopitys taxifolia) and hinau (Elaeocarpus dentatus); two of the favourite foods of wood pigeons.

The shrub plantings are dominated by native shrubs which have densely tangled branches thought to have once protected the leaves from browsing moa.

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Profile: the people behind Wigram Skies

Jerry Schutte
Senior Surveyor - Eliot Sinclair

Jerry is part of the team responsible for the sub-division plans and engineering plans for Wigram Skies. It's a job that demands the ability to keep in mind the big picture while plotting the location of details like manhole covers and kerbing. "You've got to begin with the whole, then break it down into parts - not work the other way round."

Eliot Sinclair developed the digital model for Wigram Skies and provides the data to the contractor that determines the precise movements of the enormous GPS-directed earthmoving equipment.

Jerry has been with the company since he left school - adding to his qualifications through night courses at polytech. "I chose it because it has a combination of outdoors and indoors work", Jerry says.

He says it's very satisfying to know that he’s not only helping provide sections but a high quality community.