Yes Craig Starnes and I are starters.Sparrow 04 4980804 0274 490945 tony.lines@kensingtonswan.com.
Do you know if WCC recognise the course when approving those who can saw in the town belt.?
Shall I assume we need our own chainsaw and chaps?

Hi - I am keen

iainfeist@hotmail. com

027 557 3632

Cheers,

Iain Feist

Hi - is this going ahead?

If so can someone let me know?

iainfeist@hotmail.com

027 557 36 32.

Cheers,

Iain

Is this course still happening? Are any places left?

Still ahead, I believe there are no spaces remaining, though.

WCC after enquiry advise that volunteer chainsaw operators will not be approved to use their saws for track building or to clear fallen timber blocking tracks in the town belt even if they have done a 2 day course and have chaps contrary to previous advice. They will only use contractors for this purpose.
The current by-law permits the taking by the public of exotic timber from the town belt floor, ie dead wood ,wind fell and the like, but prohibits the use of chainsaws without approval from the CEO or a delegated authority unless it is for vegetation management puposes by Council.

Health & Safety
it will be the death of initative

No, its is to stop any Tom, Dick or Harry from going in and creating almighty amount of chaos.

Jim wrote:No, its is to stop any Tom, Dick or Harry from going in and creating almighty amount of chaos.

your attitude is a common one in health and safety in nz
one of suspicion and that the worse will happen.
the people I recognise in the above blogs aren't tom, dick or harry but have spent years building single track.

The current situation in wellington as I understand it is we can't even hire hedge cutters to do track maintenane, rather I had to spend months pleasantly reminding the excellent council parks team to come and trim the tracks. And on the cards is a submission to stop all building of new tracks for 2 years because they can't care for the ones they have- as they won't let anyone help. I spent years in the H & S game, it needs to adopt an apprecative inquiry appraoch rather that forseeing chaos.

Yep you are right we wanted to do the course as Council previously advised that such a course and a requirement for wearing chaps was a prerequisite to getting approval . I bought the chaps and although I have wielded a chain saw for donkey's years was happy to do the course. But now it has all changed and it is correct they are considering banning all new track building as they dont have the maintenance budget.Already we do much of the annual maintenance but if you cant use a weed eater etc and a chain saw after trees come down in storms you are left calling them to come in.
The idea of approving some volunteers who have done the course and have the gear on application has a lot of merit when the budget is being cut.

I am fully aware of the situation, hell I am in charge of the new track being built out in the Nui. I have also liasied with HCC with regard to getting contactors to work on our track as and when we need it. I too agree with you about having, key, volenteer type contractors to assist in the clearing and maintaining of tracks by allowing them to use power tools.

It is ok saying being approved, we as track volenteers understand the situation of what needs to be done and if we see things happening we know why. It's the numptys who dont understand, do not know the history of the situation, they might see you out with a chain saw and think I can do that aswell. Chaos.

So what are the councils to do? Take the gamble and let approved Volenteers tend to the tracks and face a possible public outcry, or do a blanket ban and cover their arses as if it was incased in lead.

Personally, I prefere the first option but know that it will never happen.

Hi Ginger_Monstrosity

I appreciate that it has been almost a year since you posted this note, but it's caught my attention and I wondered if I could pick your brains about it please?

I am looking around for a chainsaw course in the Kapiti coase/Wellington area at the moment. How did you manage to arrange a course with NTA and for free??? Do you know if there are any other courses running? Where do I need to look to find out about these? Are you an employer - is that how you managed to get the course run? I have been on the NTA site but they appear to only have courses in Christchurch for lots of money....

I know a number of people who would be interested in attending such a course but am hitting dead ends everywhere. I really hope you don't mind me asking, any help would be awesome.

Thanks
Mand

keen az matey please let us no when you are running them 0221851588 cheers

paraire7 wrote: let us no when you are running them

June 2009, by the look of things.

Mand wrote:Hi Ginger_Monstrosity