The following activities contribute to the essence of the community, adding value to the District by increasing access to cultural, social and recreational pursuits as well as supporting a safe and healthy community.

Much of the day to day services provided to maintain the facilities are provided for through the Townships contract with Whitestone Ltd, which has been running since 2002.  The contract encompasses township, reserves and grounds maintenance cemetery services and building inspection and maintenance.  Some services such as cleaning contracts are contracted to smaller companies and a small portion of the work is held in house.

Cemeteries

The District’s cemeteries are readily accessible to all of its residents and are attractively maintained to a high standard.  Interment fees, although recently increased, are kept at an affordable level.  Requirements for new cemeteries and expansion of existing ones are assessed from time to time. Cemetery Records are now accessible online here.

Community Centres and Halls

These cater for a wide range of activities, such as basketball, community meetings, plays, small bore rifle shooting, bridge, boys and girls clubs and so on.  Council believes these facilities fulfil an important social role in bringing the community together. Refer to our Fees and Charges page for hire details.

Libraries

The libraries at Fairlie and Twizel are run as “Community Libraries” in conjunction with the Twizel Area School and Mackenzie College.  They cater for a cross section of educational and recreational reading requirements.

Parks and Reserves

Council’s role in this area is to ensure residents have reasonable access to adequate sports facilities, parks, reserves, amenity areas and walkways and to maintain these to a satisfactory standard.

Pensioner Housing

A limited number of pensioner units are held by Council.  Council maintains the buildings and grounds, reviews tenancy agreements, leases vacant premises and monitors long-term requirements and maintenance programmes.

Public Toilets

Adequate public conveniences are provided for visitors and locals in each town.  These properly cleaned and maintained facilities contribute to a clean environment.

Swimming Pools

The pools at Fairlie and Twizel help Council promote general fitness, well-being and community spirit.  Sporting and recreational facilities play an important role in the Kiwi culture and assist in knitting communities together. 

Community Services

Council supports a range of community services that would not otherwise be viable in a District of this size.  It supports Medical Centres, Social and Information Centres and makes grants to various community groups.