The Grinch has not stolen the Waitaki’s Christmas, after its district council yesterday agreed to spend $57,000 on three new artificial trees for the region. The spend had proven controversial, some locals questioning why the WDC needed to switch from its traditional natural trees to plastic imitators, while others asked if such expenditure of ratepayer money was necessary. "The reality is that putting formerly live trees up for a while, many of them are of marginal quality and don’t last particularly well. The main tree, to be sited in Oamaru, was 10m tall, with smaller trees for Kurow and Palmerston. Councillor Melanie Tavendale said council staff put a great deal of effort into the district’s Christmas displays and were regularly blasted for it.

Source: Otago Daily Times August 25, 2020 17:03 UTC