Car parks a scarce commodity for shoppers in Rangiora CBD
From reporter Tatiana Gibbs:
“It’s really hard to find a park,” is a sentence business owners Miles and Tracey Ashley believe they hear from every second customer.
The pair owns The Feed Shack – a pet supplies store – in Rangiora’s central township and are worried they could be “out of business within weeks” because only a handful of car parks are available to customers.
Between the parking situation and roadworks to improve water infrastructure, put down new paving, and install street furniture and lighting, the Ashleys say their store is barely accessible.
The three-month revamp has wiped out 90% of their usual trade, but the couple said it’s only been the tip of the iceberg, because the car parking spots meant for customers have been taken up by staff and employees in the CBD area for years.
“If a customer can't park within a reasonable distance... they’ll go elsewhere,” Miles said
Their pet store has been on Good St since 2019, and early into their ownership Miles noticed a significant number of the free two-hour parking spots on their road and neighbouring Blake St were taken up by the same cars each time.
He has since worked out that they're used by nearby workers.
“I can point out cars that are employees from the New World, or employees from a café, [and] they're not there just some of the time. They’re there virtually five days a week, all day, in a two-hour car park consistently.”
Tracey said they drive into work and park a 5-10 minute walk away from the store to not be “a part of the problem”, and “allow customers the potential to get out of their vehicle to spend”.
But when she gets to work before opening time at 9am, the “bulk” of the car parks have already been taken before potential customers get a chance, which she said puts “tremendous stress” on their ability to get people in the door.
More than three years on and multiple emails asking for more regular ticketing patrolling later, it’s only gotten worse, said Miles, because “the enforcement actions from the council were abysmal”.
Responses to their emails informed them the Waimakariri District Council enforcement staff have the entire wider region to cover.
“Where's the action if it’s a priority?” Tracey said. “No results in three years is just failure.”
The Waimakiriri District Council said there are 96 limited time zone car parks available on Blake St, that adjoins Good St, and regular monitoring suggests that there haven’t been any changes to the number of notices issued in this car park recently.
“Several complaints were raised about over stayers at the Blake St car park in 2020, which resulted in increased monitoring, and all nearby businesses were informed about the use of the car park at the time,” a council spokesperson said.
Tracey said it was only a “short term improvement” then, and has remained an ongoing issue.
“They’re not ticketing enough to turn over those car parks meant for customers.”
The pair urge employees in the area to abide by parking zone limits, claiming each car park unusable is potentially thousands of revenue for the township’s central businesses lost.
“Simply car parking just isn't available and now there's shops on the street struggling,” Miles said.
Further roadworks on Blake St have “reduced” on street parking while a water main is replaced, which is expected to be finished by the end of the month, the council said.
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Hero
“I was born and raised in war. To be honest, those are not good memories.
I really like Iran, and I really miss it, but I couldn’t be myself there. Even though my family didn’t like my decision, I left Iran. I promised myself that I would do whatever I can for all communities, especially for the kids, so they do not have the same experience I had.
I studied software engineering in Iran and left in 2006. I went to Malaysia and stayed in Kuala Lumpur for seven years. I was admitted to Lincoln University to do my PhD here, but unfortunately, I couldn’t afford the expenses. I requested a scholarship, but they told me I had to be there for six months first. So, I stayed in Malaysia and did my PhD in network security. In December 2013, I came to New Zealand with a work visa.
It took me a while to connect with the Iranian community here. I volunteered with the Multicultural Council, SPCA, and community patrol, and I established the Christchurch Iranian Society in 2017. Before that, I started working on Radio Toranj, the only Farsi-language radio show in New Zealand.
One of the reasons I started organizing cultural events was to showcase Iranian culture. I wanted to show people that we have delicious food, colorful dresses, traditional customs, and our own instruments. My hope was to show people that we are not what you see in the media.
I am working to involve all the communities that celebrate Nowruz, the Persian New Year, in the Nowruz festival in March 2025. We want to share this celebration not only with our community but with the public as well. It’s better when it’s shared.
I remember the first time someone from Dunedin called me and asked, Hero, can you help? Something happened, and they keep declining Iranian visa applications. When I heard that, I felt insulted. We are still human, so how can they do that?
Through this journey, I’ve learned a lot. Every single day, people with different cases call me, and I try to share my knowledge and guide them as much as I can.
I have received several awards, including the Christchurch Civic Award and an Award of Recognition for my contributions to the community during the pandemic. In 2021, I established Canterbury Kia Ora Academy, a charitable trust. Through this charity, I can help other communities as well, not just the Iranian community.”
- Hero
View more stories, or nominate someone: @humansofchch
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