Canterbury school celebrates new whare
By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter
The opening of Rangiora High School’s new whare has been a long time coming, board of trustees presiding member Simon Green says.
The school opened the $1.8 million cultural learning centre, Te Ao Mārama, with a pōwhiri last week after a nine month build.
‘‘It was fully board funded and it has been a long time coming,’’ Mr Green said.
‘‘We are embarrassed it has taken this long, but we are proud we are here and we are able to provide this nice space for students to celebrate their culture.’’
Up until now, Te Reo and kapa haka lessons have been held in an old prefab building across the road from the main school site.
Green said the next major project for board is developing a new performing arts centre for the school and wider community, while it continues to invest in the whenua (school farm).
Principal Bruce Kearney paid tribute to former principal, the late Peter Allen, who had the foresight to employ a Te Reo teacher and establish a whānau classroom for Māori students back in 1990.
‘‘We have built this in a time when it is acceptable to build things like this, whereas Peter created something we didn’t have before.’’
He described the new whare as ‘‘simplistic and beautiful’’
‘‘It is all about form and function,’’ he said.
The new building will be used as a classroom, to host performances and for functions.
‘‘Come summertime this is where we will have concerts and performances for our music and drama students,’’ Kearney said.
‘‘So it will be a performing arts centre as well, until we can build a purpose-built one.
‘‘One of the first things I said post-earthquake was we’ve got to stop building things which only open on weekdays or on Sundays.’’
Kearney said the new whare will be a space for the community, as well as the school, and for all cultures.
The 176sqm building has a fully equipped kitchen.
It can provide a classroom for 30 student desks, seat up to 100 people for performances or 40 people for dining, and 20 people sleeping.
The name, Te Ao Mārama, which means the world of enlightenment, was gifted to the school by Te Ngāi Tūāhuriri Rūnanga.
■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
What's your favourite recipe for courgettes?
Kia ora neighbours. If you've got a family recipe for courgettes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our January 2025 issue.
Railing planters
To gain extra growing space, make and hang these easy-to-build planters on almost any wooden fence or deck railing. Use Resene FX Blackboard Paint so you can easily identify what plants are in each. Find out how to create your own with these easy step by step instructions.
Waimakariri district plan faces more delays amid changing rules
By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter
Changing Government legislation is causing headaches for council staff, as Waimakariri’s new District Plan is set to be delayed again.
Waimakariri District Council development planning manager Matt Bacon said he was relieved when the last of the public hearings ended last week.
But with final council reports due on December 13, staff will have just two working days to present the final District Plan on December 17. A district plan helps to control and manage the development of the district or city.
‘‘We are working through what it looks like and we will update the council at its meeting on December 3,’’ Bacon said.
‘‘But we will likely seek another extension from the environment minister and the Resource Management Act (RMA) minister.’’
The council first notified its draft District Plan in September 2021, but within months legislation was introduced with new medium density residential housing standards (MDRS).
‘‘We needed to call for further submissions and we had to create a separate hearing panel to consider the plan variations to allow for the MDRS,’’ Bacon said.
‘‘We have tried to merge the process as much as possible, as well as looking at re-zoning and incorporating other new legislation.’’
When the draft plan was first notified there was no National Policy Statement (NPS) for Indigenous Biodiversity, but an NPS was introduced - and then replaced.
The Natural and Built Environment Act came into being last year and then repealed, and then there is the NPS on Urban Development and the Greater Christchurch Spatial Plan.
The Government is now working on more RMA reforms and Environment Canterbury is working on the Canterbury Regional Policy Statement.
And then there is the Fast-Track Approvals Bill, which includes three proposed housing developments in Waimakariri - two of them outside of the future urban development areas identified in the Greater Christchurch Spatial Plan.
All three housing developments in the Bill have been included in submissions to the District Plan, including a proposed 850-home development at Ohoka, near Rangiora, which is also subject to an Environment Court appeal.
‘‘We haven’t seen the detail, so whether it is the same proposals, we don’t know, but they are different processes so we have to just keep doing what we are doing, until we are told otherwise,’’ Bacon said.
‘‘It might just be a timing thing, but we just don’t know.’’
Bacon said delaying the District Plan until new legislation is in place is not an option.
‘‘We are looking at what we can control and having a watching brief, and we will look at transitional timings because we don’t always have to immediately change planning documents when new legislation comes in.’’
Planning manager Wendy Harris said navigating changing Government legislation is a normal part of council planning work.
‘‘If we waited we wouldn’t do anything and we would go nowhere.’’
■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Loading…
