Mid-Canterbury cemetery cleanup to be fast-tracked
From local democracy reporter Adam Burns:
Clean up of a storm-tossed cemetery site in Mid-Canterbury has been signed off by district councillors after severe winds caused tens of thousands of dollars worth of damage.
The Methven Cemetery, located 500 metres from the Methven town centre, has been branded a hazardous environment after high winds thrashed the Ashburton district in September.
It has been unable to be used due to risk of further falling trees, and extensive debris at the site is now waiting to be disposed of.
The weather event also destroyed a section of a newly installed walkway, although the trees coming down had opened up the cemetery to more sunlight.
The work was expected to cost $90,000, but the Methven Cemetery’s operational budgets were underspent by the Ashburton District Council by more than $40,000 over the previous two years.
Councillors approved funding of the cleanup at last week's council meeting, in accordance with pre-existing plans to expand the cemetery site, but not before councillors quibbled over the dollars.
Some councillors believed the council should be able to fund the work through its existing budgets rather than the community footing the bill.
Councillor Stuart Wilson said the council's parks and recreation programme should be able to cope with funding the clea-up.
"Have parks and recreations ever thought about living within their budget," he said.
Open spaces manager Ian Soper said it was a "leftfield and unforeseen" weather event, and unbudgeted, which had caused the issue.
Urban councillor Leen Braam suggested some councillors were being too choosy when it came to funding the cleanup.
"We've been paying a lot of money for floods and roading and farmers and that was a natural event as well and here we have a natural event with trees falling over and all of a sudden its open spaces' problem.
"To me that is not right."
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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
www.humansofchch.org......
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