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942 days ago

Councillors warned of popular but expensive public transport option

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from The Press

From local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
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The MyWay public transport trial in Timaru is being deemed a success, but Ashburton councillors have been warned that success comes with a big price tag.

Deputy mayor Liz McMillian asked Environment Canterbury (ECan) earlier this month how a similar trial of the on-demand public transport service would work in Ashburton.

Mid-Canterbury’s ECan councillor, Ian Mackenzie, said the service was popular but expensive.

“It has been popular with the people of Timaru but it is a very expensive service. It’s substantially higher, and the patronage to date isn’t enough to justify any of the government funding models.

“If Ashburton wanted to proceed with a MyWay type service the cost, because of the population here would be substantially higher than it is in Timaru, and it is already substantially higher than their previous service.”

MyWay was an on-demand public transport service that responded to passengers' pre-booked pick-up locations and destinations and replaced the fixed route services, aside from a link and school services.

The MyWay service in Timaru had a total targeted rate of $1.2 million, after the grant from Waka Kotahi.

ECan deputy chairperson and South Canterbury councillor Peter Scott said in Timaru the patronage was still increasing which was why the trial had been continued.

Scott said there were some big issues if a similar trial was something Ashburton was to pursue.

“We would probably need to strike a [public transport] rate for Ashburton if it was to start,” Scott said.

“The other issue is that Waka Kotahi have put a hold on any further development of a MyWay type model basically because of how successful it has been.

“Selwyn are pretty keen to do it and other areas in New Zealand are pretty keen to do it. They have called for a continuation of the trial, as a trial, until at least 2023.

“We are unsure whether we will be funded past the end of the next financial year, so it’s in doubt at the moment as it stands.”

He said that created a bigger issue for ECan’s regional transport committee and the public transport space across the region.

ECan chairperson Jenny Hughey said the Hamilton District Council had started its own MyWay-type service, mostly funded by the council and the Waikato Regional Council, and the Christchurch City Council was looking at the model.

“If you wanted to fund something yourselves, if that’s a possibility, we can give assistance. That might be something to think about in Ashburton.”

Currently the only public transport in Mid-Canterbury was the Community Connector, a volunteer-driven vehicle linking the likes of Methven and Rakaia to Ashburton, run by the Community Vehicle Trust network.

ECan provided an annual grant of $10,000 towards the service, which serves residents in rural areas travelling to and from Ashburton and did not cover the urban area.

This rural area was rated on a Rating Unit Basis at $1.17 per rating unit, totaling $5000.

Ashburton also had a Total Mobility rate covering both the Ashburton township and Tinwald, rated on at $0.98 per $100,000 of capital value.

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5 days ago

Poll: Should drivers retake the theory test every 10 years?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

Drivers get where they need to go, but sometimes it seems that we are all abiding by different road rules (for example, the varying ways drivers indicate around a roundabout).
Do you think drivers should be required to take a quick driving theory test every 10 years?

Vote in the poll and share any road rules that you've seen bent! 😱

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Should drivers retake the theory test every 10 years?
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3196 votes
4 days ago

Hero

The Team from Humans of Christchurch Ōtautahi

“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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