‘Cut and paste’ climate change policy draws criticism
From local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Ashburton District councillor Stuart Wilson has rubbished the area's updated climate change policy, voting against what he called a “cut and paste’’ document with no local focus.
The policy was updated by council staff and was based on findings in the Canterbury climate change risk assessment technical report.
The mostly unoriginal work annoyed Wilson, who thought it was too generalised. He said “we have no such thing as wildfires” in Mid Canterbury since the introduction of irrigation, and he scoffed at the statement that 25C was considered a hot day or extreme temperatures.
“My giddy aunt,’’ he said, firing up over the tweaked policy.
“Have they never lived in the Ashburton district? If we don’t get 25 degrees for quite a few days in summer, we think we are short changed.”
Wilson felt the policy relied too heavily on content in the Canterbury mayoral forum’s climate change risk report.
“Why cut and paste something that doesn’t relate to our district?’’ he said.
“If it’s our policy, why are we not stating what affects us?”
While the technical details came under fire, there was support for the direction.
Councillor Carolyn Cameron stressed that climate change needed to be endemic in the council’s decision making and approving the policy shouldn’t be “just paying lip service” to the issues.
Mayor Neil Brown said if the policy wasn’t right, it could always be reviewed if the majority voted against it.
That never happened because the policy was adopted, with Wilson and Angus McKay the only councillors opposed to it due to its content.
The council’s resilience action plan, which would describe what the Ashburton council was doing to address climate change, also got the go-ahead. But it, too, got the cold shoulder from some councillors.
McKay and John Falloon questioned just what it would achieve and voted against its adoption, with everyone else in favour.
“What we are looking at is only the actions of the Ashburton District Council and their employees. No-one else,” Falloon 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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