Market day stoush in Ashburton
From local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Key Ashburton retailers are opposed to a new CBD market day, saying further “restricted trading’’ is not what they need.
The proposed Ashburton Market Day would replace the now defunct Boulevard Day, but the application from organiser Carol Johns would mean the temporary closure of East St, Burnett St, and Tancred St on Monday, September 26.
Her proposal has received three objections, which will now go before the Ashburton District Council, with Johns to front Wednesday's hearing.
Ashburton Paper Plus owner Terry McNabb said he doesn’t have a problem with a market day, but “I do have a problem with holding it on the street”.
“For a few years now, we have had these days where the roads in the CBD get closed off but all we are doing is inviting out-of-town stall holders to park up outside our doors for the day.
“That does not help any of the locally owned and operated businesses in that area.”
McNabb said his business has had nothing but disruption for two years from Covid, the CBD redevelopment, and now a new demolition next door.
He said he operated two essential service businesses inside Paper Plus, those being NZ Post and AA Driver & Vehicle licensing, which served a lot of elderly customers whose access would be impacted.
Bob McDonald, from Health 2000 in the arcade, has submitted an objection on behalf of 15 CBD businesses that, like McNabb, “believe another day with restricted trading is not beneficial for the CBD”.
Because of the CBD’s new one-way system, McDonald said closing East St would “effectively shut down the whole CBD”.
McDonald and Sue Cooper used to run the popular Boulevard Day, which was unable to be held in 2020 because of Covid-19 restrictions. It then had to be held in Ashburton Domain last year due to the CBD being a construction zone, which was the first time in 45 years it was held outside of the inner-city location.
He and Cooper hoped to find someone new to take over the running of Boulevard Day this year but that had not happened.
That’s why Johns, who has previously run events on the same day as Boulevard Day and who is standing for a seat on the council in the local election, has stepped up to fill the void.
Her Ashburton Market Day proposal now falls to the council, with the hearing taking place at 9am on Wednesday.
Poll: Should drivers retake the theory test every 10 years?
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).
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Vote in the poll and share any road rules that you've seen bent! 😱
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48.2% Yes
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49.8% No
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1.9% Other - I'll share below
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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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