Minister acknowledges road funding hasn’t been good enough
From local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
New Associate Minister of Local Government Kieran McAnulty admits we’re now “seeing the impacts’’ of roading funding cuts in Mid Canterbury.
The Wairarapa-based McAnulty, who also has emergency management, racing and transport in his ministerial and associate minister portfolio, let his roading feelings known while in Mid Canterbury on Tuesday.
He knew roading was a hot topic, as it was in any other region, but especially in Ashburton and wider Canterbury.
“It’s an issue facing many rural councils in that they have a large geographical area, a lot of roads and a small population from which to fund it,” said McAnulty, who is completing a tour of all 55 rural and provincial councils.
Ashburton was stop number 41 for the Labour MP.
He had closed-door discussions with the Ashburton District Council in which he said they covered a lot of issues from emergency management, the future of local government, three waters, roading and transport, and the proposed second bridge.
But roading maintenance and funding was top of mind, with McAnulty admitting councils had been left in the lurch from a period of underfunding and it wasn’t good enough.
As a small roading financial booster, he said there was an additional almost $15 million of funding heading the Ashburton District’s way in the next three years to help.
He was also pleased to see progress being made with Ashburton’s proposed second urban bridge.
“The proposal is pretty strong,” said McAnulty, who knows the district well as his parents lived in Fairton for eight years.
“We know that from a resilience point of view, the recent weather event put that at the forefront of everybody’s mind.”
He was also aware of Environment Canterbury’s plea for $150m of Government funding over the next 10 years for nationwide flood protection funding. While that wasn’t something that has come across his desk, it is linked to work he has in progress.
“There is a need for a consideration around longer-term funding of flood protection,’’ he said.
“If you can invest in flood protection, it lessens the impact when there is a severe weather event. And we are kidding ourselves if we don’t recognise that these weather events aren’t going to become more frequent and severe.”
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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).
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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48.2% Yes
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49.8% No
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1.9% Other - I'll share below
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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