Too late to cancel Ashburton events on one-off public holiday
From local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
“It’s too late to pull out now.”
Ashburton Market Day organiser Carol Johns is poised to still go ahead on what is now the one-off public holiday on September 26 to mark the passing of Queen Elizabeth II.
The market will also coincide with the opening day of the annual week-long Bookarama at the Ashburton Sports Hall.
The decision on the one-off public holiday has come too late for Johns to change her plans after investing considerable time and resources into holding the event.
“At this stage, everything is so well underway and this [public holiday] has happened so quickly we are too far through now to call it off,” Johns said.
“It’s not out of any disrespect.”
The event needed council approval after the road closure request for the event met opposition from CBD retailers, mainly citing further disruption after two years of Covid-19 restrictions and the CBD upgrade.
As it turns out, they will be closed now anyway.
The council approved the closure as long as Johns can submit adequate documentation by Friday.
The council has also placed conditions on the event, mainly focused on protecting the new CBD green and paved areas.
Johns, who is standing for a seat on the council in the upcoming elections, has submitted her insurance and traffic management plan and was finalising the health and safety plan to be submitted by the Friday deadline.
She is also wading through a long list of conditions imposed on the event, mainly focused on protecting the recently upgrade CBD landscape.
Johns said she can understand the council restricting the use of the East Street green and the new pavers to limit the damage.
“Nobody wants to see the new CDB ruined.
“I’m trying to work through [the conditions] with them.”
The restrictions have raised questions as to why the council upgraded the area – including widening the space and narrowing the road – if it isn’t to be used.
At the hearing last week Councillor Angus McKay highlighted that the council had consistently been told the pavers were “bulletproof” and the grass has been well laid, leaving him to question why the market couldn’t utilise the space.
The market day is taking place instead of the annual Boulevard Day, which has always been scheduled to coincide with South Canterbury Anniversary Day.
Now that it clashes with the one-off public holiday, the three South Canterbury councils will be voting on Tuesday on whether to move its Anniversary Day holiday.
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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).
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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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