Kmart fans line up from 3am for new Ashburton store
From reporter Kristie Boland:
Natasha Grant’s daughter wanted to start queueing for the opening Kmart’s new Ashburton store at midnight, but they compromised and turned up at 3am instead.
They weren’t the only eager customers already lining up at that time for the district’s first Kmart store.
“We saw one car here and thought, ‘oh cool, we're not the only ones’,” Grant said.
The doors of the new 3650m2 store officially opened at 8am on Thursday, with a long line of keen shoppers ready to snap up some new items.
The first customers were welcomed with applause by staff while Ashburton College and Tinwald School students sang waiata at the front entrance.
“It’s just the excitement of having something new in the town,” Grant said.
She stocked up on candles and said she looked forward to bringing her grandchildren back for some Christmas shopping, at a more reasonable hour.
Tinwald School student Nellie Clay, 8, had some shopping to do after her performance. She had just one thing on her list: a dragon costume.
She found what she was looking for straight away.
“It's well stocked and there's a good variety of things,” mum Kirsty Clay said.
Seventeen-year-old Darnell Lima said she normally ventured north to Christchurch for her shopping, but on Thursday she was on a clothes and makeup buying spree in her hometown.
Store manager Kim Spooner said she the new store had been “a long time coming”. Having worked in both the Riccarton and Papanui stores in Christchurch, she was ready to start her new role in the Ashburton store.
“There's just pure excitement. It's going to be great for Ashburton,” she said.
The store had about 88 staff, with more roles to be filled in the coming weeks. Spooner estimated about 200 people had applied for roles.
“The store gives people better access to affordable prices, and it's just in time for Christmas.”
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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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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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