Roading boost and a reshuffle has Ashburton District rates rise at 5.9%
From local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
An extra $1 million for roading to respond to community demands and a budget reshuffle signals a 5.9% average rate rise in the Ashburton District.
Faced with five options ranging from 5.9 to 8.8%, the councillors opted to include an extra $1m of unsubsidised road funding but kept the rate rise down to 5.9% by reorganising other work.
Chief executive Hamish Riach said the reshuffle essentially removed about $1.3m out of the budget for the inclusion of the $1m on roading.
The reshuffle means some water and wastewater renewals will be delayed that were unlikely to be completed in the work programme anyway and a reduced depreciation to match the reduced spend.
The revised draft budget has an increase of about $2.65m on the 2022-23 budget, but only an $881,894 increase what was proposed in the long-term plan (LTP), which had forecast a 5.5% rise.
Mayor Neil Brown said the extra $1m for road maintenance was not for fixing potholes, as that was already covered in the budget, but was for “building new road” by contributing about 4km of road rehabilitation on top of the existing 10km subsidised by Waka Kotahi.
A large chunk of the increase is related to three waters compliance and is work the council has no choice but to complete, including $200,000 to develop water safety plans.
Other factors impacting the overall budget picture were a proposed reuse shop at the council’s resource recovery park being pulled from the annual plan and will be addressed in next year’s LTP.
The proposed addition of an extra $180,000 for visitor promotion did not get enough support.
An additional $60,000 for CBD landscape maintenance was added, while the Balmoral Hall upgrade has been included.
The proposed $464,000 refurbishment, which is a loan funded project and has no impact on the rates rise, may not go ahead as it requires further investigation.
There will also be an increase in parking fees at Eastfield, going up from $2 to $3.
A draft annual plan will come back to the council by the end of March and as it will be close to the LTP there is no requirement for consultation.
Councillor Russell Ellis said with the historic low turnout in consultations “it’s not worth the effort” or the approximate $25,000 cost to consult.
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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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