Car park compromise in Methven
From local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
A business owner is calling the introduction of parking restrictions in the Methven mall a compromise.
The Methven Community Board is passing a recommendation to the council to introduce five 30-minute time-restricted car parks in the town's retail centre.
The consultation had proposed introducing a one-hour parking restriction for 10 of the 15 parks, but as there was no clear consensus, the board was presented with the revised recommendation.
The Salt House owner Cherie Summers-Wight said "it’s a compromise”.
“It’s good that it’s only five and maybe 15 minutes would have been better."
Several businesses were unaware there was even a major problem until the consultation papers were delivered, Summers-Wight said.
Methven Supervalue requested the introduction of time-restricted parking as it felt that at times there was a shortage of parks available for customers, due to some vehicles parking for extended periods.
The supermarket had installed its own unapproved parking restriction signs but was asked to remove them, instigating conversations around restricted parking in the mall.
It declined to comment on the board’s recommendation.
The board approved a consultation process with affected businesses in the mall, which had 14 responses.
During the consultation, Summers-Wight helped organise a meeting between the business owners and attended by members of the board, to discuss the situation, hoping that would be enough to solve the issue.
There was no clear agreement in the consultation, with five respondents wanting the status quo, five wanting an alternative, and two supporting the 10 one-hour parks.
Several submissions pointed to the fact that most of the businesses in the mall offer services that require customer parking for longer than an hour.
There was also some conjecture over the reference to ‘angled parks’, which council’s environmental monitoring manager Rick Catchpowle said referred to the right-angled parks, to distinguish them from the parallel parks in the mall.
The result of the consultation was a revised configuration, which the board supported.
The recommendation will go before the council later this month and if adopted, signage will be installed.
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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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48.5% Yes
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49.6% No
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2% 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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