TimeZone or Starbucks for Ashburton? Teens call for more fun activities
From local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Teenagers of Ashburton say the town lacks fun activities and they'd welcome a TimeZone, Wendy's or Cotton On.
Members of the Ashburton Youth Council told the district council “phones down, hearing aids up” before sharing their thoughts on making the region more fun.
Carina Lupse said that there aren’t many places or events for young people - a statement backed up by Cherish Moti.
“We could welcome places like TimeZone or laser strike, or we could have more clothing shops like H&M, Cotton On, and Galssons, Moti said.
“We would also like to have food places like Starbucks, Carl's Jr. or Wendy's.
“It also would attract more people or save [us] a drive to Christchurch or Timaru.”
New attractions could encourage more visitors and boost the local economy, Lupse said.
She gave the example of Kaiapoi's water park, which attracts both visitors and locals.
Addison Judd suggested more events like Glow and the noodle market, with funding from the council.
Public transport was also needed for teens to access activities - something that is lacking in Ashburton, Summer Foster said.
“The MyWay bus in Timaru has been really successful and it would be good to see similar in Ashburton.”
E-scooters or bikes would also help, Foster said.
Ashburton mayor Neil Brown said the council requested Environment Canterbury to investigate public transport options for Ashburton in its upcoming long-term plan.
The annual operating cost of the MyWay on-demand service in Timaru is $2.7m, which is made up of $1.1m from rates, $1.3m from Waka Kotahi grants, and $0.25m from fare revenue.
When it comes to road safety, Sophia Aguila said lower speeds around schools “makes it safer for everyone” and there should be more pedestrian crossings.
The recent Walnut Ave intersection upgrade removed roundabouts and installed traffic lights to provide safer crossings for school children, “but I don’t always see the students using that”.
“It might be some education required to use what we have already got and then look at others into the future.”
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
Poll: Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?
Just a bit of a fun poll to get you thinking.
If you had to live out your Christmas days, would you prefer it was a summer Christmas or a winter Christmas?
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61.9% Summer
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36.6% Winter
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1.5% Other - I'll share below
Worst Xmas ever?
There's a a lot of planning that goes into Christmas day and sometimes things just don't go to plan. But it can be a good thing - a family mishap or hilarious memory that you can laugh about in Christmases to come.
Whether you burnt the dinner or were stranded at an airport...
Share your Christmas mishaps below!
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