Housing, roads and town promotion
From local democracy reporter David Hill:
Housing, road reserve management, and the funding of Waimakariri’s three town promotions associations are set for review.
The Waimakariri District Council appointed hearing panels to consider its draft housing and road reserve management policies, and a working party to review how it supports the Rangiora, Kaiapoi and Oxford promotions associations at a council meeting on Tuesday (June 6).
Deputy Mayor Neville Atkinson will chair the housing policy hearing panel.
‘‘Social housing is something we have provided, but we also have the Vision Wests of this world and Kāinga Ora, who are very good at running these things,’’ he said.
‘‘We don’t need to be experts ourselves, we just need to make sure people are pointed in the right direction.’’
The council formed a housing working group two years ago to review the housing challenges in the district and the council’s role in supporting ‘‘positive housing outcomes’’, property unit manager Rob Hawthorne said.
The working group has prepared a draft housing policy which will go out for public consultation in August.
Mayor Dan Gordon suggested the hearing panel consider raising the age eligibility from 65 to 60-years, while councillor Brent Cairns suggested accessibility needed to be considered.
The draft road reserve management policy will be out for consultation from June 19 to July 19.
Senior transport engineer Shane Binder said the draft policy had been updated to include roadside berms, unformed legal roads, road corridor usage, utilities on the roadside and work zone traffic management.
It also included paper roads.
Gordon said Rangiora Promotions, the Kaiapoi Promotions Association and the Oxford Promotions Action Committee all played valuable roles in their communities.
‘‘The sustainability of our promotions associations is really important in our district and we helped Rangiora Promotions earlier this year to get through a period where they had a funding gap.
‘‘Changes happen so we need to make sure our promotions associations are fit for purpose and our funding is where it needs to be.’’
Cairns has been asked to lead the working party, with support from councillors Joan Ward and Tim Fulton, representatives from the four community boards and the three promotions associations.
‘‘I have met with all three promotions associations and they all have challenges,’’ Cairns said.
‘‘Most of the members have their own businesses, so they have pressures of trying to make money in this environment and then putting in the time to support their community.’’
He said the promotions associations promoted their towns, made them vibrant and attracted new people.
Council staff will also provide support.
Strategy and business manager Mark Maxwell said the review will begin by considering the challenges the promotions association are facing, before exploring solutions.
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I am lighter than air, but a hundred people cannot lift me. What am I?
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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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48.4% Yes
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49.7% 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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