Support for Waimakariri lifestylers
By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter
Support is being offered to Waimakariri’s lifestyle block owners to meet their environmental commitments.
The Waimakariri Zone Committee, in partnership with Environment Canterbury and the Waimakariri District Council, has developed a resource to support the growing number of lifestyle block owners.
The Waimakariri district has more than 6500 lifestyle blocks, which is thought to be one of the highest number in the country.
Zone committee chairperson Carolyne Latham says it was found lifestylers often fell under the radar, during the process of developing the Waimakariri zone implementation plan in 2018, which became Plan Change 7 to the Canterbury Land and Water Regional Plan.
"We know that they want to be doing their bit for the environment, but sometimes it is difficult to know where to start."
Collectively, lifestyle blocks could have a significant impact on our environment as they typically had more people and infrastructure on a smaller land area.
The zone committee’s lifestyle block working group has produced a new resource called Top Ten Tips for Lifestylers.
"This resource condenses all the information available into the most important areas where improvements will make a difference," Latham says.
"It was surprisingly difficult to put it together because, while there is a lot of information out there on good management practice, we needed to look at it from a lifestyle perspective.
"Often they don’t have to do much, sometimes it might just be putting things in a different place, like moving fences or moving troughs."
Not all lifestyle blocks were the same, she says. Some were like mini farms, some were extended sections, some had sheds for storing vintage cars or machinery and others had businesses run out of them.
The tips included protecting waterways, understanding your land, taking care of plants and animals, monitoring septic tanks, managing fertiliser and manure, and being responsible with rubbish disposal.
Advice is also available from the New Zealand Landcare Trust, the Waimakariri Biodiversity Trust, Environment Canterbury and the Waimakariri District Council. Latham said the zone committee was working with the councils to launch a website with the top 10 tips, and a lifestyle workshop was in the pipeline.
■ Public interest journalism funded through New Zealand on Air.
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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
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