SPINAL NETWORK NEWS

CHRISTCHURCH CITY COUNCIL
T h e
Christchurch
Accessible
Map will be
available in
May from the
Christchurch
City Council.
This map gives
information
about the
accessible
GLORIA WEEKS, KAREN RICKERBY, HEMI HEMA,
t o i l e t s ,
DOREEN MCCOARD, SIMON ATKINSON, ANNE
mobility parks,
SCOTT, JOSJE LELIJVELD FRONT ROW- KERRI
buildings,
BONNER, GRAHAM TAPPER, RACHEL MULLINS
attractions and
accommodation. It will be available free from a number
of Council outlets such as Service Centres and Libraries,
Disability organisations and tourist information places.
The Council has recently been consulting on a number
of documents. The consultation currently is on the Long
Term Council Community Plan, which guides Council
projects and spending for next 10 years. The Council is
keen to engage as many people as possible in the planning
process, so your feedback is valuable.
Another new service to be introduced in Christchurch
recently is the three wheelie bin system. This is gradually
starting up throughout the city. Some assistance is available
for people who have mobility impairments that mean they
can not get their bin to the kerb and have no assistance
from elsewhere to take their bin out. To find out if you are
eligible contact the Council Call Centre on 941-8666.
The Council’s Disability Advisory Group continue to work
on improving access in the city. They have been involved
in projects such as the upgrade of the Council’s website,
the Travel Demand Strategy, the new Wheelie Bin system,
the Equity and Access Policy implementation project and
the new Bus Interchange. They continue to work hard
to represent what is required to remove barriers. Please
contact Graham Tapper at Burwood if you have any
comments you want to put through to this group. The
group was also extremely proud of Kerri Bonner (who is
our Youth
Representative) who won the Attitude Award for Youth in
December 2008. Congratulations to Kerri and it is wonderful
to have her skills and leadership acknowledged.
Finally, I’d like to congratulate the NZ Spinal Trust on the
fantastic event it held on Saturday night with their Annual
Ball. This was a wonderful occasion and the Art Gallery
was an impressive venue. If you didn’t make it there this
year then make sure you try and attend next time as it was
an enjoyable evening.
KAREN RICKERBY
ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY WELLINGTON
Competition to make Council
homes more user-friendly
Wellington City architects have the opportunity to enter
a design competition to make the Council’s housing units
easier to live in.
The competition, launched at today’s Accessible Wellington
Forum on Housing and Accommodation at Te Papa, will
run until 3 July.
Entrants are required to design an upgrade to a typical
Council housing complex consisting of four bed-sit units,
with a focus on making them more practical for everyone,
regardless of mobility or age, to live in. Several small
complexes with similar plans are currently being upgraded
as part of the Council’s Housing Upgrade Project.
The Council’s Accessibility Advisor, Sinead Roe, says the
competition will require entrants to think about design
that is practical and looks good.
“The challenge for entrants is to come up with a userfriendly
design that is creative and affordable. There is
a need for fresh, imaginative building design as many
people need to modify their homes to suit their changing
needs. This could be due to a loss of mobility or illness
but shows there is a need for flexible living spaces which
allow people to live comfortably.
“Adapting existing buildings does pose significant issues
and the Council encourages entries based on practical
designs to kitchen, bathroom and storage layouts to meet
tenants’ needs over time.”
All entries must be completed by
a registered architect or under
the direction of a registered
architect, and should be prepared
to the preliminary design stage,
including the cost of the design.
Entries will be judged on the use
of Universal Design Principles
and the Lifetime Design
Foundation’s Life Standards.
The winner will be asked to enter
negotiations with the Council’s
Housing Upgrade Project to
develop their proposal with a
view to constructing the design.
A total prize pool of $4000 is
available. The prize for the
selected finalist will be $2000,
with additional prizes of $1000
awarded to finalists placed in the
top three.
More information and
competition guidelines can be
found on the Council’s website
www.Wellington.govt.nz/
For further information, please
contact:
Sinead Roe, Accessibility
Advisor, 803 8661
Michelle Brooker, Council
Communications, 801 3281 or
mob 021 227 8170.
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