Southern View: September 26, 2017
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SOUTHERN VIEW Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi<br />
Tuesday <strong>September</strong> <strong>26</strong> <strong>2017</strong> 3<br />
News<br />
Sitting MPs still hold power<br />
• By Sarla Donovan<br />
ALL THREE of the sitting MPs<br />
in the Port Hills electorate have<br />
made it back into Parliament.<br />
Ruth Dyson increased her 2014<br />
election night majority to retain<br />
her electorate seat for a fourth<br />
term.<br />
She has now been in Parliament<br />
for 24 years, making her<br />
one of the longest-serving current<br />
MPs.<br />
The <strong>2017</strong> campaign had been<br />
the most exciting she’d been<br />
involved in, she said.<br />
“The level of interest, especially<br />
from young people, has just been<br />
great. I like it when people are<br />
passionate about their community<br />
and their country, wanting<br />
to improve things, and we’ve had<br />
all of that during this campaign.”<br />
Labour was about 800 votes<br />
behind National in the Port Hills<br />
electorate party vote, which was<br />
a “huge lift” on 2014’s result.<br />
Green MP Eugenie Sage, who<br />
is third on the list and also the<br />
party whip, returns to Parliament<br />
after the Greens attracted<br />
5.9 per cent of the party vote.<br />
Ms Sage was with party faithful<br />
at the Lyttelton Arts Factory<br />
on Saturday night.<br />
“We were optimistic we would<br />
get returned to Parliament,<br />
though it is bittersweet in terms<br />
of seeing caucus colleagues like<br />
Denise Roche, Barry Coates and<br />
Mojo Mathers no longer with us;<br />
we’ve got a substantially reduced<br />
team,” Ms Sage said.<br />
RETURNING:<br />
Labour’s Ruth<br />
Dyson (far left),<br />
the Green Party’s<br />
Eugenie Sage<br />
and National’s<br />
Nuk Korako have<br />
all made it back<br />
into Parliament<br />
to represent<br />
the Port Hills<br />
electorate.<br />
“But we’ve been this size before<br />
and championed a lot of issues<br />
and we’re looking now to see<br />
if we can get a coalition and<br />
change the Government.”<br />
It was “too soon” to speculate<br />
on whether she would put her<br />
hand up for the co-leader position<br />
vacated by Metiria Turei.<br />
Ms Sage plans to continue<br />
championing clean waterways<br />
and rivers and working out ways<br />
to deal with the effects of climate<br />
change.<br />
Meanwhile, Port Hills residents<br />
will continue to see Nuk<br />
Korako’s mobile office parked<br />
around the electorate, after he<br />
was returned at No 42 on the<br />
party list.<br />
National gained 46 per cent<br />
of the party vote on Saturday<br />
night, although this may change<br />
slightly by the time special votes<br />
are counted on October 7.<br />
Mr Korako attended a National<br />
Party function at Chateau<br />
on the Park on Saturday evening.<br />
He said the strength of National’s<br />
party vote in Christchurch<br />
wasn’t a surprise.<br />
“I thought it would be more,<br />
on the basis of our record, particularly<br />
in Christchurch.”<br />
While he was saddened to see<br />
the demise of the Maori Party,<br />
there was now an opportunity<br />
to build National’s engagement<br />
with Maori through Kahurangi<br />
Blue, a National Party group<br />
focused on Maori policy issues,<br />
said Mr Korako.<br />
Local<br />
News<br />
Now<br />
In Brief<br />
Fire rages, homes at risk<br />
SKATE PARK DESIGNS<br />
All detailed design and<br />
specifications for both proposed<br />
skate parks in Halswell are<br />
complete. The external planner<br />
for the project is working through<br />
the final background check for<br />
the resource consent. When the<br />
consent is lodged, the project will<br />
go out for tender. Construction<br />
for the skate parks, which will be<br />
at Halswell Domain and Knights<br />
Stream Park, is expected to begin<br />
in mid-November. They will both<br />
be ready for use by early 2018.<br />
NEW ROAD NAMES<br />
New road names in two Halswell<br />
subdivisions may be approved<br />
tonight at the Halswell-Hornby-<br />
Riccarton Community Board<br />
meeting. The community board<br />
will discuss the names for<br />
four roads in Awatea Park and<br />
Quarry <strong>View</strong>. City council staff<br />
have recommended the names<br />
Romanee Lane, Muirhill St,<br />
Pegson Lane and Foden Lane be<br />
approved.<br />
ELECTRIC RUBBISH TRUCK<br />
In four weeks, the city’s first<br />
electric rubbish truck will hit the<br />
streets to pick up red bins. It will<br />
be working in rotation around<br />
a variety of suburbs, including<br />
Casebrook, Edgeware, Harewood<br />
and Bishopdale.<br />
Spring stock<br />
instore now!<br />
Shop online<br />
with the in<br />
store special<br />
prices!<br />
Discount code:<br />
Goat<br />
themohairstore<br />
140 Colombo Street, Beckenham<br />
Phone 03 943 1639<br />
www.themohairstore.co.nz<br />
SMITH & BOSTON<br />
Prebbleton Village | Christchurch<br />
Ph: 03 349 5646<br />
www.smithandboston.co.nz<br />
Recreation &<br />
Sport Centres
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