The Star: April 20, 2017
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12 Thursday <strong>April</strong> <strong>20</strong> <strong>20</strong>17<br />
Latest Christchurch news at www. .kiwi<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Star</strong><br />
News<br />
Free weekend car parks<br />
in central city mooted<br />
• By Bridget Rutherford<br />
FREE CAR parking in<br />
the weekends is being<br />
investigated in a bid to<br />
bring more people back<br />
into the central city.<br />
<strong>The</strong> city council is looking<br />
into whether free car<br />
parking could be offered<br />
on the weekends in the<br />
central city as an enticement.<br />
City council transport<br />
operations manager Aaron<br />
Haymes said it was considering<br />
temporary free parking,<br />
but it had not made a<br />
final decision.<br />
“<strong>The</strong> car parks would be<br />
council controlled parks<br />
but the locations are still<br />
under consideration.”<br />
He said it would make<br />
a decision within the next<br />
Aaron Haymes<br />
few weeks after consultation<br />
with businesses and<br />
other parking stakeholders.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re had been substantial<br />
private investment in<br />
car parking buildings, so<br />
it was important not to<br />
undermine that, he said.<br />
City councillor Deon<br />
Swiggs asked staff to<br />
look into it.<br />
“It’s about getting people<br />
back to the central city to<br />
try it out. If they have a<br />
good experience, they will<br />
come back again.”<br />
Central City Business<br />
Association chairman<br />
Brendan Chase said the<br />
idea came up at a summit<br />
the association held and<br />
it would be good for business.<br />
He said another idea was<br />
if someone bought something<br />
at a shop or cafe, they<br />
could be reimbursed for<br />
their car parking fee, or<br />
could get a free ride home<br />
on public transport.<br />
More people were returning<br />
to the central city,<br />
and it was only going to<br />
improve, he said.<br />
Students study life on Mars<br />
• By Ashleigh Monk<br />
WHEN THE time comes<br />
to pack our bags and head<br />
for Mars, Christchurch<br />
youths will be wellprepared.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Ara Institute of Canterbury<br />
is hosting a series<br />
of workshops to teach high<br />
school students how to get<br />
to Mars, and how to survive<br />
when they’re there.<br />
And though it may raise<br />
a few eyebrows, living on<br />
Mars is not that far off<br />
according to National<br />
Aeronautics and Space<br />
Administration.<br />
NASA predicts a crew,<br />
called Daedalus, will<br />
make the nine-month trip<br />
to Mars in the <strong>20</strong>30s to<br />
establish shelter, food and<br />
water sources for future<br />
newcomers.<br />
So in New Zealand’s July<br />
holidays, Ara will be teaching<br />
high school students all<br />
the necessary knowledge<br />
on how to be a good Mars<br />
resident.<br />
At 96 per cent carbon<br />
dioxide and just one per<br />
cent oxygen, the air on<br />
Mars is unbreathable, so<br />
the Daedalus crew will use<br />
electrolosis to convert carbon<br />
dioxide into oxygen.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y will also establish a<br />
hospitable shelter to protect<br />
humans from the temperature<br />
extremes Mars<br />
displays, along with hydroponic<br />
farming and other<br />
methods to grow food.