The Star: June 15, 2017

10 Thursday June 15 2017
Latest Christchurch news at www. .kiwi
News
Councillors frustrated
The Star
Call for rebuild
boss to meet
with city hall
• By Bridget Rutherford
SOME CITY councillors are
frustrated they still haven’t had
a formal meeting with the new
rebuild boss more
than two months
after she took over
the role.
But Minister
supporting Greater
Nicky
Wagner
Yani
Johanson
Christchurch Regeneration
Nicky Wagner
said she planned
to but had not found
the time.
City councillor
Yani Johanson said
it was “really important”
to meet on
a regular basis. He
had made a request
to do so but was still
waiting.
City councillors never met
with Mrs Wagner’s predecessor
Gerry Brownlee, which had been
frustrating, he said.
“We’re at the start of a new
relationship. We need to be openminded
and give it the benefit
of the doubt to see if there is an
improved way to work together
so it’s better for the community.”
City councillor Aaron Keown
said he was surprised a meeting
had not happened already.
He wanted something like the
2010 system, where there was a
monthly meeting attended by
city councillors, community
board members, health board
members and mayors from
across Canterbury.
Mrs Wagner said she had
planned on attending a city
council meeting, but had not
found the time.
She was open to setting up
monthly meetings.
“I see my job now as moving
the leadership from central
Government and passing it on to
local Government.”
Mrs Wagner said she meets
with Mayor Lianne Dalziel
weekly, and spoke to the relevant
ministers at weekly caucus meetings
about Christchurch issues.
She said she met with Prime
Minister Bill English last week to
keep him updated.
“And Gerry Brownlee, I’m constantly
talking to him because, of
course, he’s got lots of the history
going back.”
City councillor Jamie Gough
said he was keen to meet with
Mrs Wagner when required.
He said the city council should
have met more with Mr Brownlee.
“I think the tension between
local government and the Crown
occurred probably more often
than we would have liked because
there wasn’t that dialogue
there. I don’t know if that was
necessarily anyone’s fault.”
BLAZE: A fire in the City Central Motel Apartments on
Wednesday morning has left a man in critical condition.
PHOTO: BRAD YELAVICH
Critical fire victim
an Australian
• By Andrew King
A MAN in a critical condition
after he was pulled from a
burning motel room is believed
to be a roofer from Australia.
Firefighters dragged the man
from a room at the City Central
Motel Apartments, Barbadoes
St, at about 6.50am on Wednesday
after responding to a room
consumed by fire.
Detective Senior Sergeant
Mark Worner would not be
drawn on what had caused the
fire on Wednesday but said it
was “not accidental.”
It is understood the man
had set up a roofing company
in the past nine months after
coming to Christchurch about
18 months ago and was working
predominantly in Queenstown.
He had returned to the city
from Queenstown on Friday
night.
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