The Star: October 05, 2017

The Star Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
Thursday October 5 2017 5
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city of choice – Townsend
Education options in Christchurch
were better by a “country
mile” and Canterbury’s health
system was regarded as being
in the top six in the world, Mr
Townsend said.
“We take it all for granted.”
Infrastructure was another
drawcard, he said, with projects
such as the northern corridor
and the southern motorway
making Christchurch more accessible.
He said we did not yet have the
population to support light rail.
But he said at some stage the
city’s population needed to grow
perhaps by another “couple
hundred thousand,” and at that
point, light rail would work.
“If we want to achieve our economic
growth and employment
projections, we need five times
the historic long-term average of
migrants coming to live in our
region.”
He said the unemployment rate
in Christchurch was only 4.9 per
cent.
“We are an ageing population,
if we don’t bring young people in
to continue to grow this economy
sustainably then we’re in trouble
as a city.”
Developer Ernest Duval said he
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was optimistic, but with the way
technology was moving forward,
the city’s infrastructure and
buildings were only part of that.
He said nowadays people could
work anywhere in the world, so
Christchurch needed vibrancy,
innovation, affordable housing
and had to be adjustable to
change.
“We have a city that is now
more fit for purpose than what
it’s been in the past, but it’s still
got a way to go yet,” he said.
“We’ve got to make this city attractive
for young talent to come
here and bring their ideas.”
Mr Duval said unlike the rebuild
of the city’s infrastructure,
time lines could not be imposed
on making that happen.
He believed the city’s population
was always going to grow
with both New Zealanders and
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migrants moving here.
“It will grow because we’ve got
space, affordable housing and
good amenities, and we’re the
capital of the South Island.”
Mr Townsend said Christchurch
was the only city in the
world with less than a million
people that had a daily Airbus
380 service – the largest passenger
airliner.
Meanwhile, the region was offering
more than just dairy.
“Canterbury grows 68 per cent
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of the world’s radish seeds, and
34 per cent of the world’s carrot
seeds.”
Mr Townsend said with the
restoration of the Christ Church
Cathedral to take about seven to
10 years, it should be turned into
an attraction.
“Why not put glass panelling
around the outside of it? Why
not put a couple of grandstands
in the square so people can look
into the rebuild? Why not make
the rebuild of the Christ Church
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Cathedral a positive experience
for tourists?”
Minister supporting Greater
Christchurch Regeneration Nicky
Wagner said that was an “excellent
idea” and would be considered
as part of the work.
“Forty-five per cent of our tourists
come to see the Cathedral.”
Ms Wagner said there were
more opportunities post-earthquake,
with new facilities such
as the Innovation and Health
Precincts.
She said more tourism, businesses
and people in the central
city would add to that.
Mr Townsend said the perception
the residential red zone land
was a “wasteland” was wrong,
and it was a critical part of the
city’s regeneration.
“It’s just land that shouldn’t
have been built on the way it
was.”
He said people needed to hear
about the city’s positive story.
“We are still perceived externally
as a city that’s whingeing
about its earthquake that was exemplified
by a broken Cathedral,
and we all need to move on from
that.”
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