The Star: April 05, 2018

The Star Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
Thursday April 5 2018 21
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Events ‘create real value for the city’
Fire rages, homes at risk
EASTER WEEKEND reminded
us what happens when we don’t
host a major concert like Ed
Sheeran – for a start we lose
many of our own people to other
centres and second we miss
that vibe that comes with the
excitement of the concert and
the economic benefits it brings.
But it’s not only concerts that
bring financial benefits to a city.
There are many events that can
create real value for the city.
I’m afraid I overstated the
economic benefits of the Golden
Oldies Sports Celebration 2018
in last week’s column. That’s
the trouble when you rely on
“Mr Google” working to a tight
deadline in a short week.
But that being said, there
are still significant benefits
in bringing more than 5000
people from 16 countries to
Christchurch over a four-week
period to play six different
sports. The more fun they have,
the more likely it is that they and
their friends will return.
And there is a little snippet
that I didn’t realise until I was
talking to one of the organisers
and one of the ambassadors, Sir
Bob Charles, and that is that
at 4pm next Friday the 13th, at
the end of the golfing week, the
Lianne Dalziel
ECONOMIC BOOST: Lianne Dalziel is touting the benefits of
big events like the Christchurch Casino Golden Oldies Sports
Celebration 2018.
20 top players of the week will
tee off for a shot at the holein-one
of more than 150m for
$1 million. Now I haven’t got
that number wrong. And I’m
definitely going to watch – how
exciting – imagine if someone
actually does it?
But back to the economic
benefits of events, this is
something we are asking for
feedback on in our Long Term
Plan. We have developed a Major
Events Strategy, but to gain the
benefits they can bring, we need
to invest in attracting the events
and in the facilities to host them.
Locals have always loved the
opportunity to get out and enjoy
great events – they don’t call
Canterbury the sporting capital
of New Zealand for nothing.
And we’re not just spectators
either; we’re participants; we love
to get involved. So great events
not only attract visitors, who will
always want to see more of the
region, they are great for those of
us who live here.
So how should we make this
sort of commitment? I know
there has been commentary
on the need to have a decision
on the stadium. We need to
ask some searching questions
about what we can afford as a
region, and how we can future
proof what we build for a range
of purposes, not just sport. We
are not proposing changes in
this LTP, but I’m sure we will
need to consult on it sooner
rather than later. One of the
questions we are asking in this
year’s LTP, however, is “what
do you think of the council
providing additional funding to
ChristchurchNZ so that it can
bid for major events on behalf
of the city, support new events
through sponsorship and test the
feasibility?” I would encourage
you to give this some thought.
You have until 5pm, Friday,
April 13 to submit on the draft
Long Term Plan. See details on
the have your say page on the
city council website – https://
ccc.govt.nz/the-council/
consultations-and-submissions/
haveyoursay/show/125 – or
call into one of our libraries or
service centres.
•If you want to ask Ms
Dalziel a question, email
mayor@ccc.govt.nz. Put
Reader’s Question in the
subject line
Another step towards
becoming smoke-free
WE WANT more Kiwis to quit
smoking because 4500-5000 New
Zealanders still die prematurely
each year from smoking-related
illnesses.
Smoking rates and tobacco
consumption have declined in
recent decades down to about 15
per cent of the general population,
and less young people are
taking smoking up. But there is
a group of long-term smokers,
particularly Maori and Pasifika,
who find it extremely difficult
to quit. So I believe we must be
open to alternatives that help to
wean smokers off cigarettes, and
have fewer health risks.
The Members’ Bill I lodged this
week, the Smoke-free Environments
(Regulation of Electronic
Cigarettes) Amendment Bill, is
based on the work I did as the
associate minister of health. It is
designed to improve laws around
the accessibility of e-cigarettes
to provide less harmful alternatives
for long-term smokers and
to help them kick the habit. It
will allow electronic cigarettes
containing nicotine to be sold to
persons over 18 years of age.
Currently, the sale and supply
of nicotine e-cigarettes and
e-liquid as consumer products
is illegal. However, for smokers,
e-cigarettes are significantly less
harmful than tobacco (estimated
95 per cent less harmful) and the
Ministry of Health itself has said
that e-cigarettes have the potential
to contribute to New Zealand’s
smoke-free 2025 goal.
E-cigarettes offer a better
alternative to ordinary cigarettes
for long-term, more ingrained
smokers and they pose no identified
health risks to bystanders.
They have been available overseas
and in the United Kingdom
for more than 10 years and there
is no evidence that they provide
a gateway for smokers to cigarettes
or that non-smokers take
up e-cigarettes.
This Bill prohibits the sale
and supply in public places of
e-cigarettes to people under the
Nicky Wagner
VAPING: Nicky
Wagner’s new
Bill aims to
improve laws
around the
accessibility of
e-cigarettes.
age of 18, limits advertising and
promotion, and prohibits vaping
in legislated smoke-free areas
to preserve our strong cultural
norms around the undesirability
of smoking.
We still have some way to go to
become a smoke-free nation and
while vaping and electronic cigarettes
are not a cure-all, they do
offer the alternative of a healthier
lifestyle for smokers by bridging
the gap between a long-term
habit and quitting altogether.
And that’s got to be a good thing.
•Nicky Wagner is a National
list MP based in Christchurch
Central
Freedom campers
are upsetting residents
by parking outside the
Waimairi Cemetery
Cherry Cornelius – Once
again they are not freedom
campers. They do not have
facilities in their cars, such
as toilet, shower or enough
water for their needs. They
will be there so they can use
the running water which is in
every cemetery
for washing.
I’m willing to
bet most will be
urinating behind
the fence. We
freedom camp,
the difference is
we have complete
self containment.
They are freeloaders
and litterers. Please
don’t ever put us in the same
category as these people that are
free-loading their way around
our country. We have paid huge
amounts of money to be self
contained and respect and love
our travelling.
Davena Shields – If
they’re only there overnight
and not causing trouble or
COMPLAINTS:
Freedom
campers
outside Waimairi
Cemetery are
drawing criticism
from residents.
defecating everywhere then I
can’t see the problem. Sorry,
but some people need to get
over themselves. There are
families out there who have real
struggles of their own everyday.
Helen Leggatt – To those
who say they’re doing no harm,
I suspect you’d think very
differently if they were parking
outside your driveway, leaving
stained toilet paper, remnants
of cooking/food and rubbish at
your fence line. It’s
not the location, per
se (although I think
using cemeteries
is somewhat
disrespectful, not
to those in it but
those who visit
loved ones) but what
they leave behind.
The rubbish down
the Waimakariri Gorge
from freedom campers can
sometimes be gross.
Kerry Beardsley – They are
using the cemetery and church
steps to cook food etc and some
can be quite intimidating while
walking past. It also seems to
be a meeting point where they
have larger gatherings.