The Star: May 10, 2018

The Star Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
Thursday May 10 2018 13
homeless: Who will you call?
“That’s where the ambassadors
come in – they are a frontline
person out there who will make
first contact with people on the
street.
“They start the process from
the footpath to the whare.”
In the past, central city
businesses had been concerned
with the number of homeless
people and beggars in the area,
saying some could intimidate
customers and staff.
Cr Galloway said these were
“our people” and the group
wanted to approach the situation
compassionately.
“But we also want people to
feel safe in the central city and
unfortunately having people
on the street along Hereford
St for example, does not give a
perception of safety.”
Cr Galloway said there was
still a lot of work to be done on
the idea, but it was going
to happen “in one form or
another.”
The staff would also help curb
other anti-social behaviour, be
the “eyes and ears” of police, and
help tourists and visitors.
The Central City Business
Association has asked for about
$200,000 to be allocated in
the city council’s budget each
CONCERN: City councillor Anne Galloway says people
begging along Hereford St does not give the perception
of safety.
year for the programme to be
reinstated.
Association manager Paul
Lonsdale said it would manage
anti-social problems, some of
which would start to arise as the
central city changed.
“We want a safe central city
that people can feel comfortable
walking around in at any time of
the day,” he said.
“If anti-social behaviour is left
unattended, it increases.”
City councillor and
Development Forum chairman
Jamie Gough said often homeless
people or beggars had an adverse
PHOTOS: MARTIN HUNTER
impact on businesses as it was
not a good look.
He said the ambassador
programme would work well.
“They would be perfectly
placed being able to interact
with people facing a raft of
issues being homeless people or
begging,” he said.
“There’s often a lot more to
it than simply not having a
home.”
Currently, there is no funding
set aside in the city council’s
draft Long Term Plan.
City councillors would have to
decide whether to include it.
Parking wardens to have
job description extended?
• By Bridget Rutherford
BECOMING THE eyes and ears
of police, helping visitors, and
identifying hazards could be
added to parking wardens’ job
descriptions.
That’s if the Central City Business
Association has its way.
The association has asked the
city council for funding to reinstate
its ambassador programme
in the draft Long Term Plan to
curb anti-social behaviour in the
central city.
It has suggested parking
wardens could be up-skilled to
assist.
“We thought that parking
wardens tend to get a bad rap, it
must be a hard job. They do have
quite a lot of turnover of staff
in that area. It could give them
a slightly wider brief that’s a bit
more exciting and a bit more
fun,” Business association manager
Paul Lonsdale said.
“They could double act as a
city host, helping people get
around the city and combine
that with the ambassador programme.”
City councillor and Safer
Christchurch Strategy Committee
chairwoman Anne Galloway
said there was still a lot to be
GOOD IDEA?:Parking
wardens could have extra
roles.
PHOTO: MARTIN HUNTER
worked through, but the idea
had merit.
“The strength is these folk are
there anyway, they are out there
doing their job. There may be
some prepared to do that, and
there may be some who perhaps
might think that’s not their role
at all.”
City councillor Jamie Gough
said the idea had merit, and
could “kill two birds with one
stone.”
“In saying that we can’t have
unreasonable expectations of
them.”
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