The Star: September 06, 2018
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<strong>The</strong> <strong>Star</strong> Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi<br />
Thursday <strong>September</strong> 6 <strong>2018</strong> 15<br />
News<br />
AT CHRISTCHURCH<br />
CASINO!<br />
CHALLENGE: <strong>The</strong> Palms Shopping Centre manager Emma Smith found how difficult it was<br />
yesterday to be in a wheelchair while running an entire mall.<br />
Wheelchair challenge<br />
for mall manager<br />
• By Georgia O’Connor-<br />
Harding<br />
EVERY WEEK at least three New<br />
Zealanders are paralysed by a<br />
spinal cord injury.<br />
Yesterday, <strong>The</strong> Palms shopping<br />
centre manager Emma Smith<br />
found out how challenging it is to<br />
be in a wheelchair.<br />
To raise awareness for spinal<br />
cord injuries, Mrs Smith spent the<br />
day in a wheelchair while running<br />
the shopping centre.<br />
Getting used to a wheelchair<br />
was “challenging.” Small things<br />
like unpacking a bag or a laptop<br />
or going to the bathroom were a<br />
struggle, she said.<br />
“I really appreciated how challenging<br />
life can be for others and<br />
I certainly won’t take for granted<br />
the easy accessibility I have,” she<br />
said.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Palms teamed up with the<br />
New Zealand Spinal Trust as part<br />
of a week-long national appeal to<br />
raise funds and awareness.<br />
<strong>The</strong> NZST helps those affected<br />
by spinal cord injury or impairment<br />
live independent and confident<br />
lives.<br />
Rock-fall risk could stop garden<br />
• By Matt Salmons<br />
ROCK-FALL RISK could thwart<br />
plans for a memorial garden to<br />
honour two Lyttelton men who<br />
died in the February 22, 2011,<br />
earthquake.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Norton Close site, former<br />
home of Owen Wright, was suggested<br />
for a garden to remember<br />
him and Ian Foldesi.<br />
Land Information New Zealand<br />
group manager land and property<br />
Jeremy Barr said it was “too early”<br />
to say if and how the garden to<br />
Mrs Smith said on average three<br />
people suffering a spinal cord<br />
injury was “horrifically sad.”<br />
“It is just really important we as<br />
a centre understand the frustrations<br />
and challenges and we can<br />
continue to make improvements<br />
for these families.<br />
“All shopping centres should be<br />
accessible, there is no excuse not<br />
to,” she said.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Palms is working on making<br />
its cafes more accessible by<br />
ensuring there is enough room for<br />
people with wheelchairs to access<br />
the area with ease.<br />
At the shopping centre yesterday<br />
was NZST marketing manager<br />
Mike Brown.<br />
Six years ago his life changed<br />
forever when he was struck by<br />
a car while working in Tannum<br />
Sands, Queensland.<br />
He was skateboarding to a park<br />
to meet his son and wife when a car<br />
crossed the centre line, crashing<br />
into him and breaking his back.<br />
<strong>The</strong> accident left Mr Brown<br />
with a spinal cord injury and he<br />
requires a wheelchair for mobility.<br />
Last year, Mr Brown began<br />
working for NZST following the<br />
could be created.<br />
Mr Wright was struck and<br />
killed by a boulder on the Major<br />
Hornbrook track during an<br />
aftershock while he was walking<br />
home from ferrying people over<br />
the Bridle Path. Father-of-three<br />
Mr Foldesi was walking the Stan<br />
Helms track when the earthquake<br />
triggered a rockslide that swept<br />
across the track and carried him<br />
25m down a cliff face. Mr Barr<br />
said LINZ considered a variety of<br />
requirements in approving transitional<br />
land use projects.<br />
support he and his family received<br />
after the accident.<br />
It was a long road to recovery<br />
for Mr Brown, but he said with the<br />
right support from organisations<br />
like the NZST, life is pretty good.<br />
“<strong>The</strong>re are constant struggles,<br />
accessibility is only one of those<br />
struggles but I think as a society<br />
we are certainly a lot more aware<br />
and we are making more steps to<br />
make it more inclusive,” he said.<br />
On Saturday, the shopping<br />
centre will host a wheelchair<br />
obstacle course where the public<br />
can participate with a gold coin<br />
donation.<br />
<strong>The</strong> nationwide appeal started<br />
yesterday for World Spinal Cord<br />
Injury Day and finishes on<br />
Wednesday.<br />
•To support the New Zealand<br />
Spinal Trust go to givealittle.<br />
co.nz/cause/relievethepressure or<br />
relievethepressure.org.nz<br />
•HAVE YOUR SAY: How<br />
do you think shopping<br />
malls could be made more<br />
accessible? Email your<br />
views to georgia.oconnor@<br />
starmedia.kiwi<br />
“Because this particular property<br />
was red-zoned due to rockfall<br />
risks, the risk to life on this<br />
site will be one of the issues that<br />
has to be worked through in relation<br />
to health and safety on site.”<br />
Mr Barr said it wanted to support<br />
the community through the<br />
application process. Last Tuesday,<br />
garden organiser Betty Purdue<br />
and two LINZ representatives met<br />
on site to discuss the options for<br />
the memorial garden. Mr Barr<br />
said LINZ was continuing its discussions<br />
with Mrs Purdue.<br />
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