The Star: December 13, 2018

16
Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
Thursday December 13 2018
News
Cemetery name change likely
• By Anan Zaki
A CEMETERY which
remembers the victims of the
February 22, 2011, earthquake
could get a name change.
Fendalton-Waimairi-Harewood
Community Board voted
on Monday to ask the city council
to consider adding the word
‘memorial’ to Avonhead Park
Cemetery’s name.
Friends of Avonhead Cemetery
chairman Clive Paris was pleased
with the community board decision.
The cemetery is home to an
interment site opened on the first
anniversary of the disaster.
Fifty-eight victims are memorialsed
at Avonhead Park Cemetery,
the city council said.
The group has been campaigning
to change its name to reflect
the interment site’s significance
for 18 months.
“It’s a step forward, sanity
prevails and it’s also wishes of
families of the deceased who are
buried there from the [February
22], 2011, earthquake,” he said.
“We’ve got a $300,000 [interment]
there, and referred to as a
memorial by former Mayor Bob
Parker,” Mr Paris said.
Friends of Avonhead Cemetery
will continue to urge city councillors
to change the name.
“I think they [city councillors]
CHANGE: Friends of Avonhead Cemetery chairman Clive Paris
is campaigning to add the word ‘memorial’ to the cemetery’s
name.
should listen to the people rather
than some ideology steeped in
history that the name should be
retained.”
Community board chairman
Sam MacDonald said the board
was against the city council
staff’s recommendations, which
was to keep the existing name.
“Community boards are there
to represent the community. This
council is commonly criticised for
not being prepared to listen to the
community,” Mr MacDonald said.
He expects the city council to
consider the board recommendation
in February next year.
If that recommendation is
accepted, the city council will
begin open a public consultation
to change the name.
Board member Aaron Campbell
said Friends of Avonhead
Cemetery disagreed with the
group on the “sensitive” subject
of changing the name.
Mr Campbell was the only
board member to vote against
changing the name.
“Particularly around the Avonhead
Park cemetery, any changes
that have been made have been
extremely contentious,” he said.
Mr Campbell also questioned
why Friends of Avonhead
Cemetery didn’t submit
about the name change in the
Cemeteries Bylaw review earlier
this year.
But Mr Paris said his group did
not need to submit in the bylaw
review because the community
board has been aware of this issue
for 18 months.
in brief
Free bus rides on
Saturday
Bus rides home from the central
city will be free on Saturday.
Tickets can be collected from
a stall in the Bus Interchange
between 9am and 6pm and
entitle the holder to free travel
for the rest of the day.
Libraries most
popular choices
The most popular book of the
year at city council libraries
was The Midnight Line by
Lee Child, the most popular
children’s book was The
91-Storey Treehouse by Andy
Griffiths, the most popular
eBook was The Handmaid’s
Tale by Margaret Atwood, the
most popular non-fiction book
was Daughter of Gloriavale: My
Life in a Religious Cult by Lilia
Tarawa and the most popular
magazine was the New Zealand
Listener. Fendalton Library was
the most visited with 368,064
visits and South Library had
the most borrowed items with
485,073.
Council has backlog
of water leaks
The city council is working to
address a backlog of reports
about water leaks. Over the last
Local
News
Now
The Star
Fire rages, homes at risk
two months there has been a 30
per cent increase in the volume
of service requests lodged
about water leaks – about 350
requests a week.
Hospital building soon
to be demolished
One of the Canterbury District
Health Board’s last remaining
earthquake prone buildings
will be demolished early next
year. The Diabetes Centre
is scheduled for demolition
before Easter. A squash court
adjacent to the centre will also
need to be demolished to allow
safe access and use of heavy
machinery during the demolition
of the centre.
Choose the music at
fireworks event
Residents can choose the
soundtrack for the fireworks
finale at the Sparks concert.
The city council and the
Christchurch Symphony
Orchestra are giving people the
chance to vote online for which
piece the orchestra should
perform near the end of the
concert, which will be held on
February 16 in North Hagley
Park. Go to www.facebook.
com/events/303073967199622/
permalink/312129446294074
to vote.
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