The Star: February 14, 2019

The Star Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
Thursday February 14 2019 9
for independence
He lectured for “20-odd years”
at Lincoln University on farm
management and “extension” –
which is the process of bringing
about change in a community –
before working overseas.
“We went and worked with volunteer
services abroad in Africa
for some time and then I set up a
little business working in overseas
development, mainly involved in
bringing about change in rural
communities,” Mr Tate said.
He had contracts in more than
20 developing countries.
“There was a remote community
on the border of Mozambique and
I spent a lot of time with them
because they were largely ignored
by the Government. We managed
to place a planning officer from
New Zealand to help,” Mr Tate
said.
“So there’s nothing new to me
about bringing change. But this
feels more important . . . I thought
at the start this was going to be
good. Bringing about change usually
involves a personal relationship
with someone and I thought
we were achieving that.”
However, he said that is no
longer the case.
“It’s proving a bureaucracy that I
have always skirted around in the
past, but I’m very blocked here.”
ECan raised the idea of trialling
a service to take residents to
bus stops. But the vehicle would
have been run by volunteers from
the village.
“I was a supporter of that. But
it’s too complicated for a village
of this age, so its not a goer. We’ve
got to forget about that and get on
and find something else,” Mr Tate
said.
However, ECan has given up.
Senior manager of public transport
Stuart Gibbons said: “We’ve
run out of ideas.”
“We’ve offered alternatives and
• By Julia Evans
RESIDENTS ARE rallying
to have suburbs left out of the
Shirley Boys’ and Avonside Girls’
High School zone permanently
included.
In April, the Ministry
of Education came up
with a compromise for
a 13-year transitional
zone that allows students
living in the current
zones around Richmond,
Shirley, Avonside, Dallington,
St Albans and
Edgeware to enrol at the
new multi-million QE II
Park campus.
The zone will be reviewed in
May, a month after students start
at the new school.
But residents from the excluded
suburbs have launched a petition,
which will be sent to the ministry
calling for the transitional zone to
be made permanent.
‘Were’ so disappointed’
• By Julia Evans
GRAHAM LAWN hasn’t been
behind the wheel of a car for
the last five years.
“It’s just old age, your mobility
becomes restricted,” he said.
But the 92-year-old resident
of Diana Isaac Retirement
Village says his independence
has been “ruined” since the
Orbiter stopped running along
Philpotts Rd.
Mr Lawn and his wife Lenore
relied on the bus for medical
appointments, shopping and
even had the odd trip out to
Sumner.
However, as they have to
use walking sticks or mobility
scooters, they cannot walk the
1km to Innes Rd.
Instead, Mr and Mrs Lawn
are having to taxi or simply not
go out.
“We have half price in the
taxi, but it’s just not the same.
You have to wait for it to come,
you can’t just go at your own
we haven’t been able to implement
those alternatives, so there’s really
not much to do.”
The solution the residents are
pushing for is rerouting the 44 bus
route down Philpotts Rd. It would
then do a turn and head back
towards Innes Rd.
But Mr Gibbon said it would
cost $100,000 and this, combined
with the time it would take to
construct, meant ECan did not see
this as a good option.
“We have explored alternative
ways of rerouting the 44 as
requested by the residents and
Ryman, however, it is not viable to
further pursue this at this time,”
Mr Gibbon said.
So far it has 100 signatures.
Dallington Residents Association
chairwoman Bebe Frayle said
it always planned to lobby for the
zone to be made permanent.
“But what kicked off our regrouping
was the info
that Shirley Boys’ has
closed their out-ofzone
roll as soon as it
opened,” she said.
SBHS closed its enrolments
for out-of-zone
students last month, two
months before it moves.
“For us, it’s all about
gathering support
and the plan would
be to talk to communities and
the school, mostly the people affected,”
she said.
Being permanently excluded
from the zone would have impact
on house prices, divide communities
and disrupt families.
“We’re placed in a very weird
Graham Lawn
pace,” he said.
Plus, Mr Lawn said the cost
was mounting up quickly.
“We’re so disappointed . . .
This is absolutely essential for
people like us. You could take
the Orbiter to Northlands or
The Palms and get anywhere in
the city. Now that’s gone.”
“We have invested considerable
effort in trying to identify a viable
and sustainable solution, but have
unfortunately not succeeded in
finding one that meets the needs
of all parties involved. We’ve now
reached the point where we have
exhausted the range of options
available to us.”
In the meantime, Ryman will
operate a village taxi and car
share scheme to make sure residents
can still get around from
next month.
However, the battle for the bus is
not over for the residents of Diana
Isaac.
“We’ll keep plugging,” Mr Tate
said.
School zone petition launched
Bebe Frayle
position and as residents, we
can’t say that this is our local
school. We don’t have one,” she
said.
“It’s a weird and unfair position
for families to be in.”
But Ministry of Education deputy
secretary sector enablement and
support Katrina Casey said the
changes made to the enrolment
schemes were to reflect their new
location.
“The enrolment schemes will
help Avonside Girls’ High School,
and Shirley Boys’ High School
make effective and efficient use
of their new schools and will
give them the ability to manage
future rolls and reduce the risk of
overcrowding,” she said.
•To sign the petition, go to
www.change.org/p/ministryof-education-make-thetransitional-zone-part-ofaghs-sbhs-permanent-zonefor-the-sake-of-equity
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