The Star: October 03, 2019

The coming week
in our history
October 3, 1888 – The
New Zealand Natives played
their first game in the United
Kingdom, beating a Surrey XV.
The privately organised rugby
team was the first to wear the
silver fern and an all-black
uniform.
October 4, 1957 –
Inspired by footwear he had
seen in Japan, businessman
Morris Yock and his son
Anthony began manufacturing
this simple rubber footwear in
their garage in 1957. The name
‘jandal’ combined the words
‘Japanese’ and ‘sandal’.
October 5, 2011 – The
German-built Rena was the
largest ship ever wrecked in
New Zealand waters; spilling
oil into the Bay of Plenty.
October 6, 1769 – Ship’s
boy Nicholas Young received a
gallon of rum and had a headland
named after him for being
the first aboard HMB Endeavour
to spot land (Poverty Bay)
in the south-west Pacific.
October 7, 1917 -
German Count Felix Graf von
Luckner (known as the Sea
Devil) who had sank 14 Allied
ships in the Atlantic and Pacific
arrived in Auckland after being
captured. His escape on
December 13 made national
headlines. Recaptured in the
Kermadecs eight days later, von
Luckner was sent to Rīpapa
Island in Lyttelton Harbour.
October 8, 1941 – Dairy
farmer Stanley Graham killed
seven people in Kōwhitirangi
on the West Coast. One of New
Zealand’s largest manhunts
ended when Graham was shot
on the evening of October 20.
He died of his wounds the following
day. The tragedy began
when Graham refused to hand
over his rifle to police as part of
the war effort.
October 9, 1967 – Fifty
years of six o’clock closing in
pubs (known as the six o’clock
swill) ended after a referendum.
I READ former mayor Garry
Moore’s opinion piece in the
city’s daily newspaper this week
with interest.
Moore is a very astute
individual, known for his
social conscience. With his
accountancy background, he is
canny with the numbers, and of
course he still has a big interest
in local body politics.
Moore’s
article was
aimed at
those mayoral
candidates
trying to woo
voters with
promises of
zero rates
increases.
Moore is a
Lianne Dalziel supporter who
is seeking to be returned for a
third term. She says zero rates
increases are not practical.
One of her closest rivals,
Darryll Park, has been beating
the drum about zero rates
increases if he is elected and
pruning the city council’s budget
by $100 million – which includes
cutting ratepayer-funded
neighbourhood barbecues. That
part of the equation was simply
dumb, and showed a lot of
political naïvety.
Moore’s article was a direct
swipe at Park in what is
becoming an increasingly testy
election campaign between
those who support Dalziel, and
those who support Park as well.
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
Moore says if there is zero
rates increases, it would severely
reduce maintenance on roads,
footpaths, gutters, water
systems, river banks, council
facilities, dredging of rivers,
berms, waterfronts, swimming
pool and some small libraries
would all have to close.
It is a direct warning to voters
that if they give a tick for Park
the above will happen.
But hold the phone for a
second . . . close small libraries?
Ten years or so ago a Mooreled
council decided they would
close suburban libraries, two
from memory.
There was a major backlash
From the
editor’s desk
Barry Clarke
from the two communities
which would be affected, leading
to petitions and pleas to not go
ahead with the plan.
The council refused to yield.
Those libraries would close
seemed to be the blinkered
mantra.
So The Star and its community
newspapers launched a
campaign called Save Our
Libraries. We editorialised, we
published letters from the many
who were upset about the idea,
we put councillors and Moore
on spot. Why were they doing
this? It was simply a dumb idea.
Libraries are core facilities in
any community. They are places
OPINION 23
Library closures: That rings a bell
Garry Moore
Readers react to the
Merivale Mall being
given a non-notified
consent to expand, and
the city council’s tourism
and development arm
ChristchurchNZ funding
2021 Women’s World Cup
cricket matches at Hagley
Oval
DM Smith, Merivale – The
non-notified consent calls “the
effects only less than minor”?
Unbelievable.
It sounds like city planners
are living on another planet
or have never visited the area.
Papanui Rd is often completely
blocked between St Albans St
Send us your views. If
you have an opinion on
a Christchurch issue,
email barry@starmedia.
kiwi and put ‘Opinion’ in
the subject line. Emails
should be kept to about
150 words
and Leinster Rd, and attempting
to get into Aikmans Rd (or
McDonald’s) is difficult enough
now.
Treble the size of the mall
and adding the residential
apartments will guarantee
chaos. Aikmans and Office Rds
now are narrow but are duel
carriageways with residents’
parking.
This projected development
and the resulting number of
vehicle movements in and out
onto these two roads will be
diabolical.
The outcome could be council
will then bow to the developers
and designate both as one-way
streets and ban private car
parking as well.
The outcome will be
very disgruntled home owners
whose access to their property
will be compromised. And
worse still the value of their
major investment will fall.
Let the battle begin. If council
is smart it must revisit the
consent immediately.
Thursday October 3 2019 The Star
where people go to read, learn,
catch up for a chat and have a
coffee.
They are places where the
elderly, and not so elderly,
struggling with winter power
bills can go to and keep warm
– something we pointed out but
was still lost on the city’s elected
officials. So we upped the ante.
We ran photos of all the city
councillors and Moore on the
front page with their (council)
cellphone numbers. We urged
our readers to call them and
make a verbal submission to
keep the libraries open.
It worked.
Councillors’ mailboxes were
swamped with callers. One
councillor rang me slightly
distressed. He also had a
business. Clients and prospective
clients were unable to leave a
message. Within days, I received
a call from the mayor’s office.
Did I have a reporter and
photographer available?
Why, I asked.
“The mayor is going to a make
statement about the libraries,”
came the reply.
Victory, I thought.
A couple of hours later The
Star was outside a suburban
library. Moore with one of the
petition organisers was there.
He announced the council had
now decided against closing the
suburban libraries.
Power of the people.
barry@starmedia.kiwi
Eloise Scott – I am totally
disgusted the council is
discussing yet another fixture in
secret with our rates money.
We are against this entirely.
There is not the interest in
cricket, let alone women’s cricket.
ChristchurchNZ are dreaming
if it thinks this will bring in the
visitors in large numbers.
If this was played in another
venue, like Burnside Park, we
would not be against it. The
oval is such an eyesore in our
only real public park. It is in the
wrong place.
Wait until the new hospital is
open with more beds and see the
chaos on cricket days. It’s bad
enough as it is.
COPPER RIDGE - lOT 45
MODERn & bEauTIful lIvInG In HalswEll - $655,000
• 3 bedrooms architecturally designed
• Master bedroom with ensuite
& walk in robe
• Large modern kitchen with
appliances
• Covered alfresco dining area
• Soft and hard landscaping included
• 10 year residential build guarantee
• Fully fixed price contract &
guaranteed move in date
www.generation.co.nz/christchurch
MaKInG buIlDInG easy
Like us on Facebook: Generation Homes Christchurch