North Canterbury News: January 23, 2020
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Good Street<br />
under review<br />
By SHELLEY TOPP<br />
Achangeofstatus for partofRangiora’s<br />
Good Street is proposed by the<br />
Waimakariri District Council.<br />
The council wants to transform the<br />
area between HighStand the service<br />
centre lane, nearthe New World<br />
supermarket, into afriendlier<br />
community space.<br />
To do this the status of the area needs<br />
to be formallychanged from alegal road<br />
to areserve, so that it can be used as a<br />
laneway and/or apedestrian area.<br />
The changewill allow the councilto<br />
protect that section of Good St for safer<br />
pedestrian use. ‘‘By changing the road<br />
status,itwould open up some great<br />
opportunities to make the areamore<br />
public friendly,’’ the council’s business<br />
and centres manager, Simon Hart,says.<br />
A40daypublic notificationperiod is<br />
underway to inform the public aboutthe<br />
proposal.ItendsonTuesday, February<br />
18, at 5pm.<br />
During this time the publiccan have a<br />
say on the proposal,says Vanessa<br />
Thompson, acouncilbusiness and<br />
centres unit adviser. ‘‘Ifweare<br />
successfulwith theroad stop, we would<br />
look to make the areamore attractive<br />
and functional for pedestrians.’’<br />
This would include things like<br />
planting, lights,seating and new paving.<br />
It might also include space for events,<br />
arts and culture displays, or simply<br />
making the area intoanattractive<br />
location to linger and shop.<br />
‘‘We are keen to see the space used<br />
much morebythe community and want<br />
to create apublic space that promotes<br />
the health and wellbeing of the<br />
community,’’she says.<br />
New exhibition... ChamberGallery manager Brian Hoult, left, withRangiora artist Tobias Gilsenan at<br />
the openingofhis new exhibition of paintingsand drawings, CON_ SPIRO.<br />
PHOTO: SHELLEY TOPP<br />
Weighty themes in show<br />
By SHELLEY TOPP<br />
The dark, brooding work of<br />
Rangiora artist Tobias<br />
Gilsenan in his latest<br />
exhibition, CON_SPIRO,<br />
delivers amessageof<br />
impending ecologicaldoom.<br />
Although the message is<br />
weighty, Tobias says it is not<br />
acall for action.‘‘I don’t<br />
think an artist should do<br />
that.’’<br />
Instead, he is simply<br />
hopingpeople will lookat<br />
his work, think about it and<br />
want to buy it ‘‘soIcan<br />
continue painting’'.<br />
The artist,who is also a<br />
postie, was influenced for<br />
the exhibitionbythe Tower<br />
of Babel (a mythical<br />
structure in biblical<br />
literature) and Douglas<br />
Adams’ Babel Fish from<br />
Hitchhikers Guide To The<br />
Galaxy.<br />
‘‘In today’s society we<br />
have lost plenty of skills due<br />
to technology,laziness and<br />
specialisation of trades,’’he<br />
says. ‘‘We now rely solelyon<br />
the internetand our<br />
phones.The BabelFish has<br />
all the information which<br />
must be squeezed out.’’<br />
Other themes include<br />
conservation,mining, the<br />
dairy industry and<br />
deforestation, with The Sky<br />
NEWS<br />
The <strong>North</strong> <strong>Canterbury</strong> <strong>News</strong>, <strong>January</strong> <strong>23</strong>, <strong>2020</strong><br />
Suckers 1, Sky Suckers2,<br />
The GroundGrubbers 1 and<br />
The GroundGrubbers 2<br />
being bleak examples of<br />
severe exploitation,<br />
portrayed in acrylic, ink<br />
and enamel on wood.<br />
‘‘Thereisnothing leftto<br />
suck except the sky itself,’’<br />
the artistsays.Healso takes<br />
astab at conspiracy<br />
theorists with 5G Flat<br />
Earthers1and 5G Flat<br />
Earthers2.<br />
The exhibitionopened at<br />
the Chamber Gallery in the<br />
RangioraLibrarylast<br />
Sunday afternoon and<br />
closes on Thursday,<br />
February20.<br />
In brief<br />
Art show to open<br />
5<br />
TheAmberley Art Groupis<br />
holdingaweeklong art<br />
exhibition in theold Super<br />
Liquor/Combined Transport<br />
building on Markham Street<br />
from <strong>January</strong> 24.Itwill be open<br />
daily from 10am to 3pm. During<br />
theMarkham SummerFair on<br />
Saturday,February 1, it will be<br />
open 1pmto7pm.Artworks<br />
created by this talented group of<br />
Hurunui artists are for sale. For<br />
more information, email<br />
art.amberley@gmail.com.<br />
Police counter opens<br />
ARangiora Policepublic<br />
counterisopenat200 King<br />
Street, while its buildingon<br />
HighStreetcontinues to be<br />
refurbished andearthquakestrengthened.The<br />
station was<br />
closed late lastyear, with some<br />
policestaff working from<br />
temporary premises. However,<br />
therewas no option forapublic<br />
counterinRangiora. Detective<br />
SeniorSergeant GregCottam<br />
says worktoupgradethe station<br />
to earthquake standards is<br />
expected to takeseveral more<br />
months. “A direct dialphone<br />
remains at the High Street site<br />
and, as always,police are<br />
contactable24/7bycalling111 in<br />
an emergency and105 forall<br />
othernonemergency matters.’’<br />
He thanked thepublicfortheir<br />
patience. ‘‘Welookforwardto<br />
relocating back to HighStreet.’’<br />
Thepubliccounter is open 9am<br />
to 4pmMonday to Friday.
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