North Canterbury News: April 30, 2020
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NEWS<br />
2 <strong>North</strong> <strong>Canterbury</strong> <strong>News</strong>, <strong>April</strong> <strong>30</strong>, <strong>2020</strong><br />
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Thursday, January24, 2019 Issue 8<strong>30</strong> | www.ncnews.co.nz<br />
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Council eyes world after lockdown<br />
By DAVID HILL<br />
The Waimakariri District<br />
Council has started planning<br />
for the district's recovery<br />
beyond the Covid19 lockdown.<br />
With the country now at alert<br />
level3,councillors attending a<br />
recent meeting via the<br />
conference app Zoom called on<br />
stafftoprepare arecovery<br />
plan.<br />
The meeting was<br />
livestreamed on YouTube.<br />
Chiefexecutive Jim Palmer<br />
said the pandemic was<br />
creating “a set of impacts on<br />
our district andour world that<br />
we haven't seen for some time”.<br />
“The impacts are not only<br />
from ahealthpoint of view,but<br />
thereisalso an economic<br />
impact and we are feeling the<br />
effects immediately with the<br />
closureofbusinesses.”<br />
He said the impacts of Covid<br />
19 werelikely to last for years,<br />
withborderrestrictions and<br />
shutdowns causing significant<br />
global issues.<br />
He predictedthe effects on<br />
Waimakariri could be smaller<br />
thanother districts in the<br />
region, which had agreater<br />
reliance on tourism.<br />
“We havestrong population<br />
growth, comparativelylow<br />
average propertypricesand<br />
our rural sector putsusina<br />
goodposition.”<br />
But the impact was being felt<br />
in the district,with many<br />
businessesunable to operate<br />
under lockdown conditions.<br />
It was estimated that40to45<br />
percentofthe localworkforce,<br />
or about8000 people, were<br />
employed in essential services,<br />
which meant about12,000<br />
“may not have been able to<br />
work” under alert level4.<br />
“We’vegot lots of anecdotal<br />
stories of peopleonreduced<br />
hours or likely to lose their<br />
jobs, and alot of our people<br />
work in Christchurch,sowe<br />
will be looking at developments<br />
in bothdistricts closely.”<br />
Mr Palmer said the council<br />
already had an estimatedloss<br />
of $1.5million because of<br />
Covid19, which included the<br />
loss of revenuefrom the<br />
closing of the aquatic centres<br />
and reducednumbers of<br />
building consents and<br />
inspections, while working<br />
remotely had also added costs.<br />
“It will take us three months<br />
The Widest Music Variety<br />
to fully assessthe overall cost<br />
and to explorehow much<br />
mightberecoverablefrom the<br />
government.”<br />
Councillors askedstaffto<br />
draftarecoveryplan which<br />
recognised social, environmental,<br />
economic and cultural<br />
wellbeing.<br />
They askedthat it be<br />
“peoplecentric”and offered<br />
options for thecouncil to lead<br />
in the district's economic and<br />
social recovery.<br />
Ratesreliefmeasureswere<br />
also considered.Councillors<br />
votedtooffer “a rental<br />
holiday” to May 31 for sports<br />
clubs, community groups,<br />
hospitality and commercial<br />
business that leasedcouncil<br />
facilitiesand were unable to<br />
operate during lockdown.<br />
Hand-crafted creations prove popular<br />
By ROBYN BRISTOW<br />
Dozens of birdfeeders and<br />
treasure boxesare being<br />
crafted by residents at Charles<br />
UphamRetirementVillage in<br />
Rangiora.<br />
Residents’ woodworking<br />
skills havecome to the fore in<br />
building the functional art<br />
pieces, whichare then<br />
decorated by others in the<br />
village.<br />
They are then put to good<br />
use by residents, or given to<br />
family members as agift.<br />
Initial templateswere made<br />
before Covid19 became of<br />
concern in New Zealand. More<br />
recently,they have been<br />
decorated by villageresidents<br />
workingwithin the social<br />
distancing requirements of the<br />
lockdown.<br />
The inspirationcame from<br />
townhouse resident Lynn<br />
Andrews, who made them for<br />
his grandchildren. They were<br />
“overthe moon” to receive<br />
some of his handiwork.<br />
He workedwith Grant<br />
Kearney in joinery, and a<br />
contractingjoiner on the initial<br />
concept,before puttingthe<br />
boxestogetherwith fellow<br />
residents Colin Dixon and Bob<br />
Fox in the village workshop<br />
area.<br />
Sincethen, the decorationof<br />
the items has becomean<br />
activitiesproject forresidents.<br />
Village concierge Lizz Read<br />
said residents from both the<br />
special care unit and resthome<br />
had decorated the treasure<br />
Boxing on ... From left, Colin<br />
Dixon, Lynn Andrews and Bob<br />
Fox.<br />
PHOTOS: SUPPLIED<br />
boxes. They added final<br />
touchesfor family members.<br />
Some of the bare materials<br />
were donated by one of Ryman<br />
Healthcare’slongtime<br />
suppliers, Sydenhambased<br />
Aspire Joinery and its owner<br />
Bernie Hunt.<br />
Lynn hopes to start asimilar<br />
projectwith the children at<br />
nearby Fernside School after<br />
the lockdown.<br />
“I went and made acouple<br />
up and my grandchildren loved<br />
them. Ithoughtifthey like<br />
them, all other kidswill<br />
probably like them,” Lynnsays.<br />
Popular items ... Charles Upham resident Pam Haywood with one<br />
of the trinket boxes.<br />
getintouch<br />
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