Nor'West News: September 17, 2020

NOR’WEST NEWS Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
Thursday September 17 2020 7
News
Digital needs increasing
• By Bea Gooding
A SCHEME to provide
computers to community
organisations in need across the
city has proven popular, with
digital needs increasing due to
Covid-19.
The city council’s Computers
to the Community Scheme offers
computers for free to not-forprofit
groups to help them deliver
services more efficiently.
Excluding the lockdown,
between July 2019 and June this
year, 220 laptops and desktops
were distributed to organisations,
such as St Christopher’s Anglican
Church, Delta Community
Support Trust and the
Multicultural Youth Association.
Charity Kilmarnock
Enterprises employs people
with intellectual disabilities to
provide outsourcing solutions for
businesses, such as packaging or
refurbishing needs and received
four desktops and laptops.
Said chief executive Michael
Toothill: “We haven’t had the
budget to purchase new ones
ourselves, and we needed to find
an alternative way to save costs.
“We started to sell eco-friendly
cleaning products and needed
equipment to run the dispatch
side of things. We had a gap
to fill in business because we
refurbished headsets for Air New
HELP: Chief executive Michael Toothill (left) with Mark
Russell and Robert Spence, of Kilmarnock Enterprises, with
a new laptop they received from the city council to help
operations run smoothly.
PHOTO: GEOFF SLOAN
Zealand’s international flights,
but that’s gone on hold.
“Directly for us, it ensures
we can retain jobs and has
been
a huge benefit to our employees.”
In the past few months, the
city council noted an increase in
requests from groups working
with multi-cultural communities
and have allocated about 50
computers to organisations
with a variety of cultural
backgrounds.
City council head of
community support, governance
and partnerships John Filsell
said the cost associated with
purchasing the technology was
often a barrier.
Said Filsell: “Covid-19
highlighted the need and use of
technology to feel connected, to
keep in touch with friends and
family both overseas and within
New Zealand to get information,
continuing education and
support the ability to continue to
work.
“Some groups have made the
computers available to those who
do not have them.’’
Meeting demand was not a
major issue but at times the city
council experienced a higher
demand which meant some
groups had to wait longer to
receive their computers.
‘It is an absolute
embarrassment’
• From page 1
“There is great opportunity
here but like we have said, this
was developed in the 60s and
things have changed a little.
He said he could envisage the
mall becoming more boutique
and similar to the Tannery.
“That type of boutique mall on
this side of town would work really
well, there is a big catchment
for it.”
However, city councillor Sara
Templeton said she could not
support the plan as she did not
see it as a priority for council
resources.
“We have got clear evidence
. . . that shows that the inner-city
east and New Brighton areas
should be the priority for revitalisation,”
she said.
City councillor James Gough
labelled this as “disgusting.”
“We have massive influence
here, it is one of the few areas
where the council is actually the
main landowner in a major retail
area,” he said.
“We are essentially the mall
owner here, we have large
tenants that are crying out to
partner with us, you have a
community that is desperate
to see the council re-invest in
something that it has a duty to,
you look at the private sector
that will re-invest in malls every
five to seven years in a major
re-vamp, nothing has happened
from the council.
“It is an absolute
embarrassment and we have the
ability to do something about
this in existing budgets and I
have got councillors wanting
to vote against it, absolutely
disgusting.”
In spite of Templeton’s protests,
the plan passed.
The Fendalton-Waimairi-
Harewood Community board
will now play a leading role in
the development of the investment
case. The progression of the
case to the council table for sign
off will hinge on the approval of
the community board.
Board chairman David
Cartwright said while he was
“excited” by the progress, there
was still a lot of work to do.
“It is one thing to get the
fish on the hook but to get it in
the boat is another thing,” he
said.
Cartwright said he was
looking forward to working
alongside key stakeholders in the
development of the case.