North Canterbury News: October 01, 2020

Cycleway
strategy
By DAVID HILL
Aworkinggroup has been set up
to consider the final leg of the
Belfast to Kaiapoi Cycleway.
The Kaiapoi­Tuahiwi
Community Boardhas approved
the setting up of aworkinggroup
to look at residents’concerns
over the potentialimpact on
parking, property values and
access for emergencyservicesif
the cycleway was to pass
through Perakiand Vickery
streets.
“Thisworking group gives us a
chance to work directly with
residents to find an optionthat
benefitspeoplewho liveon
thesestreets, as well as the
widercommunity who will be
usingthe cycleway,”board
chairwoman Chris Greengrass
says.
“I thinkthis projecthas the
potential to be areally positive
improvement for the area.”
The working group will work
with council staff to consider
options to address residents’
concerns.
It will includepeople who live
on the affected streets, cyclists,
an independent trafficengineer,
and representatives from local
schools and emergency services.
The working group will report
back to the community boardto
make afinalrecommendation to
the council.
If no agreeablesolution is
found, it is possible the funding
may be allocated to asimilar
project in the district.
Ashgrove principal retires
By DAVID HILL
ChristineChadwick found out theremight be
an openingfor the principal’s roleatAshgrove
School while visiting aschool gala.
Thatwas 14 years ago, and at the time
Christine was commutingfrom Rangiora to her
jobasprincipalatBreens IntermediateSchool
in Christchurch.
“The gala wasareal communityeventand
this is areal communityschool, and so I
applied,” she says.
In her time,she has seenthe school grow to
apeak of 587 pupils. In the years afterthe 2010
and 2011earthquakes, the school was bulging
at the seams as families moved to Rangiora.
“It was adifficult time, but it was alsoan
interesting time wherewehad to rethinkwhat
we were doing,” Christine says.
“Learning and teaching was changingaswe
reviewed our work andour teaching spaces,
but I’ve workedwith some amazing people in
my time.”
Christine is thankfulfor the support of her
fellow principals. She chaired the North
CanterburyPrimary Principals' Association for
4 1 ⁄2 years,until justbeforeher retirement at the
end of term three.
“When we needeach other for support
there’salways someone you cantalk to. After
the earthquakes we found it was very
important that we looked outfor eachother, so
our focus as agroup has beenonthe welfare of
our principals.
“And morerecently, with Covid­19, it has
been about making sure we’ve all got the
resources and we share information to keep
each other well­informed aboutwhat’s
happening.”
Christine says the role of aschool principal
is “a multi­faceted job”,asaleader, project
manager, an advocate for childreninacrisis,
supportingthe wellbeing of staff, supporting
fundraising efforts, and supporting the
community.
As amum herself, she is “verysympathetic”
to the plightofworkingmums.
Christine Chadwick
“My childrenwere veryused to comingto
schoolwith me or being dropped off at care. My
familyhas always been abig part of it all. All
they’ve ever knownismum beingatschool.”
Her family was unabletoattend her final
schoolassemblybecause of Covid­19, but a
photographer was on hand to capture the
moment.
Christine has already been shoulder­tapped
about takingon“retirement roles”,but for now
she is keen to take awell­earned rest.
“I started my teachingcareer in 1978and I
only took time off to havechildren and a
sabbatical.
“I may do abit of contractworkdown the
track.Idon’t think Icould leave local
education altogether.”
Ashgrove Schoolwill begin term four witha
new principal,Leon Van’tVeen­Gibbon, who is
returninghometoCanterbury after astint in
Auckland.
NEWS
North Canterbury News, October 1, 2020
15
Hopes high for
water upgrade
The PoyntzRoad watersupplyupgrade
is set to receive agovernment cash
injection.
The rural water supply is theonly
remaining drinking water supply in the
Waimakariri district that does not meet
nationalstandards.
Planstoupgrade it havebeen included
in the Waimakariri District Council’s
delivery plan, which has been presented
to centralgovernmentinordertoreceive
an $8.02million stimulusgrant underthe
ThreeWaters Reformplan.
The PoyntzRoad watersource
upgrade is expected to cost $1.03m.
Otherprojects included in
Waimakariri’s delivery plan include the
Fernside sewerupgrade, the Loburn Lea
sewerupgrade, Tuahiwi water and
wastewater servicing,Oxford wastewater
upgrades, the Ohoka water storage
upgrade, WestEyretonand Summerhill
storage upgradeand the central
Rangiora capacity upgrade stage 5A.
“Hopefully we can get the funding
across the line for PoyntzRoad and the
otherschemes,”MayorDan Gordon says.
“$8.02 million is our allocationand the
indications we havereceivedfor whatwe
are proposing havebeen positive, but it
stillneeds to go through the process.
“For schemes like Poyntz Road, it
makesabig difference to receive
assistancewith the cost, duetothe small
number of ratepayers on the scheme.”
The council proposes to link Poyntz
Road residentswith the West Eyreton
and Summerhill watersupply,but there
is stillwater to go under the bridge, Mr
Gordon says.Ameeting with Poyntz
Road residentsprovedpositive and
council staff were to meet with the West
Eyreton and Summerhill Water Advisory
Groupthis week.
*T’s &C’s Apply
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