The Star: March 04, 2021

The Star Thursday March 4 2021
10
NEWS
• By Matt Slaughter
CHRISTCHURCH high schools
are grappling with the issue of
students vaping.
The Star reported last week 22
per cent of Canterbury primary
and intermediate school staff
have reported pupils vaping
is an issue. The legal age for
purchasing a vape is 18.
Linwood College principal
Richard Edmundson said vaping
has become an issue at the school
since vapes came on the market
about two years ago, particularly
in the last year.
He said staff deal with about
one student a week caught vaping,
mostly year 10s and 11s.
Said Edmundson: “Of course,
we [Linwood] reflect exactly the
wider population . . . there wasn’t
vaping and now there is vaping.
“Judging on the standard bell
curve of teenage behaviour, teenagers
will try it.”
None of those caught have said
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
Students vaping a growing issue in high schools
where they got their vapes from
and their reasoning for doing
it is usually “because it’s cool,”
Edmundson said.
Shirley Boys’ High School
principal Tim Grocott said vaping
is proving a challenge for
his school to deal with because
the legislation around it is not as
clear as that banning cigarette
smoking from schools.
“The legislation around it is
very grey and I would say probably
inadequate. Whereas, it’s
very, very clear where we stand
with cigarette smoking, and
schools under law are actually
smoke free.
“There’s no similar legislation
around vaping, and that’s probably
one of the biggest challenges
because it’s very hard to actually
enforce some of the things that
we do because we’re not actually
bound by the law,” said Grocott.
Grocott said because of the
health and safety impacts vaping
has, the school treats it the same
as smoking.
He did not say how many
students a week were being
caught vaping, but those who
have been are mostly 14 and
15-year-olds.
Cashmere High School
principal Joe Eccleton said it has
had “four or five interactions
with students this year
regarding vaping.”
However, he said “for the vast
majority of students this [vaping]
is not an issue.”
History recreated through 3D mural
• By Matt Slaughter
CHRISTCHURCH’S historic
buildings and the women’s
suffrage movement are honoured
in a new 3D mural behind
Riverside Market.
The mural includes realistic
depictions of old Christchurch
buildings, including High St’s
Empire Hotel, 1800s surveying
business Edward Jollie & Co and
J D Clarke Optician.
It also gives recognition to
Christchurch women’s suffrage
advocate Kate Sheppard and
includes the words “vote yes on
women suffrage.”
The DTR Crew, made up
of Christchurch artists Jacob
Yikes, Wongi “Freak” Wilson,
Nick “Ikarus” Tam and Guy
“Dcypher” Ellis, competed the
artwork. It was designed by Josh
Thompson.
Production company Oi
YOU! managed the project,
which was jointly funded by the
Riverside Market and the city
council’s tourism, marketing
and economic development arm,
Christchurch NZ.
Christchurch NZ acting general
manager of marketing brand
and communication Sam Taylor
said it contributed $35,000
towards the cost of the mural,
about a third of the total project
cost.
Said Oi YOU! director George
Shaw: “What we decided to do
as a group with Christchurch
NZ was to reflect in there old
Christchurch buildings and
Christchurch history. People like
Kate Sheppard and the whole
movement of women’s
rights gets a good shout
out on the wall.”
The mural took about
five weeks to complete
and Shaw said the artists
worked about 10 hours
a day, six days a week to
complete it.
It was created using
Resene bucket paint,
and spray paint to complete the
intricate details.
George Shaw
The artwork was painted
on a flat wall, but appears 3D
to the naked eye, much to the
surprise of people
who have viewed it so
far.
“The number of
people who come up
to the wall saying
their brain won’t allow
them to believe that
the wall’s actually flat.
Even though you know
it’s flat, your brain still
won’t let you believe that it’s flat,”
Shaw said.
IMPRESSIVE: A new
3D mural celebrating
Christchurch’s history,
including businesses such
as the Empire Hotel (above)
has been completed
behind Riverside Market.
PHOTO: GEOFF SLOAN
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