The Star: June 22, 2023

The Star Thursday June 22 2023
4
NEWS
Big spend
proposed by
Manji
THE OPPORTUNITIES Party
leader Raf Manji is promising
to spend $1 billion dollars in
Christchurch if he is elected in
October.
The former city councillor, who
is standing in the Ilam electorate,
outlined the plan at a public
meeting in Avonhead on Tuesday
night.
Manji said he would invest
$90 million in police, $600m in
health funding, $200m for transport,
and $70m to finish Christ
Church Cathedral, Arts Centre
and Provincial Chambers, as well
as $40m for a new primary and
secondary school.
“We have no voice in Wellington
at all, and they are simply
not interested in us . . . For the
second largest city in the country,
we do not get the resources we
deserve,” he said.
His plan involves 150 new
community constables, a police
training college in the South
Island, and $5 million for 10 new
police kiosks at locations like the
central city, the bus exchange and
in malls. They would be staffed
24/7, with constables walking the
streets, he said.
Manji also outlined his plans
for $580m South Island cancer
centre and a $20m new mental
health and trauma centre.
• By Tony Simons
NORTHWOOD residents
may still be unhappy, but city
councillor Aaron Keown says
he is now less concerned about a
27-unit over-50s social housing
development.
Keown attended
a meeting with
Kāinga Ora to
discuss neighbours’
concerns about
the complex being
built next to the
Northwood Supa
Centa.
“Residents who
spoke to me were
worried about the impact of
increased traffic in the area,” he
said.
“I’ve now been assured it will
be a high quality development
for over-50s.
“It’s a real pity residents were
not at the meeting because I
believe their concerns would
have been addressed.”
The meeting on Monday was
instigated by a group of Pentland
Estate residents who learned the
development in their subdivision
will become social housing.
But residents’ representatives
did not attend. Just 24 hours
before the meeting, resident
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
Kāinga Ora complex will be ‘high
quality development for over-50s’
Aaron
Keown
CONSTRUCTION: The 27-unit development is being built
near the Northwood Supa Centre. PHOTO: DANIEL ALVEY
Ann Sanders sent an email to
those invited calling for it to be
postponed.
She said she had received a
lot of feedback from residents
who said they wanted a larger
community meeting held in its
place.
“I initially agreed to attend but
then found out the community
did not want it because it was
going to leave them out of the
consultation process,” she said.
Immediate neighbours signed
off on the planned over-50s
housing complex six years ago,
but Kāinga Ora announced this
year it was buying the partlyfinished
complex. The housing
agency initially declined to meet
residents, but agreed to a small
private meeting organised by the
Belfast Community Network.
The development and support
network is led by business and
community leaders and employs
six staff, plus volunteers.
It is part-funded from the
city council’s strengthening
communities fund.
Two representatives from
Kāinga Ora, Waimakariri
MP Matt Doocey and Keown
attended the meeting. Network
general manager Lynda
Goodrick said she organised it to
support the residents.
Afterwards Kāinga Ora
regional director Liz Krause said
the meeting was constructive,
but any comment had to come
from the network as it had
organised the meeting.
Krause said: “We will be
reaching out directly to Pentland
Estate residents who contact us.”
In a statement the network’s
board said: “We met local
and central Government
representatives to discuss
housing in the community.
We understand some residents
have concerns . . . and strongly
recommend, in the first instance,
they contact the appropriate
organisations to discuss these
matters. A resident who has
concerns was also invited to
be a part of this meeting but
declined,” the statement said.
Sanders said Pentland Estate
residents want a larger meeting
with Kāinga Ora to discuss their
concerns.
Said Goodrick: “If such a
meeting were to be held, we
would attend if invited and if
it is in the best interests of the
community.”
• Kāinga Ora’s viewpoint,
page 18
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