The Star: July 13, 2023

The Star Thursday July 13 2023
4
NEWS
Residents take
action on crime
• From page 1
Hudson said that while is it
located in the decommissioned
police station, the building is
still part of the police property
portfolio.
Any group monitoring antisocial
activity on the site would
need to have the support of
police, Hudson said.
Police were unable to respond
to The Star about the initiative
yesterday.
Bay Community Policing Hub
members are staying under the
radar, refusing to be identified
until they advance their plans.
The group had its first meeting
on Tuesday night.
They intend to have volunteers
at the police station, answering
calls from concerned residents,
filing police reports and providing
support.
“We want to be low key and observing,
and passing information
on (to police),” a spokesperson for
the group said.
“It’s well known that the police
are overworked and that is why
the residents are concerned.
The initiative comes after
residents of other parts of the
city held meetings recently, concerned
about crime and police
responses and presence.
The Greater Hornby Residents
Association, which organised a
meeting in its area, presented a
1000-signature petition to Superintendent
Lane Todd calling for
the Hornby Police Station to be
staffed 24/7.
Todd told the meeting after
receiving the petition, “If I looked
at where the resources need to
be right now, currently there are
higher crime rates in the Linwood
and Eastgate areas.”
Police crime data shows the
rate of thefts, burglaries and other
related offences has increased
in the Hornby Ward by 46 per
cent compared to last year.
More than 50 Heathcote Valley
residents met with police, Fire
and Emergency New Zealand,
Neighbourhood Support and
the City to Sumner Community
Patrol over their concerns about
crime.
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
Agency fights council
• By Tony Simons
GOVERNMENT social housing
provider Kāinga Ora has
opposed the significant changes
the city council has proposed
to reduce the level of housing
intensification in Christchurch.
Kāinga Ora’s submission on
the city council’s Plan Change 14
covers more than 330 categories
and was opposed to or seeking
changes to 80 per cent of them.
The city council wants to limit
the impact of the Governmentimposed
housing density legislation
by protecting access to
sunlight, recognising areas with
poor access to public transport,
and protecting some sensitive
areas.
However, Kāinga Ora is
challenging the city council’s attempts
to limit building heights
and density, protect trees and
plants more, and manage coastal
areas sensitive to sea level rise or
at risk of tsunamis. It also wants
more liberal rules for development
under aircraft flight paths,
around greenways and cycleway
areas, and for landscaping on
properties.
City council reports show it
received 1092 public submissions
on PC14 with Kāinga Ora’s being
one of the biggest.
The Government has pledged
to tackle New Zealand’s housing
crisis but has received criticism
over not building social housing
quickly enough.
At the same time, Kāinga Ora
faced controversy nationwide
for failing to communicate with
communities over proposals to
take over existing housing developments
and build more.
Recent examples in Christchurch
include a private development
in Northwood and another
at Copper Ridge in Halswell,
both of which were purchased
by Kāinga Ora without residents
knowing.
A spokesperson for Copper
Ridge residents said the Kāinga
Ora’s PC14 submission shows it
wants to build more social housing,
no matter the cost.
“This confirms Kāinga Ora
does not care or support the
residents of Christchurch. It
seems in this city, social housing
trumps everyone,” the spokesperson
said.
Said Waipuna
Halswell-Hornby-Riccarton
Community
Board chair Helen
Broughton:
“Kāinga Ora
has played an
unusually dominant
role in
this submission
Helen
Broughton
process, both in broad themes
and detail.
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