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4 The<br />
NEWS<br />
<strong>North</strong> <strong>Canterbury</strong> <strong>News</strong>, <strong>October</strong> <strong>26</strong>, <strong>2023</strong><br />
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By DAVID HILL,<br />
Local Democracy Reporter<br />
Rangiora High School plans to build a<br />
community performing arts centre.<br />
Board of trustees chairperson Simon<br />
Green said the school aimed to build<br />
‘‘the premier performing arts centre in<br />
<strong>North</strong> <strong>Canterbury</strong>".<br />
Aformal proposal is being prepared<br />
for the Waimakariri District Council to<br />
gain their support.<br />
Principal Bruce Kearney said the<br />
school hoped to build afacility similar<br />
to the Aurora Centre at Burnside High<br />
School in Christchurch.<br />
The proposed 800seat theatre would<br />
replace the school hall and have stateoftheart<br />
equipment to serve almost<br />
1700 students and the wider<br />
community.<br />
‘‘We need the voice of the community<br />
and so we want to consult with the<br />
council, the community and local<br />
schools.<br />
‘‘We want to come together and<br />
produce aplan which everybody can<br />
benefit from.’’<br />
The new facility would be managed<br />
by the school, but available to the 19<br />
contributing schools and local<br />
performing arts schools and<br />
organisations.<br />
‘‘We are growing our performing arts<br />
programme and we want to be known as<br />
aperforming artsschool as well as an<br />
academic school,’’ Mr Kearney said.<br />
Waimakariri District Council<br />
community and recreation general<br />
manager Chris Brown said the council<br />
has just adopted anew arts strategy.<br />
Recreation Sport and Leisure<br />
Consultancy Ltd has also been engaged<br />
to develop anetwork plan of facilities in<br />
the district and future needs.<br />
Both pieces of work will feed into<br />
next year’s 2024/34 Long Term Plan.<br />
‘‘If there is aneed in the community,<br />
then the council will absolutely look at<br />
it, alongside drainage, roading and<br />
extending our libraries,’’ Mr Brown<br />
said.<br />
‘‘The arts are definitely on the<br />
council’s radar and we have had aclear<br />
direction from our mayor and from our<br />
community.’’<br />
Mayor Dan Gordon said he was keen<br />
to hear more about the school’s<br />
proposal.<br />
‘‘I’m achampion and strong<br />
supporter of the arts so personally Iwill<br />
be looking forward to seeing where this<br />
plan lands.’’<br />
The district is well served for<br />
performing arts, with the council<br />
maintaining the Rangiora and Oxford<br />
town halls, while MainPower Stadium<br />
can be retrofitted for concerts.<br />
Kaiapoi High School also has a<br />
340seat auditorium.<br />
Hartley School of Performing Arts<br />
director Dale HartleyBrown said the<br />
idea ‘‘sounds exciting’’.<br />
She regularly booked the Rangiora<br />
Town Hall’s 350seat auditorium for<br />
productions and events, but the venue<br />
had its limitations.<br />
‘‘We definitely need something<br />
bigger. An 800seat auditorium would<br />
be so good, Icould do less shows and<br />
still make budget.<br />
‘‘We used the school hall after the<br />
earthquakes and the school was<br />
fantastic.’’<br />
Timeframes,cost and how the project<br />
would be funded were still being<br />
worked out, Mr Kearney said.<br />
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Vintage enthusiastsfrom across <strong>North</strong><br />
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fair with goods.<br />
‘‘We received great support from the<br />
community and awide variety of stall<br />
holders featuring avintage theme, it was<br />
asuccessful day,’’aspokesperson for The<br />
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The Vintage Fair <strong>North</strong> <strong>Canterbury</strong> will<br />
be held every three months, with the next<br />
one planned for Sunday, January 28, 2024,<br />
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Stallholders fees are being donated to<br />
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go to <strong>North</strong> <strong>Canterbury</strong> Riding for the<br />
Disabled.<br />
The organisers are from <strong>North</strong><br />
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the support of the Rangiora Racecourse,<br />
was the ideal location for the vintage fair.<br />
‘‘We are pleased with the community<br />
support we received on avery windy day.<br />
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