North Canterbury News: January 25, 2024

12 The
OUR TOWN KAIAPOI
North Canterbury News, January 25, 2024
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Kaiapoi community fights back
By DAVID HILL,
Local DemocracyReporter
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Deterrent ... Waimakariri MP Matt Doocey (left) has been working with Kaiapoi resident
Wendy Tait to install CCTV cameras, including in the suburb of Sovereign Palms to deter
crime.
PHOTO: SUPPLIED
North Canterbury residents are taking
back their streets.
Residents have been fundraising to
install CCTV cameras, in collaboration
with police, the Waimakariri District
Council and North Canterbury
Neighbourhood Support.
Waimakariri MP Matt Doocey joined
with residents in the Kaiapoi suburb of
Sovereign Palms last week to mark the
installation of anew CCTV camera.
‘‘This is agood example of a
community standing up for themselves
and deciding they’ve had enough of their
homes being broken into and taking back
some control,’’ Mr Doocey says.
‘‘It is away to take their streets back.’’
Mr Doocey says the community­led
initiative started after resident Wendy
Tait approached him after her
campervan was stolen.
After looking into the installation of
CCTV cameras by the Hurunui District
Council, Mr Doocey calledameeting in
Kaiapoi last year.
Nearly 300 people attended and
decided to fundraise for CCTV cameras
to be installed in Sovereign Palms.
North Canterbury Neighbourhood
Support has been assisting residents
with fundraising for the cameras, by
acting as the fund holder.
Manager Dalice Stewart says the
Sovereign Palms residents are
continuing to fundraise with the goal of
having three camerasinplace by the end
of the year.
Other communities such as
Silverstream in Kaiapoi, in Rangiora,
Woodend and Pegasus have expressed
an interest in having cameras.
‘‘It really needs someone to stepupand
driveit,’’ Ms Stewart said.
Retired police officer Ken Eccles, of
Nelson, has been helping community
groups to navigate thelegal and
technical requirements, she says.
Pegasus Residents Group Inc vicepresident
Heidi Wood says the group has
identified some sites forCCTV cameras,
and is hoping to roll out phase one soon.
Waimakariri Mayor Dan Gordon says
the council has anetwork of CCTV
camerasincentralKaiapoi, Rangiora
and Oxford and it supported developing
acommunity­led initiativebased on the
Hurunui model.
‘‘Our districthas an excellent service
provided by Neighbourhood Support and
the communitypatrols working to keep
our communities safe.
‘‘I’m sure additional cameras would
complement the work they do and would
be well received.’’
CCTV cameras were instrumental in
helping police identify the offender after
apounamu carving was stolen in Hanmer
Springs four years ago.
Canterbury rural police area
commander Inspector Peter Cooper says
2645076
CCTV cameras were avaluable crime
prevention tool.
Police engaged with councils to discuss
crime trends and the best places to
install cameras.
‘‘Nationally, anumber of local
authorities operate and may monitor
crime prevention CCTV networks to help
reduce the incidence of crime and
disorder, so that members of the
community feel safe when visiting the
public areas covered by the cameras.’’
Camera footage could be used to track
criminals, provided the use of CCTV
cameras and sharing of data complied
with the Privacy Act 2020.
To assist with CCTV camera
fundraising efforts, contact North
Canterbury Neighbourhood Support at
ncns.org.nz.
LDR is local body journalism cofunded
by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Growth putspressure on Kaiapoi housing
By DAVID HILL,
Local Democracy Reporter
Affordable housing needs to be apriority
for Kaiapoi as it’s on the brink of major
growth, WaimakaririDeputy Mayor
Neville Atkinson says.
CrAtkinson is looking at ways to keep
house prices down, including offering
leasehold land for development. More
than adecade on from the 2010 and 2011
earthquakes which devastated the town,
its population is now more than 13,000 and
is set for more growth.
CrAtkinson, council’s housing portfolio
holder, says affordable housing is ahuman
right, but the question is how to achieve it.
‘‘There are so many people in different
degrees of inadequate housing and there
are no easy solutions. It is about looking at
different models which can work and
giving people some options.’’
Statistics New Zealand high growth
projections suggest the town could grow by
52 percent over the next 30 years, creating
demand for an extra 2900 new houses.
The proposed Waimakariri District
Plan, which is expected to take effect later
this year, proposes opening up 97 hectares
for housing in Kaiapoi ­enough land for
more than 4000 houses.
To help reduce the upfront housing
costs and rising debt levels, Cr Atkinson
would like to see more council and
government owned land opened up as
leasehold land for housing.
‘‘There would need to be abit of due
diligence around the lease agreements,
but it could be agreat option for people.
‘‘As long as we can get banks on board, it
would significantly reduce their mortgage
as they wouldn’t need to borrow as much.’’
Te Kohaka oTuhaitara Trust, a
partnership between the council and Te
Ngāi Tūāhuriri Rūnanga, has proposed
making former red zone land at Kairaki
Beach available as leasehold land for
housing. Cr Atkinson says the land may
only have finite life, given the predictions
around sea level rise. Other options are
also being explored.
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