The Star: March 21, 2024

The Star Thursday March 21 2024
12
NEWS
Catholic food
bank closes
due to costs
THE CITY’S hungry have one less
option for sustenance following the
closure of a food bank which had
served the needy for 60 years.
Catholic Social Services
reluctantly shut down its Cashel St
food bank earlier this month, citing
the rising cost of essential food
items and a lack of donations.
“It’s terribly sad our efforts to
feed those who cannot afford
food ceased because it had
become unaffordable,” said Simon
Thompson, general manager of the
Catholic Diocese of Christchurch.
“The difficult decision came
after 12 months of effort to find
additional funding streams.
“With Catholic Social Services
receiving very few donations of
food and only a tiny discount from
supermarkets, it was no longer
financially viable to operate the
food bank.’’
When the food bank closed
down, it was limited to supplying
about a dozen food parcels
delivered weekly.
Thompson recommended
people seeking food parcels from
Catholic Social Services should
first approach their partner
organisation, St Vincent de Paul.
Although the food bank has
closed, Catholic Social Services
expects to resume its soup kitchen
programme soon.
• By Chris Barclay
THE CITY’S longest-serving
local government politician has
staved off a leadership coup at
her community board, despite
ongoing concerns over her
stewardship.
Helen Broughton tendered
her resignation before last
Thursday’s monthly meeting of
the Waipuna Halswell-Hornby-
Riccarton Community Board,
contingent on being able to act as
spokesperson on planning issues.
Broughton’s move to step
aside was related to pressure she
felt was being exerted by some
younger colleagues over her
performance in the role she was
elected unopposed for following
the 2022 local government
elections.
Her use of social media to
communicate board messages
to the public was identified as
a shortcoming, one Broughton
acknowledged and intended to
address.
However, her vast experience
with planning issues enabled her
to retain both the chair and lead
on planning matters because the
majority of board members did
not want to separate the roles.
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
Broughton’s resignation rejected
by community board colleagues
Broughton voted to accept her
own resignation, pending the
retention of her planning brief,
along with Henk Buunk and
Mark Peters.
But deputy chair Marie
Pollisco, Sarah Brunton, Gamal
Fouda, Tyla Harrison-Hunt,
Andrei Moore and Debbie Mora
rejected that scenario.
Broughton, who first
represented Riccarton on the
board in 1995 and served as a
city councillor from 2001-2013,
expected to be replaced as chair.
“It took me by surprise,” she
admitted.
Aware of some discontent with
her performance, Broughton
said she would hold individual
discussions with her eight board
colleagues.
“I want to know how things are
going from their perspective and
what needs to change,” she said.
Broughton conceded the 4.5
hour long meeting did not run
neatly throughout, particularly
debate regarding her role as
chair and then contentious safety
measures for the crash-prone
Church Corner intersection.
“We got through 15 items
smoothly, the 16th item (her
role as chair) and 17th (Church
Helen Broughton
Corner) were difficult items,” she
said.
“It was chaired reasonably well
but it probably wasn’t quite as
tight as it should have been.”
Broughton was also a
central figure in the board’s
second decision not to follow
city council staff advice and
implement safety-related changes
designated for the intersection of
Riccarton, Yaldhurst and Main
South Rds.
The board rejected the plan
to close down the right hand
turn from Main South Rd onto
Riccarton Rd and also add a
pedestrian crossing to Yaldhurst
Rd at a meeting on February
15, and were asked by staff to
reconsider.
Board members opposed to the
changes claimed logjams would
ensue if Main South Rd traffic
were forced to turn onto Curletts
Rd as a means of reaching
Riccarton Rd.
Broughton was the last
member to vote and she opted
to reject the changes, leading
to a tie and per council rules,
the February 15 decision was
retained.
Buunk, Mora and Peters voted
against the changes; Pollisco,
Brunton, Harrison-Hunt and
Moore were in favour while
Fouda had left the meeting at
that stage to attend a Mosque
attack commemoration.
After voting ,it appeared
Broughton wanted to backtrack
and send the issue back to the
board for a third time, only to be
informed by council staff it was
too late for a u-turn.
But Broughton told The Star
there was no confusion on her
part.
“I was clear how that vote
would go and I knew it would be
the status quo. I was clear about
how I was voting.”
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