The Council has dropped the ball on progressing the co-governance structure for the Red Zone. I know we have had Covid and 3 Waters to deal with but there’s a lot of staff at CCC who should be working on this. People are getting frustrated at the glacial approach to dealing with this matter.
This week it’s a year since Evan Smith died. Peter Beck wrote to the mayor this week and said:
When we had the very moving event when you received the return of the petition, we were all very conscious that Evan did not have long to live. As he joined us by video link you made a pledge to him that you personally would take responsibility to ensure that the vision he shared with us all of an inclusive co-governance model for the river park would be established as a key priority. And at his funeral you repeated this pledge.
It appears to us that the ball has been dropped, and the timing continues to be stretched out. I’m sure you are aware that we are not alone in this view.
Over the past year CCC has engaged Chris Finlayson QC to write an opinion on the governance structure which could be put in place for the Red Zone. I’m not sure this report added much to what had already been written about co-governance structures but the Council has had it for months. The full Council then met to discuss options in June and then, nothing. Community groups continue to meet with CCC staff to be met by smiles and excuses. It’s not staff’s fault. It must be sorted out at the Council table.
I approached Lianne Dalziel and asked her to speak to this week’s Tuesday Club on progress on the Red Zone. I received a reply from her office that I found to be unsatisfactory. If we can’t proceed with alacrity in setting up a structure and getting on with developing plans for this special area, which no other city can match, then we don’t deserve it. The Council must get its act together. Global warming is here. The Red Zone could be a Petrie dish for the world. Yet its potential lies fallow and undiscovered. It needs the chance to be widely owned and loved by the community of Christchurch, and New Zealand.
So, if CCC won’t come to us until October (another year has disappeared) we decided lets’ start talking about potential projects which could occur in this area.
So, at a friend’s house recently, I learned that Dave Henderson had prepared a plan to build affordable housing on a part of the Red Zone. He has had Jim Lunday design houses which would be affordable and so I’ve asked Dave and Jim to do a presentation this week.
So, tune into Zoom this Tuesday at 5.30 and let’s start telling CCC what is possible if they get their act together.
Join Zoom Meeting
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