I believe in safety, education and opportunity for all. I work to protect our pure drinking water, clean rivers, well maintained roads and parks, and safe communities where everybody lives without fear.

Like Norman and Ruth Kirk before me, I work for greater educational opportunity. I work for and hold leadership positions in SPELD which helps people of all ages with special learning needs. I am privileged professionals say, “You gave them a chance”.

I’ve worked in a range of community and sporting groups. As a Community Board Member, I chair the Community Services and the Hornby Youth committees.

I support Jim Anderton’s policy to restore community funding. Riccarton-Wigram has many long-standing and developing creative programmes supporting sport, youth, men, the elderly, young Mothers, Maori, Pacifica and Asian residents. I will continue to strongly support these.

I work for safe, clean, attractive communities that provide opportunities for all.

judy.kirk@xtra.co.nz   ph.3485576

 

 

 

 

 

Top 5 Issues

1. Continue to listen to your views
2. Work for safe communities
3. Protect our precious drinking water and our rivers
4. Restore community funding
5. Work for opportunities for all

Personal Profile

Dr Judy Kirk

The People’s Choice: 2021

Everyone in Christchurch and Canterbury is still having a very difficult time. We have now had more than 700 after shocks.  And amongst us some are having to cope with losing their home. We mostly now have the everyday necessities for life, clean safe water, sewage and weather proof housing. And we are all finding it difficult to sleep so everyone is tired and strained. What will the next after shock bring? How many times will we wake up tonight? Is that a quake noise I hear again? Can I cope with this alone? How are the children?

When just coping with loss and trauma are the focus, an election seems very far from reality. The everyday, important issues for the next three years are put aside. We are living from day to day. But this election is going ahead and the voting papers are coming out now. It is very difficult to go back to the important issues that we should be voting on. Yet we must. We must concentrate on the last 3 years not just the last fortnight. The important issues have not changed. So it is in this framework I present my beliefs for when a more normal time returns although I know that we will have many needs for social and practical support during the months ahead. I pledge to work in this ward for these fundamentals also.

 

And this is my statement for more normal times.

I strongly believe in safety, education and opportunity for all. In my first term on the Community Board I’ve worked tirelessly to protect our pure drinking water and to promote clean rivers, well maintained roads and parks, and safe communities where everybody lives without fear.

As a Community Board Member, I’ve chaired the Community Board Community Services Committee and the Hornby Youth committee. Judge Andrew Becroft, Principal Judge of the Youth Court says that the best thing we can do for our young people is: “Involvement, Involvement, Involvement”. The young people of Hornby have requested a website with a diary which informs them of events where they can socialize with others in their local community. The Hornby Youth Committee has raised the funds. The website will be up and running in November with a Big Launch early in 2011.

I support Jim Anderton and his policy to restore community funding. This year the current council has reduced community funding. The Riccarton-Wigram Ward has $75,000 less community funding than in 2008. Yet the Ward has many long-standing and developing, creative programmes supporting libraries, sport, youth, men, the elderly, young Mothers, Maori, Pacifica and Asian residents. These funding cuts are beginning to make deep inroads into many of these really vital community programmes. Christchurch needs a Council that will restore this funding. Jim Anderton and The People’s Choice have promised to do this.

Like Norman and Ruth Kirk before me, I support greater educational opportunity. For 20 years I have worked for and held national and local leadership positions in SPELD. This is an organisation which helps people of all ages with special learning needs. In 2002 I graduated PhD. My research involved six dyslexic students from a Christchurch, coeducational high school. I’m privileged that other professionals say, “You gave them a chance”.

I’ve worked in a range of community and sporting groups and held leadership positions in community organisations such as Avonhead Plunket, The Inner Wheel Club of Avonhead along with coaching for Wharenui Swimming Club. I have worked extensively in a secondary  school bilingual unit and visited Samoa on a programme organised by Christchurch College of Education to learn about Samoan culture and education. My husband Bob and I have lived in Avonhead for 40 years. We raised our three children here. They attended the local kindergarten and schools and belonged to local sports clubs.

I’m standing for re-election because I’m enthusiastic about expanding on my work to date with communities in Riccarton-Wigram.  I work for safe, attractive, sustainable communities that provide opportunities for all.

Phone: 03 343 9899;  judy.kirk@xtra.co.nz