Top 5 Issues

1. Communities: I believe we should have a strong base from which to move forward as a city. To do this I will work towards more community based events and functions.
   
   Such as creating Bi-weekly community days, where each fortnight a different community will have a chance to hold a fun day out for all the family at their local park, hall or community center. We as a council will help by providing some of the entertainment and/or BBQ's etc...
2. Sustainable Energy: We need to look at expanding our clean heating project to increase the quality of living in Christchurch.
   The current ECAN program is fantastic, however I would like to see solar hot water heating added into the scheme. These are currently available under the EECA scheme, but I wish to make them more readily available to all Cantabrians.
   Furthermore, I would like to see 10% of all houses built in Christchurch use the solar hot water systems, increasing by 10% every 2 years, in an effort to relieve the massive strain on our power grid and prevent rolling blackouts in the near future.
3. Grey Water: A long term plan of mine is to convert the city's waste water into grey water, to be used in dairy farming, irrigation and for the public gardens. This will not only improve the environment around the sewerage ponds, but also alleviate water shortages in the summer months and reduce the waste of our clean water.
   In the short term I would urge citizens to look at running a grey water system at home for spraying the gardens, watering the lawns to even washing the car.
4. Public Gardens: Let's take back our identity as the Garden City, by implementing the use of public gardens. In which people exchange time and labour for fresh fruits and vegetables that they helped grow and learn how to maintain their own gardens to help make their families live healthier lives.
   Any excess produce can be donated to places like the city mission and other local charities.
   The program will use the expertise of local gardeners who wish to help their communities band together and will also include a discount in rates for participating communities who wish to emulate the council run gardens in their own neighborhood.
   This would be part of a longer term solution to shipping food in from outside the city and maintaining food security and biodiversity.
   It could also foster innovation for new ways to grow food in smaller spaces with less labor, water and fertilizer.
5. Public Transport: While I see the merit in building a much needed new bus exchange, I don't see the need to demolish an entire block of town to do so as I feel this would negate any positive revitalisation of the city center if we removed more businesses.
   
   In my opinion, we would be better served to move the exchange out from the center of the city and into an area just on the outskirts, such as the old railway station that Hoyts now resides in.
   We would have ample room to create an underground or above ground exchange, with the added bonus of being right next to a railway.
   My plan would be to use the commuter trains once again to bring people in from Rolleston and Rangiora and create a hub for integrated public transport.
   It would also be prudent to create smaller bus exchanges in the Eastern, Western, Northern and Southern parts of the city to make better use of the timetables for the buses.
   
   While revitalisation of the city is also a big part of this process, I would also like to propose a use for the current bus exchange.
   By retro fitting the existing exchange and leasing them as offices to the tourist bus companies, it can then still be used as an exchange.
   Next we can then build apartments on top of the exchange to encourage people who work in the city to live in the city and thus encourage more people to use the local shops and services within the city center.
   
   Further to this, it has become apparent that we should have free parking with in the city center to help encourage shopping with in the city.
   One proposal I have for this would be Blue zones, Short-term parking in the "Blue Zone" is permitted within two hours and only on the designated areas.
   After the expiration of time the vehicle will be fined.

Personal Profile

 

I was born in Christchurch and have lived in this beautiful city my entire life. 

During my academic years I attended Linwood High school (Now Linwood College) and furthered my studies at Christchurch polytechnic in the field of IT. Since then I have worked in the motor industry and am now a store person for a well known prominent local business. 

I feel that being upfront with the people of Christchurch is the path of a true leader and the people need to know what decisions are being made about the city and not all done in secret.

It is our city, we need to make these decisions together.

After Saturday the 4th of Septembers tragic earthquake, the most important thing anyone can do, would be to focus on rebuilding the central city and looking after the citizens in need. If elected I will do just that, while still working to maintain the city's great heritage.

 

We are here to work for you Christchurch, not the other way around.

 

Your City, Your Voice