No issues on file for Blair Anderson.
- Open, transparent, and accountable governance
- Live within our means, instead of blowing the budget
- Create jobs
- Fresh, clean, and available water
- Central city revitalisation
No issues on file for Byron Clark.
No issues on file for Kieran Gallagher-Power.
No issues on file for Michael Hansen.
- 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... - 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. - 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. - 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. - 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.
- I have called for a 2 year rates freeze on residential rates across the city.
the earthquake will cause a shift in property values and the 2007 rating values are already to high. The new 2010 revaluation being done at present will not take into account the earthquake.
Our rates are between $300 - $500 per property to high, based on these current valuations. - CEO Performance - A review into the performance and employment of the Chief Executive Officer. Tony Marryatt seems to have forgotten that he is an employee of the city. It is his relationship with our present Mayor that has led to many of the disasterous decisions made by the present council. I do wonder how a man like this can be worth $450,000 per annum.
- Credit Cards - Withdrawl of the Council approved Credit Card Scheme. This type of system is wrought with danger for being manipulated and we have seen even in recent days how even the CEO and Mayor have spent ratepayers money on their own needs.
- Debt Reduction - the bulging debt incurred by the City Ciuncil, especially that incurred with the bail out of Henderson needs to be addressed, together with the increasing expenditure on council buildings it has got out of control.
Independence - There needs to be an independent transparent voice of council, not led by political affiliations, to ensure true open debate on all issues so the council make the right decisions for the city. - Rating Valuations and Rates - A review of the rating valuation process and outcomes, and look at either a reduction in rates or the capping of rates across the board. We already have old 2007 rating valuers higher than real market values, and if rating values increase in 2010, we could see people paying rates on values that are at least 20% higher than market values.
No issues on file for Bob Parker.
No issues on file for Nathan Ryan.
No issues on file for Brian Steer.
No issues on file for Paulus Telfer.
- Regional water quality - create economic and just alternative land use - no chlorine or fluoride added without good science and community consultation. Base the prosperity of Christchurch on a sound eco-city direction, and revitalise local business around this theme.
Central city recovery through an holistic transport, parking and walking plan, etc.
Invest effort to save our farmland. * - * Sustainable transport - it makes no sense and is emissions-costly, to trade water-intensive milk dehydrated by coal-burning, for imported oil, when we can grow both healthy food and fuel crops - close this energy trading loop to the benefit of all and the environment. Establish new trade in added value for less roading pressure from commodity freight. Untangle mixed transport modes for efficiency and safety (bus exchanges & lanes, cycleways etc).
- * A safe city - agriculture and industry training and employment for youth - head off unemployment, substance abuse and crime. Plan for regional growth through technical integration of migrant skills; innovate sustainable and obtainable housing. Support schools and communities to make a better future for our families and children. Prosperity for all.
- * A clean city - keep litter and pollutants off streets and out of parks and rivers. Educate + make cost of proper waste management less prohibitive. Complete the sewerage overflow upgrades, asap.
- * Democracy on Council - build a functional & purposive team to improve Christchurch & Canterbury inclusively. Start with gender equity: promote the election of a female councillor into the position of Deputy-Mayor, to carry out the public duties of the mayoress. Transparency & accountability: governance to balance the corporate executive and make it responsive to the public who fund it. Stop excessive salary inflation. Eliminate big ticket project waste and restrain rates. Promote proportional representation STV for expression of cultural diversity, and efficient direct democracy by forums, polls and online referenda etc - prepare for democratic future.
No issues on file for Bob Tomkins.
No issues on file for Peter Wakeman.
