John MacDonald: Chch council should be red-faced over red zone decision

Don’t you get it?  

I’m not saying this to you – I’m saying it to the Christchurch City Council, which thinks there is no need to have locals on this new committee its setting up to oversee the red zone on the east side of Christchurch.  

This is the 600-hectare Ōtākaro/Avon River Corridor which has attracted all sorts of controversy since the government took it over after the earthquakes.  

Tens of thousands of people used to live in the area before 2011. Not anymore.   

There is a plan to do something with it. It’s a long-term plan, but this committee is being set-up to look after things for the time being. And the council is demonstrating classic council arrogance, thinking it doesn’t need to include any of the people who have put their hearts and souls into the area. 

And instead, it’s setting up a committee involving people from the local iwi and the council itself.  

People who will sit around the table, make decisions, and it will all be very convenient because they won’t have to deal with those pesky locals.   

Pesky locals who used to live in the area, went through the trauma of being turfed out after the quakes, but didn't turn their back on it.  

They stayed involved. Stayed committed to the future of this 11-kilometre stretch of land that goes from pretty much the centre of town out to the east.  

But they don't need to be involved in any of the official stuff – that’s what the council thinks. And I completely disagree with what it’s doing.  

And I know exactly why the council is doing this. It’s excluding the locals from this new committee because people who aren’t part of the local government machine are a pain in the backside.  

Again, I’m not saying that, but that’s how councils and government agencies see it.  

They like to keep people at arm's reach. Fobbing us off with the old line about consultation and having an opportunity to have our say at some point.  

But what these outfits miss is that we are over being fobbed off in that way. In fact, most people are over being consulted. So why wouldn't you let the people who are actually passionate about the area get involved in a more official capacity? It makes absolutely no sense to me.   

So what’s happened is 32 people representing most groups working in the river corridor have written an open letter to the mayor, the deputy mayor, and local iwi, telling them that there needs to be a local on this committee.  

And the really important thing to note here, is that no one knows how long this committee is going to be in place.  

The regeneration plan for the red zone will take decades and this committee could be around for yonks. Which is why there has to be more than just council and iwi reps on it.  

Surely we know by now that, when it comes to anything to do with post-earthquake recovery, nothing happens on time. Things take years and we often look up and realise that some short-term temporary thing is going on for ever.  

Which this committee could end up doing. Let's face it, it probably will.  

And, let’s face it, anything that has been happening in the area so far has been led by the community.  

For them to be shut out by the council at this point is a slap in the face and the council must confirm that a member of the local community will be on this committee from day one. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Canterbury Mornings podcast with John McDonald
from Newstalk ZB.

Speaker 2 (00:14):
Don't you get it? Don't you get it now? I'm
not saying this to you. I'm saying it to the
christ Church City Council, which thinks there is no need
at all to have locals on this new committee it's
setting up to oversee the red zone on the east
side of christ Church. When I say locals, people who
are from the area, people whose hearts are still in

(00:37):
the area, the area being the six hundred hectare or
take o takeo Avon River corridor, which has attracted all
sorts of controversy since the government talk it over after
the quakes, hasn't it. Tens of thousands of people used
to live there before twenty eleven, not anymore, and the

(01:00):
plan there is a plan to do something with it.
It's a long term plan. But if you're not aware,
this committee that the council is setting up is going
to look after things for the time being, and the
council is demonstrating classic council arrogance thinking that it doesn't
need to include any of the people who have put

(01:22):
their hearts and souls into the area since twenty eleven,
put their hearts and souls into the area for the
last fourteen years, and said, what it's doing is setting
up a committee involving people from the local e wey
and the council itself, people who will sit around the table,
make decisions and it will all be very convenient. Why

(01:46):
is that because they won't have to deal with those
Peski locals, you know, Peski locals that used to live
in the area, Peski locals who went through the trauma
are being turfed out after the quakes, but still didn't
turn their backs on it. They stayed involved. They stayed,

(02:06):
they say, committed to this eleven killing me the stretch
of land that goes from pretty much the center of
town out to the east. But you know, you know,
they don't need to be involved in any of this
official stuff. That's what the council thinks. And I completely
disagree with what it's doing. Now. Look, I'm pretty familiar
to the background to all of this. I is to

(02:27):
work with one of the agencies set up after the
quakes by the government and the council. And look, I
know why the Council's doing this. It's excluding these locals
from this new committee because people who aren't part of
the local government machine that they're a pain in the backside.
That's how they're seen from within local government. And again

(02:52):
I'm not saying that that's how councils and government agencies
see people. They like to keep them in arms reach,
they like to keep us at arms reach, fobbing us off,
you know, with the old line about consultation. You know,
oh no, no, no, no, we want to hear what
you've got to say. There will be community consultation. But

(03:14):
what these outfits a mess to what the Christchurch City
Council missus is that we're over being fobbed off in
that way. In fact, in fact, most people are over
being consulted. So why wouldn't you let the people who
are actually passionate about the River Corridor area, Why wouldn't
you let them get involved in a more official capacity.

(03:34):
It makes absolutely no sense to me. So what's happened.
There's thirty two people representing most of the groups working
in the River Corridor. They've written an open letter to
the mayor, the Deputy Bear and the local EWI telling
them that there needs to be a local on this committee.
Can't blonde representation that are saying, can one of us

(03:56):
be involved? And when they say local, what they're meaning
as the Council's planned to have the councilor who represents
the area not enough, not being good enough. And the
really important thing to note here too is that no
one knows how long this committee is going to be
in place. The regeneration plan for the red Zone that

(04:17):
will take decades, and this committee it could be round
for Yanks. This is what the Council needs to recognize
could be around for Yanks, which is why I agree
there has to be more than just counsel and EWEI
reps on it. Surely we know by now that when
it comes to anything to do with post earthquake recovery,
nothing happens on time, Nothing happens quickly. Things take years,

(04:40):
and we often look up, don't we, and realize that's
some short term, temporary thing. It's going on forever, which
this committee could end up doing. Let's face it, it
probably will. It'll be around for years. And I agree
that it's not good enough that it's only going to
be made up of three EWEI representatives, the mayor, the

(05:01):
Deputy mayor and a counselor because let's face it, anything
that has happened in the areas so far, it's been
led by the community, isn't it. And for them to
be shut out by the council at this point, we'll
tell you what's slap. It's a slap in the face.
And the council must reconsider this one. In fact, no, no, no.

(05:21):
Not only does it need to reconsider, it needs to
confirm that a member of the local community will be
on this committee from day one. If it doesn't, people
won't trust the committee and they won't trust the council,
and we'll be back where we were back in the day,
people feeling left out and disrespected.

Speaker 1 (05:41):
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