Think Papanui’s curator Simon Britten rounds up stories from the past week:
I’ve been asking both the New Zealand Transport Agency and the Christchurch City Council for information on aspects of the Christchurch Northern Corridor (CNC) project. One thing I wanted to understand was the detail behind the benefits that are being claimed for the CNC project, and my article on this was shared last weekend.
On Monday the Council announced that two new e-scooter companies have received permits to operate in Christchurch. With fleets of 300 scooters each adding to Lime’s existing 1,000, this will bring the total number of commercially hired scooters in the city up to the current cap of 1,600.
Top post of the week was the Nor’West News article on Northcote School’s ‘Bikes in Schools’ project, which will provide a sealed cycle track at the school, along with helmets and a fleet of 50 bikes.
In last week’s recap I mentioned the opening of the Polyphony youth voice art exhibition at Papanui Library. I’ve compiled a brief video with some highlights from the opening, and if you visit the library you will now see the new artworks up on the windows. (On a related note, I would like to make more use of Think Papanui’s YouTube channel, so if you’d like to join the early adopters in subscribing, I’d be very grateful.)
I’ve written up a summary of the minutes from last Friday’s meeting of the Waipapa/Papanui-Innes Community Board.
By the time this recap is published, the Waipapa/Papanui-Innes Community Board will have met jointly with the Waikura/Linwood-Central-Heathcote Community Board to discuss the finalised plan to manage traffic downstream of the CNC. Having attended the meeting, I’ll aim to publish a summary over the weekend.
On the back of frustrations from residents who felt they weren’t being heard, Councillor Aaron Keown arranged a public meeting to discuss proposed changes at the Harewood/Gardiners/Breens intersection. The meeting was well attended and I have to say in a much improved mood compared with the previous week’s sessions.
I’ve shared a couple of progress photos of the Windermere retirement village construction, taken from the Condell Avenue side of the site.
Papanui High School has shared the news that further industrial action by teachers is commencing next week, with no classes for year 9 on Tuesday 4 June.
On Wednesday 5 June the community can participate in a planting and weeding day at Papanui Bush on Langdons Road. The event will be cancelled if it’s raining.
Having examined the benefits of the project, I followed up with an article examining the cost to construct the Christchurch Northern Corridor. Is spending on track? Probably? What is the Council’s share of the cost? I really can’t even tell how much Council expected to pay.
Closing soon:
Voting papers should be out by now for school trustee elections. Voting closes at noon on Friday 7 June 2019.
Coming up:
I’m not a football follower, but apparently there’s a big game this Sunday morning? If you’re looking for somewhere to watch the Champions League Final on a big screen, it’ll be live at Papanui Baptist Church. Arrive from 6:30am with a contribution for a breakfast BBQ, and the match will start at 7am. I’ll be on duty behind the espresso machine.
Feedback is always welcome on Think Papanui’s content, either on Facebook or Instagram, or directly to me.
With warm regards
Simon Britten
