Do you support the new Stadium? YES - I support the construction of Te Kaha Stadium! Te Kaha will bring cultural and economic life back to the heart of our city. It will be a major stimulus for the Canterbury economy and the livelihood of our citizens for many decades to come. Our central city is crying out for an asset like this, bringing fantastic sporting and cultural events: concerts, test matches, and most importantly people interacting with small businesses in the surrounding area. How should we fund the increased cost? Reprioritise the capital expenditure programme and conduct a review of council owned assets to explore options to maximise returns and sell property surplus to requirements. Explore funding contribution from neighbouring Councils. Do you support the Papanui Harewood Cycleway? NO - Not in its current form. This is the number one issue Papanui residents approach me about. Local residents have made it overwhelmingly clear that they do not want this proposal to proceed. This project should never have been allowed to get this far. It is yet another example of a council that simply isn’t listening to residents. Investment in active transport modes is important, however it should be appropriate and affordable and not at the expense of other essential works. Well placed, simple, and safely designed cycle lanes are great for our city, but I am not convinced this cycleway is any of those. If elected, I will seek to review this decision and work towards finding a more appropriate option acceptable to the community. Do you support the Draft Christchurch Transport Plan? NO - Not in its current form. The Draft Christchurch Transport Plan proposes to introduce congestion charging and road tolls, block off roads, remove free car-parking and impose levies on private car parks. This is another example of the Council being out of touch with residents. I will not support these disruptive anti-car proposals. They will disadvantage families, elderly, mobility impaired citizens, people who have no alternative but to travel by car and hit them in the pocket where they can least afford it. We need to create efficient, reliable and accessible public transport systems throughout Christchurch. This includes continuing the work on planning and preparing for a future Mass Rapid Transit system for Greater Christchurch. Do you support Climate Change Adaptation Initiatives? YES - As long as they are practical, sensible and appropriate for Christchurch, not just a cut-and-paste of what works for large cities in Europe or Asia. We must develop climate adaptation initiatives that suit our City . We must ensure that initiatives are inclusive and co-designed with local communities, not forced upon them without effective engagement. Extravagent cycleways for example. Do you support 3 Waters Reform NO - This reform takes away the water assets from local Councils and puts them into four mega-entities controlled by a complex and unaccountable Wellington bureaucracy. This reform is being driven by a central Government determined to impose its centralisation ideology against the wishes of local communities. Do you support the new housing intensification rules Urban intensification is essential for all cities across New Zealand to address housing affordability and protect the environment. However , the Government’s one-size-fits-all approach is not appropriate. The Government has no place imposing such blanket urban planning rules on city Councils. We should be making these decisions ourselves. Our particular need in Christchurch is to increase density in our city centre and other key areas that have good public transport options and walkable amenities.

A Professional and Experienced leader I am active in the local community having chaired the PTA and Board of Trustees at Waimairi School. Currently I am on the Board of St Francis of Assisi School, and Chair of a newly established Charitable Trust providing information and support to pregnant women in need. Previous roles include being a trustee of the YMCA and working extensively with Women’s Refuge, and Community Law Centres. I was a practicing lawyer for 20+ years, before embarking on a career in executive management, including: Executive Director of the post-earthquake Independent Hearings Panel for Otautahi, to deliver the City's long-term District Plan, Executive Director of the Christ Church Cathedral Reinstatement Trust working with the Crown and the Anglican Diocese of Christchurch to reinstate the iconic Christ Church Cathedral. Most recently I was General Manager, Strategy and Influence for Ngai Tahu. I am currently a consultant working on executive management and governance issues. Nothing will change if nothing changes! Our community needs a strong local voice at the council table, one that isn’t tied to a political party. I have been a resident for the last 20 years, and love living in Papanui. As Councillor for Papanui I would bring a mix of vision, practical decision-making, professionalism, and experience to the table. The recent Council satisfaction survey showed that public confidence in this Council has plummeted to its lowest level ever. It’s time to introduce new faces and strong local voices to the Council table. Fresh energy and fresh ideas are needed to drive our City into the future! Papanui residents are telling me they want Council to listen, and stop excessive spending on non-priority projects. They are concerned about traffic congestion and pedestrian safety. They also want the focus to be on getting the basics right like fixing roads and footpaths, maintaining and improving our parks and playgrounds. With the likelihood of increased density of housing in the area, these are real issues for Papanui residents, and the City. Let’s focus on building community infrastructure that benefits everyone, not a select few. We need to make sure our community assets are maintained properly and are fit for purpose, both for now, and for future generations. This means fixing what we have, and being aspirational about what we want the Papanui Ward, and the City, to look like in the next decade, and beyond. I would love to see improvements to our public spaces, making them greener and more attractive for people to enjoy. I am frustrated at some of the spending priorities and decisions being made by our current Council. The current rate-and-spend mentality is not sustainable. I believe we should spend smarter and refocus our priorities. I want the people of Christchurch to have confidence in their elected officials to spend their money wisely, and focus on getting the basics right. I am uneasy about the Government’s 3-Waters Scheme, the looming Resource Management Act reforms and Future for Local Government Review. These will have significant implications for our City, and the future of local democracy. I agree that we need to look closely at these matters, but I don’t agree that Wellington bureaucrats are the best people to make decisions about our local neighbourhoods. These things really matter to our community and we need to ensure we have the right people at the council table to work our way through these tough issues, and fight for our right to make our own choices at a community level. With a legal background and experience working with central and local government and Iwi, I am well placed to help navigate these reforms and fight for the right of Christchurch residents to have a say in their own future. A Strong Local Voice Family focused and community minded Practical not Political "Christchurch needs to be more aspirational because it seems our ambition as a City has stagnated lately. We need to be clever and excited about our future and create the right environment to attract businesses and talent to aim higher and get our city moving forward. That’s a future Christchurch I would love to be part of creating.” "I am a pragmatic and strategic thinker, a very good listener, and like to focus my attention on delivering the best possible outcomes for people in any given situation. Not afraid to have tough conversations when needed. I hold myself accountable, and others accountable for their work. I would be proud to serve the people of Papanui and the City of Christchurch."

Latest News 19 Mar 2023 Sail GP - Stunning Event for Christchurch A fabulous coupl of days at Sail GP New Zealand in Lyttleton Harbour. Congratulations to Ali Adams and her team at ChristchurchNZ for putting together this outstanding international event! Photo Credit to my good friend Steve Addison - amazing shots of the races. Read More 19 Mar 2023 Saturday stunner! Enjoyed a fabulous day out on Saturday at the Richmond Gala at Richmond Community Garden, Avebury House. Great to support this superb community event with fellow Waipapa Papanui-Innes-Central Community Board Members Emma Norrish - Waipapa Papanui Innes Central Community Board, Dr. Sunita Gautam Community Board Member-Central Ward , Emma Twaddell - Papanui/Innes/Central Community Board Member , John Miller, and Councillor Jake McLellan. Wonderful to see the Richmond Community Garden in full festive flair. Special mention to Michael Reynolds and Liesbeth van Bruchem-Hoogland from Toha Kai Otautahi for the fabulous organic produce, Flossie Blundell and her dad Tim for the lovely garden apples, Charles Labye and Leonard Veuzin for the savoury waffles and the outstanding entertainment from the colourful Soul Star Tribe - Tribal Belly Dance Collective and Polonus - Polish Folk Dance Group Christchurch NZ. Read More 14 Mar 2023 Submit to Annual Plan NOW Our Draft Annual Plan is open for feedback. Please tell us if we have it right. Have your say on things that matter to you. Mayor Phil Mauger is encouraging Christchurch residents to have their say on a budget that aims to keep rates increases down while continuing to invest in the city’s future and deliver the basics. Read More 9 Mar 2023 Cancer Society Visit Mayor Phil Mauger and I recently visited the new Cancer Society Canterbury-West Coast cancer centre under construction in Papanui. This is a much needed facility for cancer patients and their families from across the South Island. It’s great to see this project nearing completion. Read More 9 Mar 2023 Cycleway to be paused for more community consultation Thanks to my motion in Council last week you can now have a say on pausing construction for the Wheels to Wings Harewood Rd cycleway. Read More 9 Mar 2023 Globemaster in Christchurch What a privilege to check out the C-17 Globemaster at Christchurch Airport lrecently and learn more about our Antartic Programme. Thanks to the team at ChristchurchNZ for coordinating the visit. Read More

< Back Sail GP - Stunning Event for Christchurch ​ 19 Mar 2023 A fabulous coupl of days at Sail GP New Zealand in Lyttleton Harbour. Congratulations to Ali Adams and her team at ChristchurchNZ for putting together this outstanding international event! Photo Credit to my good friend Steve Addison - amazing shots of the races. Previous Next

< Back Saturday stunner! Enjoyed a fabulous day out on Saturday at the Richmond Gala at Richmond Community Garden, Avebury House. ​ 19 Mar 2023 Great to support this superb community event with fellow Waipapa Papanui-Innes-Central Community Board Members Emma Norrish - Waipapa Papanui Innes Central Community Board, Dr. Sunita Gautam Community Board Member-Central Ward , Emma Twaddell - Papanui/Innes/Central Community Board Member , John Miller, and Councillor Jake McLellan. Wonderful to see the Richmond Community Garden in full festive flair. Special mention to Michael Reynolds and Liesbeth van Bruchem-Hoogland from Toha Kai Otautahi for the fabulous organic produce, Flossie Blundell and her dad Tim for the lovely garden apples, Charles Labye and Leonard Veuzin for the savoury waffles and the outstanding entertainment from the colourful Soul Star Tribe - Tribal Belly Dance Collective and Polonus - Polish Folk Dance Group Christchurch NZ. Previous Next

< Back Submit to Annual Plan NOW ​ 14 Mar 2023 Our Draft Annual Plan is open for feedback. Please tell us if we have it right. Have your say on things that matter to you. Mayor Phil Mauger is encouraging Christchurch residents to have their say on a budget that aims to keep rates increases down while continuing to invest in the city’s future and deliver the basics. Christchurch City Council’s Draft Annual Plan 2023/24 has opened for public feedback. It proposes what the Council will spend on projects and day-to-day services over the next financial year and how it will pay for them – and foremost among the proposals are some changes to how the Council charges its rates. “Keeping the proposed rates increase below inflation, and well below the potential 14.6% increase we were faced with late last year, has taken a lot of clever thinking by councillors and staff, and I’m pleased with what we’re proposing this year,” Mayor Mauger says. The Draft Annual Plan proposes an average overall rates increase of 5.68%, and an average increase for households of 5.79%. “Given the choppy economic waters that Christchurch, New Zealand and the world is going through at the moment, our focus this year has been on keeping costs as low as possible for households,” Mayor Mauger says.“We want to give everyone the opportunity to tell us if we’ve got it right before we make any big decisions. We’ll be out there talking with individuals, businesses and community groups, and councillors will take in every bit of feedback before we commit to anything.” The easiest way to make a submission is via ccc.govt.nz/HaveYourSay The main areas the Council is seeking feedback on include: A recommended change to the Excess Water Supply Targeted Rate that would see the average daily allowance increase from 700 to 900 litres for residential properties. This accounts for 0.10% of the rates increase but would only take effect from 1 July 2023. With residential property increasing in value in the recent triennial revaluation, the Council is asking whether it should lower the Uniform General Annual Charge (UAGC) from its current rate of $145 to $50, to help reduce the impact of rates increases for some lower income households. At the moment, the general rate is split between a fixed component – the UAGC – with the remainder based on capital value. If the Council lowers the UAGC, this $17 million shortfall would be spread across all ratepayers based on capital value. With the value of business properties not increasing at the same rates as residential properties, the Council is proposing a change to the differential on business properties designed to maintain the contribution that business properties make to general rates. Operational spend (spending on everyday services) of $585.2 million. That is $48.4 million more than what was in the Long Term Plan 2021–31 (LTP), mainly due to increasing costs outside our control like inflation, insurance and electricity price increases. To help compensate for this, the Council is bringing in a range of one-off savings, including leaving some staff vacancies unfilled for 2023/24 and revisiting some of the cost-saving measures first considered when developing the LTP. Capital spend (spending on the construction of facilities and infrastructure) of $615.8 million. This is $136 million less than what was in the LTP. The Council is keeping its programme of capital works focused on what’s actually achievable in the current environment. There’s no need to charge the ratepayer this year for projects that aren’t realistically able to be delivered until future years. Learn more about the Draft Annual Plan 2023/24 . Consultation closes at midnight on Monday 10 April, and councillors will meet to consider the feedback and approve the final budget in June. Previous Next

< Back Cancer Society Visit Victoria Henstock 9 Mar 2023 Mayor Phil Mauger and I recently visited the new Cancer Society Canterbury-West Coast cancer centre under construction in Papanui. This is a much needed facility for cancer patients and their families from across the South Island. It’s great to see this project nearing completion. Previous Next

< Back Cycleway to be paused for more community consultation Victoria Henstock 9 Mar 2023 Thanks to my motion in Council last week you can now have a say on pausing construction for the Wheels to Wings Harewood Rd cycleway. I have been receiving a lot of feedback from concerned Papanui residents after an article in last week’s Star newspaper on my apparent U-turn on the Papanui cycleway. Rest assured there has been no U-turn by me. A recentarticle and headline in the Star was inaccurate. There was no vote on the cycleway at the meeting held on 22 February. However, last Tuesday I obtained an 11–6 majority vote in Council for an amendment to the annual plan consultation document. The amendment to pause construction on the Harewood Rd cycleway for 12 months will allow us to engage with the local Papanui and Harewood communities to work through some of the issues with the current plan. The 11–6 majority shows that most Councillors think further work is required with the local community on this cycleway. The pause sends a clear message that the Council, and staff, are listening, and we are working hard to get a better result for the Papanui and Harewood communities.Staff told us last week construction funding from Waka Kotahi (51% of the total budget) was not yet secure. I am mindful that there is significant pressure on Government funding given the recent cyclone events in the North Island and it is possible funding may in future be deferred for higher priority projects. There is no guaranteed central government funding for this project. Consultation on the 23/24 draft Annual Plan opens this Friday 10 March. I encourage the public, and specifically the people of Papanui and Harewood, to engage with the Annual Plan consultation process. This is your chance to have your say. If you think we have our priorities right, tell us, if you think we are overspending on certain things, like cycleways – please tell us. Here is a link to the Council Annual Plan submission process: https://www.ccc.govt.nz/the-council/haveyoursay/show/582 Previous Next

< Back Globemaster in Christchurch Victoria Henstock 9 Mar 2023 What a privilege to check out the C-17 Globemaster at Christchurch Airport lrecently and learn more about our Antartic Programme. Thanks to the team at ChristchurchNZ for coordinating the visit. Previous Next