The Star: March 22, 2018

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14 Thursday March 22 2018 Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi The Star LEASE TAKE A 10 % OFF FURTHER ALL CLEARANCE THAT’S MASSIVE SAVINGS ON BEDS, LOUNGE & DINING SUITES CLEARANCE END OF FRIDGES, THAT’S AMAZING WASHERS, DEALS DRYERS, ON KITCHEN APPLIANCES, TV, AUDIO AND MUCH MORE Bush Inn Centre Waimairi Rd Riccarton Rd BRING YOUR TRAILER & LOAD UP A BARGAIN! ALL CLEARANCE APPLIANCES PRICED TO CLEAR AT COST + 4% + GST FURNITURE # * FIND US AT THE BUSH INN MEGA CENTRE Leslie St DON'T MISS OUT! DEALS AVAILABLE AT SMITHS CITY BUSH INN ONLY Clearance specials are ex-display, run out models, ex repair, scratch & dent items and over stocked lines. Stock is strictly limited and available on a first in first served basis. The offers are not applicable with any other offer and are while stocks last. #Furniture ‘Take a further 10% off’ is off our current ticketed clearance price and applies to stock on hand at Bush Inn only. *Appliances ‘Cost + 4% + gst’ is available on all appliances (cost includes GST and reflects the average invoice purchase price but does not include any volume related adjustments which may apply). Applies to stock on hand at Bush Inn only. PLUS OUR CLEARANCE CENTRE 367 BLENHEIM ROAD IS HAVING A RELOCATION CLEARANCE! REOPENING AT 99 FERRY ROAD EARLY APRIL SCG1220_CS_
The Star Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi Thursday March 22 2018 15 Viewpoint Partnership and Interconnectivity for a Better Future SOLUTION: The city council has suggested ECan use a targeted rate to keep six bus routes running. Dalziel tells ECan how it can save bus routes THE CITY council will be submitting on Environment Canterbury’s Long Term Plan. Our submission focuses on a number of issues, but today I want to focus on the proposed cutting of six bus routes and reduction of the amount that can be subsidised for those who use the Total Mobility Scheme payments due to disability. I acknowledge that there is a funding shortfall and that ECan has no more public transport reserves to fall back on. But there is more than one way for ECan to address that. Personally, I believe that the New Zealand Transport Agency should have intervened to provide additional short-term subsidies rather than allowing this piecemeal approach to what is a network of bus routes. But it was not prepared to do that, leaving ECan with the problem to solve. Under these circumstances, we are asking ECan to put in place a two-year targeted rate to manage the shortfall these routes and subsidy produce. It seems more than unfortunate that ECan is required to do this given it is about to start its review of the Regional Public Transport Plan, which will be completed by the end of the year. I sit on the joint public transport committee which brings ECan, the city council, the two neighbouring districts (Waimakariri and Selwyn), Ngai Tahu, NZTA and the Canterbury District Health Board to the table to provide broader input into the statutory decisionmaking process that sits with ECan. It has just been announced that the draft RPTP will be presented to the joint committee for approval to go to out for public consultation on July 18. Public consultation will take place between August and September, with public hearings in late September. A final draft RPTP is then approved by the joint committee on October 17 and the final RPTP is adopted by ECan in November. Once the RPTP is adopted, public transport service reviews can commence. This is the process by which the indicative network structure adopted in the RPTP is confirmed at a street-by-street level. This will involve further consultation (early next year) as detailed routes are proposed. Once the exact routes and levels of service are confirmed, these will Lianne Dalziel be packaged into ‘units’ (groups of services) for tendering. It seems to me that this is a much better process for considering the network as a whole, rather than isolating ‘poorly performing’ routes from a fare box perspective, and removing them now under a separate ECan LTP process without any consideration given to how other routes could be used/extended to meet the needs of those who rely on the ones it proposes scrapping. I am not criticising ECan. It has been left between a rock and a hard place by NZTA’s decision not to give it a grace period, in spite of the RPTP review being so close. I hope that our submission, along with the submissions of affected residents, brings about a change around the ECan table. Submissions close on Monday, March 26, so please ensure you too have your say. •If you want to ask Ms Dalziel a question, email mayor@ccc. govt.nz. Put Reader’s Question in the subject line •More Viewpoint, p17 The Lantern Festival over last weekend attracted huge crowds, and the number of people visiting Cathedral Square has achieved record-high since the 2011 earthquake. Despite the complaints about overcrowding, the event could still be regarded as quite successful with the purpose of revitalizing the city center and bringing more color to local urban life. The cheerful smiles on people’s face especially many children while watching lanterns and performance are encouraging signs of enjoyment and optimism. This is my first time to attend Lantern Festival in Christchurch, and I felt at home while walking along the traditional lanterns and smelling the flavor of Chinese snacks. It was like standing in a typical festival temple fair in China rather than in the middle of a Western city in South Hemisphere. Indeed, with the world becoming increasingly interconnected and interdependent in the globalized age, we have witnessed exchanges of cultures and civilizations at an unprecedented pace. And New Zealand has set a good example of multicultural diversity and harmony. It was said that the Lantern Festival celebrated by East Asian countries like China, Japan and Korea has some affiliation with Diwali in ancient India, and both symbolize the triumph of brightness over darkness, the common aspiration of mankind. Indeed, the interconnection and exchanges of civilizations have dated back to history and will extend beyond the future. The different cultures have enriched themselves during the process of exchanges, and mutual understanding better achieved. Chinese and New Zealanders also have many other things to celebrate together besides the cultural galas. Our partnership has never been so close since the establishment of diplomatic ties. China has become the largest trading partner of New Zealand since 2013 with the annual trade volume reaching more than 24 billion last year, and the vast Chinese market is providing huge opportunities to New Zealand enterprises large or small. It is quite easy to bump into a mandarinspoken backpacker in Christchurch airport or a Chinese student in the UC campus, as China has also remained as the largest origins of overseas visitors and students of New Zealand for several years. We have witnessed such strengthened partnership between China and South Island in particular. We carried on the plan of opening a consulate in Christchurch in the end of 2011 despite the occurrence of the earthquake. And Chinese people have stood beside people of Christchurch through the years of reconstruction and recovery. With the launching of new flight routes between Christchurch and Chinese cities like Guangzhou and Hongkong, the interconnectivity between both sides has been considerably enhanced, facilitating transportation of personnel and cargo. As many are aware, Christchurch is not only gateway to South Island but also gateway to Antarctica. The Chinese Icebreaker Xuelong has visited Lyttelton Port twice during the past summer exploration season. And the bilateral Antarctica cooperation will be further uplifted with China speeding up preparation for launching a new base in Ross Sea region. The connectivity between people is even more important than infrastructure. ChristchurchNZ has sponsored a business forum during this year’s Lantern Festival again, bringing together entrepreneurs of both countries to jointly explore opportunities of future cooperation. Next year will be the China-New Zealand tourism year. While expecting an increase of Chinese visitors to South Island, we also welcome more New Zealanders to visit China and have a bite of the unique Chinese culture by themselves. It will be conducive to promote bilateral exchanges in various areas like education and culture as the enhancement of our partnership lies in the deepening interconnectivity of hearts and minds between our two peoples. And we have a joint obligation to further enhance such interconnectivity for a better future of both countries. Author of article: Mr. WANG Zhijian, Consul General of People’s Republic of China in Christchurch. This advertorial page is supported by The Chinese Consulate
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The Star: March 22, 2018

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