Strong leadership, clear direction needed

Congratulations to all the mayors, councillors and health and community board members elected to office for three years. Our challenge to you is to not only take the time to read the paperwork, understand the detail and make sound decisions on the many, many issues which will come before you, but to also look outwards and forwards.

We need leaders who are courageous and ambitious, who know who their communities are today and crucially where they are heading.

Christchurch, arguably more than any other centre in New Zealand, needs confident leaders.

There is no need to remind readers what this city has endured. But do any of us have a clear idea where we are headed?

The immediate rebuild has plateaued. The city’s economy is growing at a rate of less than half the national average, house prices are flat or falling, and the city centre’s modern new retail precincts are struggling to attract shoppers.

A ChristchurchNZ survey of 500 residents found most of us are proud of Christchurch, but only one-third of us would recommend it as a place to visit. Of the 600 non-residents also surveyed, only one in seven said they would consider moving to Christchurch. We can and should do better than that.

The city needs a mayor and council who set a clear vision for Christchurch – not just for the next three years but for the next 10 years and beyond.

They must be able to motivate the many layers of leadership already in our city from the community and charitable sectors, from the small businesses through to the major developers, to work together towards this goal, and to inspire pride amongst all of us in what is a truly great place to live and work.

Our local government leaders need to be champions for our city, to ensure our beaches, rivers, Port Hills, and parks, are accessible and inviting, to invest in exciting events, to speed up decision making, and to ensure businesses are supported rather than frustrated.

One of the first decisions facing the new council will be to sign off the investment case for the new multi-use arena, more commonly known as the stadium.

This was to have gone to central government by July this year, but is still languishing in the council’s in-tray.

Sign-off on the case for this half-a-billion dollar project was paused for the elections, so the new council could make some tough calls on exactly what kind of stadium this city needs and can afford.

The new arena is a complex project, needing to be both a rugby stadium and a concert venue. Compromises are necessary to successfully achieve both.

The preferred option – with $473 million allocated for it – is a largely plastic roof that allows light in so the turf can grow, similar to that used for the Forsyth Barr stadium, but with a solid portion for smaller concerts at one end.

It is understood that not everything the previous council had asked for can be achieved within this budget.

So will the new council cut back its ambition, or raise extra money? Could this come from other councils, such as Selwyn, Waimakariri and Hurunui councils, as People’s Choice has suggested?

Underlying this and the other major decisions awaiting this new council is the central question: what kind of city do we want Christchurch to be?

Christchurch, arguably more than any other centre in New Zealand, needs confident leaders.