Garden City’s image is being tarnished

I find it somewhat ironic that only now is our mayor beginning to acknowledge that the Garden City image is becoming a little tarnished.

I have just come in from my daily constitutional around our subdivision of Clearbrook Palms, and wonder whether Yani Johanson’s litany of maintenance issues hadn’t been written after a visit to our area. Overgrown grass in the park, broken footpaths, blocked drainage and dumped rubbish there is an abundance of. Plus, the issue of the broken planter surrounds that our Neighbourhood Support group has been complaining of for the past eight years (since pre-earthquake), still sits at a drunken angle.

I have a great wodge of correspondence relating to this latter issue, filled with all kinds of promises, and the latest is that ‘‘finance has been approved and this will go into next year’s budget’’.

Where is the pride in our surrounds that contractors once had? And who is checking that the work is being done satisfactorily? Murray Lennox

Shirley

Youth Court works

Bruce Anderson (May 2) is not the first probation officer who has written raising questions around the efficacy of the Youth Justice system. Whilst Mr Anderson would no doubt have come across the relatively small percentage of youth offenders who go on to commit serious offences, the reasons they continue to offend are far more complex that what Mr Anderson sees as the ‘‘enlightened approach’’ provided the Youth Court.

It is disappointing however that his views do not originate from a more informed base. How disappointing it is that he never availed himself of the opportunity to actually understand and observe the Youth Court processes and in particular, the innovative and collaborative responses to Youth Offending provided by Rangatahi and Youth Drug Court, which have produced, and continue to produce, positive outcomes for youth offenders.

Siobhan McNulty

Barrister, Christchurch