‘Dysfunction’ as board discusses Church Corner
Allegations of dysfunction flew around a community board table as councillors traded barbs during a tumultuous debate on safety improvements at Christchurch’s Church Corner.
City councillor Mark Peters told fellow councillor Tyla Harrison-Hunt to “keep your pants on mate”, while councillor Andrei Moore accused Peters of “sniggering” while he was speaking.
This all played out at a meeting of the Waipuna Halswell Hornby Riccarton community board on Thursday. Chaos also reigned during a discussion on whether chairperson Helen Broughton should remain in that role.
The board had been asked by city council staff to revoke a February 15 decision not to install various safety measures where Riccarton, Yaldhurst and Main South roads meet.
Staff requested the board approve installing a pedestrian crossing on Yaldhurst Rd and stop the right-hand turn from Main South Rd into Riccarton Rd.
The area is in the top 3% of the most crashprone intersections in Christchurch. Between 2013 and part of 2023, 83 crashes were reported at or within 50m the intersection.
Staff said the report was brought back because new information had come to light. However, the public was not privy to that new information because it was discussed in secret to “maintain legal professional privilege”.
After the meeting was reopened to the public, Moore said the board had spent eight hours on the issue across at least three meetings and it was clear it could not make a decision because it was “dysfunctional”.
Peters, a Hornby ward councillor, said he was absolutely opposed to the plan to rid Main South Rd of the right hand turn into Riccarton Rd. Traffic chaos would be created if people were forced to go up Curletts Rd to get to Riccarton Rd, he said. “Yes, there are some crashes that happen here, but the majority of people that go through safely navigate it.”
Peters admitted at the February 15 meeting he had read only about six of the 671 pages of public submissions. He told The Press yesterday he had since read enough to “get the gist” of public sentiment.
He again admitted he had not read all 304 submissions, but had read “definitely more than half”. Peters also said in hindsight he should not have told Harrison-Hunt to “keep his pants on”. “It was a bit off the cuff. I should have said ‘pull your head in’. That would have been better.”
Harrison-Hunt, who joined the meeting via Zoom because he was attending a March 15 terror attack commemorative event, said it was a question of traffic chaos or saving lives.
“Any decent decision maker will always try to not only mitigate but eliminate any potential fatalities on the road.”
Moore said there was a crash in the area every six weeks on average, so there was chaos there already and no point pretending it did not happen.
Board member Debbie Mora and Peters interjected, questioning Moore’s calculations. He encouraged them to get their own calculators and work it out. Voices were then raised when Moore accused Peters of sniggering. Peters told Moore he had “no respect”. Broughton had little control over the meeting, with council community governance manager Jessica Garrett forced to step in and ask Mora and Peters to let Moore speak.
When the time came to vote, Broughton was left with the deciding vote. She first said she did not know which way to vote and then decided to vote against the safety improvements, which tied the vote. Under council rules that means the status quo remains and the work would not go ahead.
However, Broughton did not appear to understand that. She said she was in favour of the issue coming back to the board.
When told by members and staff that the decision had been made, she said: “I’m not comfortable with that ... no hang on.”