Godwits/kuaka sculpture

The South Brighton Residents’ Association has recently been awarded $12,000 by the Christchurch City Council for a sculpture comprising 7 godwits/kuaka (New Zealand bird of the year 2015). Part of this amount is to cover artist’s fees. We require an additional $8,000 to make the sculpture a reality. We will endeavour to source additional funding, but if anyone in the community has any suggestions, or wishes to donate some money toward the cost of the sculpture, please visit this web page: https://givealittle.co.nz/ /godwits-kuaka-sculpture

The sculpture has been created by local artist Bon Suter. Each of the seven birds will be made of heavy-gauge aluminium and finished with UV-protected vehicle paint. The birds will be fixed to the top of seven poles at varying heights and will move in the wind. We plan to erect the sculpture near the Bridge Street Bridge. This project is one of beautification and it also acknowledges the godwit/kuaka as an annual visitor to our estuary.

In spring the godwit/kuaka depart from their breeding nests in the great Siberian and Alaskan tundra and return to the rich feeding grounds in Aotearoa’s tidal flats and coastal marshes. In ancient times, the annual arrival of the kuaka was seen as a great event. For Maori the kuaka were birds of mystery. It was believed that they came from, or at least passed through, the ancestral home, Hawaiki.

The Tran family who own this block of land on the corner of Estuary Road and Bridge Street are keen to help the community! The South Brighton Residents’ Association is working with the Tran family to assess the community’s interest in having some shops back in the district. For the Tran family to progress with this venture, they wish to know what shops/businesses the community would like to see. And additionally, if there are any potential tenants who would be interested in leasing these shops?

Ideas so far have included

• afishandchipshop •amanicureshop• ahairdresser’s •agroceryshop• acafé/bakery •adelicatessen/butcher•ajewelleryshop •ahandymanservice•asauna/wellnessoasis •avegansushibar

If you have any comments or wish to discuss leasing a shop please contact William Tran via e-mail: willtran2310@gmail.com Have your say, or suggest something different: visit our Facebook page to express your preferences/opinion: https://www.facebook.com/BrightsideTheSouthOr send us a message with your ideas.

The South Brighton Newsletter Issue 8 - 05 - 2016

Proposed site on Bridge Street.

The vacant site on the corner of Estuary Road and Bridge Street.

The current proposed building for the site.

The map above shows the number of properties in tidally influenced areas. Our concern is that properties have not been raised and flood protection is temporary. SBRA continues to seek information to share with those affected people.

SBRA approached three insurers, IAG, Tower and Southern Response. The first has not replied yet, and the two others have repeated the Council line that only a few houses in a small area are affected. They state that it is Council’s responsibility to deal with the problem. However, we believe that incorrect floor heights are a crucial factor affecting all insurance claims whether repairs or rebuilds. The precise legal position remains to be clarified.

DiscrepancyinChristchurchCityCouncilfloodmodellinguncoveredbyEmpoweredChristchurch

Empowered Christchurch has recently discovered that, due to incorrect flood modelling by the Christchurch City Council, minimum floor levels for new houses in some areas have been set at almost 50 cm lower than they should be. This error means that a number of new insurance rebuilds, and rebuilds currently underway, are now significantly lower than the minimum level to protect against flooding. Following an urgent meeting held on Monday 26 April, the Christchurch City Council gave an assurance that it would contact all the affected parties (homeowners, insurers, EQC) and revise its flood models and information.

Following last week’s meeting with Empowered Christchurch, the Council made an undertaking to:

• MakeapresentationtotheCommunityBoardontheissue• ReviewallPIMsthathadbeenissued for rebuild projects in the affected area(s) • NotifyCouncillors• Advisethehomeowners(thattheyareawareof) who are affected

It was then established that many more houses have been built at the wrong height in tidal areas. According to the ChristchurchCityCouncilPlan,Policy2.5.5,the“minimumfloorlevel in tidally influenced areas should be set for a one-in-200 year event”, (i.e. currently at 12.3 m above the Christchurch City Datum). Council has been aware of these risks, but has delayed updating its District Plan for 5 years while issuing buildingconsents and exemptions. As a result, some homes are now more than 1.0 m below the proper finished flood level. Council’s response to the raising of this further discrepancy was to ask us toaddressallfutureenquiriestoa“specialunit”e-mailaddress,which bounces back correspondence.

It should be pointed out that the City Council only reapplied for accreditation as a Building Consent Authority in May 2014, having been stripped of accreditation in 2013.

Homeowners we have spoken to are angry that this has gone unnoticedforthreeyears.“Iamdisgustedbythis,”saidoneresidentwespoketo,“andIinformedtheCouncilaboutthissituation several years ago.”

PointsfromCCCpressrelease

2May2016

Floor level modelling has been revised for area of Brighton Christchurch City Council has updated its flood modelling for floorlevelsinasmallareaofNewBrighton,tothenorthofBridgeStreet along the Avon River.Assumptions for modelling in this area have been revised.The previous modelling did not fully account for the effect of tidal flooding.We have also advised insurers through the Insurance Council of NewZealandtousetheupdatedinformationforanyassessmentorbuildingworkinthisarea.”**END

The CCC and SBRA are mak ing progress with beautification Project: Native planting of pohutakawas on both sides of Bridge Street (on strategically placed areas of the verge to prevent visual impairment of traffic.)

Brief description of the project: Bridge Street currently has introduced trees (Chinese elms) on the verges. These are not well suited to our easterly, salt-bearing winds. They are visually unattractive as many of the trees are not straight and have no leaves. When the pipeline was constructed along Beatty Street, pohutakawas were planted along both sides of the street and they flower each year. They look amazing! Purpose of the project: Beautification and an opportunity to position South New Brighton as the principal access point to the eastern beaches.

Update: The pohutakawa trees are on their way down from Tauranga and the CCC are hoping to plant them in early June. More information to come. Follow updates on our Facebook page

A Christchurch City Council information leaflet will go out to residents along Bridge Street. We hope residents will support the idea.

The Student Volunteer Army (SVA) was founded in 2010 in response to the Christchurch Earthquake. The SVA has transitioned from focusing on disaster relief to volunteerism. We hope to create a culture of service in our generation which will serve New Zealand in years to come - as reflected in our mission statement. The following report outlines the successes of 2015, the SVA’s plan for 2016 and an overview of the organisation. Local residents and students prepare South New Brighton for a facelift! For more information: http://www.sva.org.nz/news/

Local residents and students prepare South New Brighton for a facelift!

If you drove along Bridge Street on Saturday 19th March, you may have spotted a hive of activity in the Bridge Street Reserve, as local residents, with help from the Student Volunteer Army, cleared the site of exotic pine and macrocarpa in preparation for native planting this winter.

The event was organised by the South Brighton Residents’ Association in conjunction with Christchurch City Council Park Rangers and City Care, who kindly donated staff and their chipper to help on the day. The sun was shining and both residents and students were out in force putting in several hours’ hard graft, before being rewarded with a well-earned barbeque courtesy of the SBRA, with a generous donation from Charlie’s Party Bus.

Residents' associations are vital in shaping the services the Council provides to residents. Due to the effects of the earthquakes and the ongoing disruption this has created, we need to stand together as a community and speak with a strong, clear voice.

We invite (and need) community members from South Brighton to come and join us at our monthly meetings to identify what we need and want as a community. You do not need to become an active member. Just come along and listen in and share a cup of tea/co�ee with us.

Prospective membersand supporters When? First Tuesday evening each month, 8:00−9:30 p.m. Where? South Brighton Community Centre, Beatty Street

Native Trees for Babies The South Brighton Residents’ Association wishes to acknowledge and celebrate the arrival of our ‘brand new’ baby citizenstoSouthNewBrightonbygiftingthematotaratreetoplant in the Bridge Street reserve. WHEN: We are keen to hold a morning tea at 11 a.m. on a Sunday in July (tree planting time), at which every baby will be acknowledged and welcomed to our community with the gift of a native tree.

WHERE: Bridge Reserve/exact site to be advised

WHAT YOU NEED TO BRING: All we ask is that you bring a deck chair or two, a plate of food to share and a thermos full of coffee/tea. We will provide the trestle tables and the trees! This will be part of the ‘Keep South Brighton Beautiful’ campaign.Pleasee-mailKirstenCarey:kgbcarey@xtra.co.nztoindicate your interest in this event so that we can make sure we have enough trees! We look forward to meeting all the members of the extended family/whanau. We will inform all the families who contact us of the exact date a little closer to the event.

The South Brighton Residents’ Association now has a new flag

The SBRA has been extremely active in recent months on the multiplicity of issues that face our suburb. Basically, these can be divided into two categories: efforts to keep our environment pleasant and attractive in the face of diminishing services and lack of infrastructure. Secondly, we have been endeavouring to achieve clarity from the authorities on what solutions will be proposed for the neighbourhood.

Successes in the first category included the erection of the welcome sign on Bridge Street. The opening ceremony attracted a good crowd and we have received positive feedback from many residents. The sign was recently taken down to receive a new weather-protective coating (our salty sea air was having a destructive effect on the original varnish!) and is now back looking better than ever. We are still attempting to progress the kuaka (godwit) sculpture, which is to be placed on the south side of Bridge Street. You can see an artist’s image of the sculpture on on page one of this newsletter. At present, we are trying to determine ownership of the portion of land where we wish to place the sculpture. We will keep you informed on the Facebook page of progress in this matter with the Council. Much of our efforts, however, have been devoted

to legislation and discussions with the Community Board and Council. A local newspaper recently covered the questions of flood mitigation and the temporary stopbanks. The major shock this year has been the incorrect flood modelling by Council for the area north of Bridge Street and the omission of any tidal factor for the lower Avon. We provide more details of this on page 2. Here is a brief overview of our activities:

• Submission on the Regenerate Christchurch Bill• Submission on the Christchurch Replacement District Plan• Submission to the CERA Community Forum• Submission to Council on the problem of freedom camping• Various meetings with EQC land (Keith Land)• Attendance at the Seismics in the City event• Various meetings with Council: with Peter Sparrow, General

Manager Consenting and Compliance, with the Mayor and her team, and with a large number of Council officers concerning the incorrect flood mapping.

We are continuing to work towards resolution of these serious problems and will keep you updated on the Facebook page.

Information and helpful resources:Free legal assistanceCommunity Law Centres: www.communitylaw.org.nz

MBIE - Rebuild with Confidence - Guidehttp://www.dbh.govt.nz/UserFiles/File/Publications/Building/Guidance-information/pdf/canterbury-rebuild-guide-for-homeowners.pdf

Residential Advisory Service, RAS: www.advisory.org.nz

Earthquake Support and Counselling: Call 0800 777 846

Empowered Christchurch : www.EmpoweredChristchurch.co.nz (Source of Self Help Information)

Information about future sea level rise: http://www.christchurchsealevelrise.co.nz

SBRA monthly meetings: First Tuesday every month in the South Brighton Community Centre Beatty St. from 8:00 - 9:30pm

The SBRA committee members are:

Hugo Kristinsson - Chair,

Dagny Emma Magnusdottir – Secretary

Kirsten Carey – Treasurer

General Committee members:

Seamus O’Cromtha, Leigh-Ann O’Brien,

Stephen Astwood, Irene Astwood.

You can contact us by phone: 388 52 36

Email: southbrightonra@gmail.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BrightsideTheSouth

From the South Brighton Residents’ Association

For information about future sea level rise and its impact on South Brighton: http://www.christchurchsealevelrise.co.nz