As easy as ABC

A unique City Council-sponsored literacy programme is helping Christchurch people into employment.

Jointly established by Canterbury Development Corporation and the Adult Reading Assistance Scheme (ARAS), Literacyworks uses one-on-one tuition to develop literacy and numeracy skills, helping people into work.

As programme coordinator and tutor Sharon Reid explains, skill levels in the community are lower than many would think. "One in five of all New Zealanders has low literacy and numeracy skills, often preventing them from gaining employment. These are generally people with perfectly good brains. They just have never been able to fully master reading, writing and maths," she says.

Specifically tailored learning helps develop skills in a practical way, says Sharon. "Literacyworks is geared to helping trainees achieve what they want, whether to gain a driving licence, go on to further training or to go directly into a job. We develop a programme which focuses on the trainee's particular interests. "For example, for someone interested in motorbikes, we might structure their tuition around a motorcycle manual, giving them the skills they need by concentrating on something they already understand and enjoy," she says

For most trainees, learning to read and write means big changes."It may take six to 12 months, but for most, learning literacy skills completely turns around their self-esteem and opens up an incredible number of new possibilities," says Sharon.

To find out more about Literacyworks, contact Sharon via the Canterbury Development Corporation on 379 5893.

The Council's Finance Directorate explains recent changes at Southpower/Orion...

• In July last year the Government introduced legislation to further restructure the energy industry.
  
  
• Under this legislation, energy companies have to sell either their retailing business (the part that buys and sells electricity) or their network business (the lines, poles and cables).
  
  
• Southpower Limited, in consultation with its shareholders, decided to sell its retail business. The sale, to TransAlta NZ Limited, based in Wellington, became effective on 1 December and included the Southpower name which TransAlta will continue to use for power accounts in the interim.
  
  
• The retail business was sold for $171million gross, an extremely good price that will ultimately bring benefits to ratepayers.
  
  
• It was sold because energy retailing is high risk, whereas the network business provides a return to the council owners and is essential infrastructure to Canterbury.
  
  
• The remaining part of Southpower (which owns, operates and maintains the lines, poles and cables) was not sold and has been renamed Orion New Zealand Limited.
  
  
• Orion will manage the network and continue to own its subsidiary companies (like Connetics) just as before. Reliability and security of delivery will continue to be the focus.
  
  
• The ownership also stays the same — shared between the Christchurch City (87%), Selwyn District and Banks Peninsula District.
  
  
• The objective of these changes in the industry is to reduce electricity prices and increase competition by allowing customers to choose their electricity retailer.
  
  
• This is being achieved by energy retailers now being to sell electricity directly to customers, while network companies like Orion provide the lines, cables and poles to deliver the electricity.

Recycling popular

The graph at left, from the Council's Waste Management Unit, shows a steady growth in tonnage collected through Kerbside Recycling. It shows that residents are enthusiastic about the new service and it reflects a significant reduction in the total amount of domestic rubbish going into the landfill.

Kerbside Recycling has been underway throughout Christchurch for six months and is part of the Council's goal to reduce waste to nothing — zero — by 2020. City Scene will keep you up-to-date with progress.

Withdrawing from bottle banks

With the introduction of Kerbside Recycling, Christchurch has phased out the community recycling centres and bottle banks that provided a drop-off service for many dedicated recyclers in Christchurch.

The Council would like to pass on its grateful thanks to all involved in providing those services before the start of kerbside.

Local community groups, sought through Council Service Centres, managed many of these points. There was the recycling drop-off point at Beckenham Service Centre, for example, which was kept in spotless condition by Fergusson Scout Group.

Scout master Bob Mulgrew visited the site every day and twice daily at weekends.

Other community groups involved in overseeing recycling points were: Springs Rd Community Creche — which looked after the recycling point at Sockburn Service Centre; the Salvation Army in Poulson St; Bishopdale Scout Group with glass, aluminium and cardboard at Bishopdale Mall; Te Whare Roimata, with bottles, cans and cardboard collected next to Carlton Liquorland; and Shirley IHC at the recycling point at Shirley Motors Workshop.

Community-minded businesses also provided space for recycling: Shirley Liquorland, Sumner Auto Services, Creyke Road Service Station, Ilam Liquorland and Cracroft Shopping Centre.

Many businesses provided space and day-to-day management.

And Council Works Operations staff members provided a great service, removing waste materials and rubbish and in call-outs especially over the holiday period.