March 1999 Christchurch City Scene

March 1999 C H R I S T C H U R C H C I T Y C O U N C I L · Y O U R P E O P L E · Y O U R C I T Y
COASTAL TREASURES PAGE 2	MOORE: OUR GREEN CITY PAGE 2	ADVOCATES - A NEW VOICE FOR RESIDENTS PAGE 2	TOP TENNIS AT WESTPAC CENTRE PAGE 3	MOUSE A MEMORY AID PAGE 3	FLIPPING OUT OVER POOLS PAGE 4	STUDENTS RISE FROM STUDY PAGE 4

Cartoon animals including this mouse help people remember where they have parked their cars in the nine-level Hospital parking building.

A cure for hospital car parking The eagerly awaited Christchurch Hospital parking building opened on 4 March - and parking there is free all this month. The 365-space building, on the corner of Tuam and Antigua Streets, is a joint venture between Canterbury Health, Christchurch City Council and a private developer.

Richard Webb, Canterbury Health's chief executive officer, says the increased parking "will end what has been a huge source of aggravation for patients and their visitors for many years. The covered car park will provide long term, low cost parking with tunnel access to the hospital".

Another 100 metered parking bays adjoining the hospital are also available, because some car parks for hospital staff have been moved to the new building.

Calling all young artists The Council is running an art competition for form three and four students which will result in someone's work decorating litter trucks and floating litter traps. Participating schools have each been asked to select two entries for the competition, by 29 March.

The artwork may be done by an individual or a group and must have an anti-litter theme. It must also be A3 landscape-size and any written message kept to five words or less. Each school will go into a draw for the major prize of a $3000 computer software package. The schools that the four winning artworks come from will each receive $500, and the artists themselves will receive booklets of movie tickets.
Judging, by a panel, will be done by 19 April.
For more information contact Kerry Everingham, environmental promotion officer, on 371 1779.

Youth issues to UN Issues and comments from the Global Voice Youth Summit in Christchurch on 26 March will be reported to the United Nations in Geneva next year. It is understood that Christchurch is the only city in New Zealand to be providing a report in response to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

"We're actively seeking the views of young people and are really excited to be involved in providing feedback to the United Nations," says Robyn Moore, the Council's youth advocate.
The summit will be a full-day workshop at Riccarton Park Function Centre to discuss youth issues, with about 300 young Christchurch people taking part.
For more information, contact Robyn Moore on 941 6406.

Leading New Zealand player James Greenhalgh in full swing.

Davis Cup tennis in City
New Zealand will play Korea this Easter in the first Davis Cup tennis tie to be played in the new WestpacTrust Centre. David Blackwell, the executive director of Canterbury Tennis, says the tie will be exciting to watch. Korea earned the tie with a surprise win over India, and Kiwis Brett Steven and James Greenhalgh have never lost a doubles match for NZ when playing together. The tennis will be played on Friday, Saturday and Sunday (2 to 4 April) on a special Plexipave court the Council is laying.

Tickets are $60 for all three days; $25 for day one or two; $18 for day three. They are available from Ticketek, ph 0800 285 590 or 377 8899.

Composting - solution to garden waste
It is time to contemplate putting the garden in order for winter. But what do you do with the resulting rubbish? Over the last four-and-a-half years Christchurch people have dug, hoed and pruned a staggering 60,390 tonnes of garden rubbish and hauled it to the Council's Garden City Composting at the three Christchurch refuse stations. Then there are 29,516 tonnes brought by commercial gardeners and landscapers; 7500 tonnes from industry and 5600 loads of mixed refuse and green waste.	The problem is, at least the same amount is going into wheelie bins, skips and drums and being taken to the landfill. Because of the lack of oxygen it breaks down extremely slowly in the landfill and produces the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide and methane. If it is composted, however, it becomes a product home gardeners, market gardeners and farmers can use to enrich and improve soil.	Keep garden rubbish rolling into Garden City Composting, making sure inorganic items like tennis balls, toys and pegs are removed first. Or make your own compost at home; it's an excellent way to recycle some garden waste and organic kitchen waste. Then relax on your favourite garden chair! For free information about composting, contact the Waste Management Unit on 941 8358.

'Bye Mum!' 'Bye Dad!' Children on their way to school, via the renovated Waimairi School overbridge.

Overbridge saved for children
An overbridge has been upgraded so Waimairi School students can continue to walk to and from school safely. School principal Philip Harding says he is "thrilled to pieces" with the result of a battle fought mainly by the Council and its schools advocate, Lee Kelly, to save the 75-year-old bridge over Papanui railway line from demolition. "Sixty-two children use that bridge every day. Without it, it would be more dangerous for them to walk to school and more children would be driven," he says. Two-thirds of the work on the overbridge, at the junction of Hawthorne St and Hartley Ave, was paid for by the Council and one-third by Tranz Rail.

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