Looking after the city’s legacy

Has anyone else taken quiet pleasure in reports that some of our new citizens have moved here from Auckland?

I must admit I have, along with being torn between local pride and the hope the idea does not catch on too strongly!

The same reports are making the point that one of the big drawcards for moving here is the same as that which is attracting new citizens here from overseas.

Christchurch is increasingly recognised as a city that has held onto the precious commodities of clean water, civic pride, great gardens and strong social cohesion.

Like other cities we are not immune to some of the major social changes that have swept society.

The move to a more market economy nationally and internationally has been a mixed blessing for us all.

While we enjoy more diversity and choice some of us are also all too aware that the cult of the individual, the “me first” attitude has led to an erosion of qualities like good manners and patience.

For a city such as Christchurch, which has always been famous for its social cohesion and shared sense of responsibility, perhaps one of the worst trends has been the appearance of the unthinking sort of selfishness that leads to littering.

It has crept up on us until suddenly one of the most cherished aspects of our city — our tidy streets and suburbs — is suddenly starting to look a little tarnished.

Some readers will recall how just before Christmas we asked some of the cleaning crew in the inner city to leave the rubbish alone for a while and let people see how quickly it piled up.

As someone who had to pose for photos with the litter, let me tell you it did not take long to pile up, nor to be less than fragrant into the bargain!

It would be some solace if we could say that this is just an inner city problem.

The reality is that it is not. The upsurge in littering is citywide.

When we surveyed last year the citywide litter count had gone up 48.6 per cent on the August 2002 figures. Within the present ward system no ward showed a decrease in its litter figures. It looks like Spreydon must be where the Tidy Kiwi can still be found as they at least showed no increase in littering.

Other wards showed sharp upward trends for littering.

Littering is quite often an unexpected and unwelcome result of affluence.

It is the sort of affluence we can do without as a city, because it costs us all.

Much as “tagging” costs us all hundreds of thousands a year to fight, so too is the price-tag for littering on the rise.

Our City Streets Unit spent $278,000 last year to clean our streets. That was a 100 per cent increase from the year before. We could have built several new small suburban parks for that cost. The only way we will get on top of it is if we all work together to change our attitudes to littering.

Looking after our city requires many hands, including yours.

The truth is that all democratic forms of government, local and central, have their limits. “Common-good” issues such as litter require public support and participation.

The good news is that in other cases when the public hears that other precious items, like our pure water, are at risk we can all move quickly. There were some major falls in water consumption when news got out of the pressures on the water system during the recent very dry spell.

This is an area almost completely at the mercy of the public. It was great to see so many people turn off the taps so quickly when the word went out.

It was also a reminder that as a growing city we all need to take a careful look at how we use such a great resource as our water.

We have some precious things to look after.

The only way we can do this well is together.