17th July – Campaign Launch

Tena Koutou

Tena Koutou

Tena Koutou katoa

Ko Anne Galloway taku ingoa

No Otautahi ahau

Ko Joyce Rapley toku mama

Ko kevin Dore toku papa

Ko Hippy Hoon Hay taku wananga

No reira

Tena Koutou

Tena koutou

Tena huihui tatou katoa.

Good Afternoon

My name is Anne Galloway. I am running for Council in the Halswell ward.

Thank you Andrew for that excellent summary of the significant achievements made by the People’s Choice councillors since the 2013 elections.

The prudence exercised in balancing the needs of today without compromising the ability of future generations is commendable and speaks volumes for the desire to leave a positive legacy for our children and grandchildren.

When I think of a legacy, I think of Jane and John Deans, the first Europeans to set-tle in Canterbury. Without their vision, passion and strength, we would not have Pu-taringamoutu-Riccarton Bush.

It is a magical place. 600 year kahikitia trees whose ancestors have been growing in this same place for 3,000 years ! A place that my grandchildren and I love to visit . I had the privilege of working as an educator at the museum for a couple of years . Part of my role was to take classes through the bush and talk to them about the bush Without John Deans passion to protect and preserve the bush from the early European settlers who were desperate to cut down any trees for building materials, we would not have it today.

What are our modern day Putaringmoutus? What is it that we should be protecting for future generations, as the Deans did so long ago?

Is it our water quality and quantity?

Our native flora and fauna?

Or maybe our sense of community; its connectivity and culture?

I believe we need a healthy dose of ‘Deanism’ today. as we consider the threats facing our communities and environment .

What do we want our children to inherit? The legacy we want to leave for them?

There is a Māori proverb that says…

Hapiata te ara tika pumau ai te rangatiratanga mo ngauri whakatipu

Foster the pathway of knowledge to strength, independence and growth for future generations

What would a community that fosters knowledge, strength, independence and growth look like?

A sustainable one! As Andrew has already described, sustainability is meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future genera-tions to meet their needs. This means working together as a community to protect our environment and natural resources , and our sense of community,so that our children and grand-children can enjoy them as we did.

I believe there is a desire to unite our community to work together, just as my par-ents and their neighbors did years ago, to create a connected, strong and sustaina-ble community for all.

In order for this to happen, we as community leaders have to be able to instill a sense of belonging and stewardship , and to excite and motivate people to partici-pate and contribute.

I believe that positive change happens when individuals , families and communi-ties are empowered to fulfil the potential each have . In my current position as Co-ordinator of the HIPPY [Home Interaction Programme for Parents and Youngsters] programme, I have seen what an empowered community of parents from a variety of cultures throughout the Halswell, Addington, Spreydon and Hoon Hay areas who are all committed to working with their pre-schoolers can achieve. It has been my privilege to see the change that people can make in their families, communities and themselves when they are given the training and resources to do so. HIPPY children experience the academic success that their parents may not have had.

The recently televised series ”Why Am I?” documents the findings of the world re-nowned Dunedin longitudinal study. It’s director, Prof Richie Poulton sums up the significant findings by saying”

“the early years are absolutely critical for how a persons life turns out. if you really want to make a difference for people, intervening early and getting it right-that is the key…that’s where your money should go, that’s where your focus should be.”

We, the People’s Choice, embrace this sentiment. We recognise the importance of nurturing our young people. We want Christchurch to be a city with the reputation of being the best place in New Zealand to be a child.

And we’ll take concrete steps to get there.

Andrew has talked about our commitment to the social housing portfolio. That’s part of our broader strategy aimed at combatting homelessness and poor-quality hous-ing. No kid should have to sleep in a car or in a garage, or get sick because their house is damp and uninsulated.

We support a housing warrant of fitness to make sure all rental housing is warm and dry.

Councillor Glenn Livingstone has lead work on the council’s housing strategy, and we’re proud of the goal of zero homelessness the council has committed to.

Thirty years ago, half of our children walked or biked to school in the morning. Now only a third do. Many parents are too worried about safety to let their children walk or bike to school. So we’ll invest in making sure every child can walk or bike safely to their local school, through traffic calming, improved crossings, and other infra-structure commitments.

This will have a range of benefits, from more active children, helping combat child-hood obesity, to reducing congestion on our roads. It will also bolster children’s in-dependence and self-reliance.

And finally, growing up is about trying out new things, making the most of new ex-periences. One of those classic childhood experiences is learning to swim.

But swimming isn’t just fun. It’s an important life skill. Too many kids - seven out of ten - in New Zealand grow up not being able to swim. And as a result, too many New Zealanders drown. Knowing how to swim could be lifesaving.

No child should miss out on such a great — and useful — childhood experience as going swimming because their parents can’t stretch the budget that far.

That’s why a People’s Choice Council will make entry to council swimming pools free for all under-12s — and their caregivers.

We’ll start by rolling it out to all the Council’s open air pools this summer.

Our policies will make Christchurch a better place to grow up.

They’ll make Christchurch a place where families thrive. That’s why I’m asking for your support to help ensure a People’s Choice majority around the council table this year.

It’s about leaving a legacy.

It’s about making Christchurch a better place for our children.

No reira, tena koutou katoa.

Peoples_Choice_Policy_20163.pdf

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