Supporting communities  |  4 May 2020

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Five members of the community have been selected to be part of a new group that is going to help transform the city’s red zones.

The five – Ashley Campbell, Adam Parker, Hannah Watkinson, Jazmynn Hodder-Swain and Bill Simpson - will be members of Te Tira Kāhikuhiku, the Red Zones Transformative Land Use Group, which is being independently chaired by Chrissie Williams.

They will sit on the group alongside Community Board and iwi representatives who have already been appointed. Their role will be to provide advice and recommendations to Christchurch City Council and Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) on temporary initiatives, ideas and activities to transform the city’s red zone land in Brooklands, the Ōtākaro Avon River Corridor, Southshore/South New Brighton and the Port Hills until the red zoned land transfers from LINZ to the Council.

Te Tira Kāhikuhiku will also make decisions on grant funding for some of these short-term, transitional opportunities, which could be one-off events or projects that last up to five years.

Ashley Campbell, Adam Parker and Hannah Watkinson were selected as community members who will bring a focus on the Ōtākaro Avon River Corridor. Jazmynn Hodder-Swain is a youth representative while Bill Simpson has been chosen to represent the wider community.

The group was selected by the already-appointed members.

“We’ve been spoiled for choice when it comes to applicants to be in this group, and the final selection is a mix of people who bring different skills, but share a passion for the communities in which they live,” says Chrissie Williams.

“Te Tira Kāhikuhiku now has a full complement of representatives and views. They’ve all been involved in different ways, using their initiative to advocate for vibrant and ecologically healthy red zones, and now they’re here for us to advise LINZ and the Council and provide the views of the surrounding communities.”

The group is scheduled to hold its first meeting in June.

Read about the members of Te Tira Kāhikuhiku.

Te Tira Kāhikuhiku is a result of the 2019 Global Settlement Agreement (GSA) which sets out how the Crown and Council will work together on transitional land use arrangements for the red zones. Under the GSA, LINZ will progressively transfer Crown-owned red zone land to the Council between 1 July 2020 and 1 July 2021.

The agreement requires the Crown and Council to set up a consultative group to provide community input and advice to them on applications for land uses that are for fewer than five years. The group is in place until June 2021. Long-term governance and permanent uses of the red zones will be considered by the Council once all, or most of, the land transfer process is completed.