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Ashburton
www.guardianONLINE.co.nz
Friday, April 5, 2013
FIRST PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 27, 1879
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Council, citizens’ group relations turn sour By Sue Newman The relationship between the people’s organisation, the Ashburton Citizens’ Association and the Ashburton District Council has gone sour. Just one year after it appointed two councillors as its representatives on the association, the council has cancelled the deal, saying the association’s constitution did not meet the council’s requirements for councillor appointment. This decision came on the heels of a request from the association, asking the council to change its current appointees, Robin Kilworth and Donna Favel, saying those appointments were not meeting its need. Rather than change the two councillors, council decided it would no longer be involved with the association. “Council, however, will be happy to respond to any request for any councillor, the mayor or for staff to attend meetings to explain policies – providing those meetings don’t clash with other commitments,” mayor Angus McKay said. “This is all a wee bit sad, but we can move on from this. I believe we can have a better relationship in the future.” If the arrangement hadn’t worked for the association, it hadn’t been entirely satisfactory for council either, Mr McKay said, particularly when council representatives were asked to leave meetings when they went “into committee”. The council’s attitude to the association was made clear in a report to the council meeting – “the aims and objectives of the association appear to be that of a political lobby group rather than the community associations the council currently works with ... rather than being a community organisation, the council believes the association has become a political lobby group.” Councillor Donna Favel did not agree with Mr McKay, saying the council’s decision flew in the face of democracy. “There has been a genuine effort
by the association to learn more about council and its processes. This group is not afraid to tell us what their thoughts are. The irony is not lost on me that at the same time as we’re putting our annual plan out for community consultation we’re removing councillor appointments from our citizens’ association.” On one hand the council was saying it wanted to keep communication channels open but it clearly wasn’t walking the talk, Mrs Favel said. Councillor Ken Cutforth said he had mixed feelings about the council’s relationship with the citizens’ association. “It’s getting the balance between being a ginger group and doing things constructively for the community to make it a better place that’s hard.” Councillors Favel and Kilworth abstained from voting on the motion to withdraw council appointments to the association. After the meeting, association vice-chairman Russell Ellis said he was disappointed that councillors heard just one side of the debate. “We requested an opportunity to speak at yesterday’s council meeting, and we did that in time and through the right channels, but this was denied.” The council provides an opportunity for any person or organisation to speak to councillors at the start of its six weekly council meeting. Whether this is granted or not is up to the mayor. “What gets me is the councillors can stand up and say what they think, even though they’ve never been to our meetings, and we weren’t given an opportunity to speak and put our case.” Mr Ellis said he failed to understand why the councillors feared the association becoming a political lobby group; that crossover was inevitable for any community group that was involved in community issues, he said. “We’re looking forward to seeing who is standing for council this year and who is not,” he said.
Photo Tetsuro Mitomo 040413-TM-074
Olympic medallist Sarah Walker turns on the speed at Methven.
BMX star beaten to the line By Myles Hume Olympic silver medallist Sarah Walker is used to pressure, regularly matching it with the best in the BMX biking world. But yesterday at Methven Primary School, she never would have expected to be going toe-totoe with 10-year-old scooter rider Logan Stockdill on a makeshift bike course. Walker made the trip down from her home in Cambridge to visit the Mid Canterbury school after it won a Beef + Lamb competition, thanks to local farmers
who nominated the school after re-registering for the electoral roll. Not knowing what to expect, the triple world champion hopped on a BMX bike and went up against the school’s nifty scooter rider, weaving in and out of cones and over a wooden box – the race going down to the final centimetre and claimed by the young Methven Primary schooler. “He did really well, it would have been interesting if there were a few straights, but I think we will have to go back and have a look at that photo finish,” Walker joked.
During her stopover to the town she used to visit with the family on skiing trips, Walker – an Iron Maiden who features on the Beef + Lamb adverts with fellow Olympians Sophie Pascoe and Lisa Carrington – took time to answer prepared questions from the Methven youngsters after an official powhiri welcome. “What was it like winning a silver medal?” pupil Sam van den Heuvel asked. Walker responded saying: “It is hard to explain but it was a proud moment for me”. But to show the pupils what it was really like, Walker asked Sam
to stand on a bench while she revealed her hefty silver medal from her New Zealand Olympic Team jacket, placing it round the youngster’s neck. Walker also told the youngsters about her rigorous training schedule that involves three hours gym work, riding and sprint training a day along with a strict diet. “What makes me go fast? Well on the day I won the silver medal I had porridge and banana for breakfast ... and I also eat lots of beef and lamb, that really helps me go fast,” she said. Walker returned to her
Photo Tetsuro Mitomo 040413-TM-072
Methven Primary youngster Logan Stockdill, 10, goes up against Olympic silver medallist Sarah Walker in Methven yesterday. Cambridge home last night and is preparing for the world championships to be held in Auckland in July.
New laws take aim at cyber-bullying THE FACTS • Seventeen per cent of school children report cyber bullying which is distressing. • Adolescent women are more lightly to suffer than their male counterparts. • Around 50 per cent of all cyber bullying victims know their bully as someone from school. • Cyber-bullying occurs in high and low decile schools. Urban and rural areas had comparable rates. • It is believed around 50% of children stay silent about cyber-bulling. - Source: Netsafe NZ
By Myles Hume Mid Cantabrians at the coalface of cyber-bullying believe prosecution for the “destructive” behaviour could serve as a strong deterrent. Cyber-bullying is rife throughout the country and Mid Canterbury is no different. Ashburton College has recently dealt with a spate of online abuse, involving a group of teenage girls. And Year 13 pupil Jas Andrada recently told the Guardian about her ordeal with an online attacker. But new laws revealed yesterday could spell the end of cyberbullying. Cabinet has adopted proposals put up by the Law Commission last August, which will see cyber-
bullies that incite suicide be sent to prison for up to three years. The new fast-tracked laws will also mean people who use a communications device to cause harm could be sent to prison for up to three months or fined $2000. Ashburton College principal Grant McMillan has been vocal in his quest to stamp out cyberbullying. He could only see positives for the new law, pointing to a gaping hole it would fill in modern-day society, the onus on the Ministry of Education to create guidelines about what bullying is and advice on how to deal with it and the power given to Netsafe to deal with complaints quickly, and pass them on the district courts if need so. “I think as people learn about it
and understand the laws then it could deter people. “I think in the same way that the road code and road laws shape driver behaviour and make it safe for everyone, these rules will shape our behaviour in the cyber world.” Youth Aid officer Rob Hooper, of Ashburton, said police already enforced the Telecommunications Act when locals misused phones and the internet. “But I imagine new laws that could come in probably just reflect how society has moved in the new age of socialising,” he said. Mr Hooper said it was about educating teenagers and parents about appropriate use of communication devices, and parents being aware of what their children are doing with technology.
Ashburton College’s Jas Andrada knows first-hand what it’s like to fall victim to cyber-bullying. She told her story to the Guardian earlier this year of how she was harassed by an older girl, who spread rumours about her in the community as well as posting malicious messages on Facebook. She welcomed the new laws around cyber-bullying. “I think it will stop people from doing it, as long as teenagers would realise how heavy the consequences are,” Jas said. “I think that it (cyber-bullying) is very detrimental to a person’s wellbeing because even if the bullies are not there beside or in front of you, their words would still be in your mind to haunt you whenever possible.”
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