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Ashburton FIRST PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 27, 1879
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Mayor waits for rivals to emerge
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By Sue Newman Angus McKay could be making an unchallenged run into his second term as the Ashburton District’s mayor. With nominations for this year’s local body elections opening in less than 10 weeks there are no indications of mayoral aspirants who are likely to make a run for the district’s top job when nominations open on July 26. Facing challengers doesn’t faze Mr McKay. “Democracy is democracy and that is healthy. I’ve been challenged before in my life and if you’re mayor you expect and accept a challenge,” he said. When Mr McKay stood for mayor in the 2010 election, he stood against sitting mayor Bede O’Malley and fellow challenger Bev Tasker. In his role as the district’s elected representative on Environment Canterbury, he stood against Mark Lemon and Robin Grigg when elections were last held in 2007. When commissioners were appointed to take over Environment Canterbury, removing the elected representatives, Mr McKay said he decided to stand as a councillor for the Ashburton District Council. His decision to stand for mayor was a last-minute one after being talked into letting his name go forward, he said. And because of that he’s not critical of potential candidates who refuse to make their intentions known until the 11th hour. While he says he’s not concerned about potential challenges for the mayoralty, Mr McKay said he would be doing his best to ensure he served two terms as mayor – to give continuity. The Ashburton Citizens’ Association has been trying to drum up interest in the elections but so far is not having any luck said chair, Diane Rawlinson. “We are out there talking to people. Not to stand under our umbrella; we’re just trying to get people to stand. The barrier for enthusiastic people is that they just can’t afford to stand,” she said. The base pay rate for a councillor will be $21,800 after this year’s election. “There aren’t even any rumours. It would be ideal to have six new candidates standing so there
Angus McKay would be choice but it doesn’t look as though we’re going to get them.” It was also healthy to have a choice when it came to voting for a mayor, Ms Rawlinson said. “Whether the mayor does a good job or not, election is healthy. If you withstand that election, then that’s good. If you do stand, however, it needs to be for the right reasons not just to split the vote.” The Ashburton Business Association is also doing its best to generate interest in the elections, committee member Keiran Breakwell said. “We’ve been trying to get people who would put their names forward but there’s not enough money to be promoting it as a full time job. You want people who are in business and who are successful but they can’t do the job. It’s a catch-22.” Day meetings didn’t help the cause either, he said. “You just can’t expect people to give up their work, their business for this. Everyone I’ve talked to says they couldn’t take that amount of time away from their business.” Mr McKay, however, believes there is interest in councillor positions. “I’ve heard in the last day or so, someone in Ashburton who heard Jim Burgess (councillor) was retiring and that they might be interested,” he said. Of the 12 sitting councillors, five – Jac Sparks, Alan Totty, Stuart Wilson, Donna Favel and Ken Cutforth have said they will seek relection. John Leadley, Robin Kilworth, Don McLeod, Darryl Nelson, Martin Nordqvist and Neil Brown have yet to decide.
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Roulston battles world’s best in the alps Spring time in Italy isn’t all it’s cracked up to be as Ashburton cyclist Hayden Roulston is finding out the hard way. Roulston is competing in the Giro D’Italia for the first time and as well as battling the world’s best in the month-long tour he had the pleasure snow fields of the Col du Galibier on the 149km 15th stage yesterday morning (NZ time). The stage started under blue skies in Cesana Torinese but as the field climbed further into the mountains they met falling snow in their total vertical climb of 4190m to more than earn a rest day. Full tour wrap, P14
Food in schools brings fresh set of challenges By Myles Hume Putting food in schools could raise serious questions over who is responsible for feeding children. That’s the view of Mid Canterbury principals and Netherby School principal Andrew Leverton who said the idea to feed children breakfast in schools seemed like a great idea in theory, but the reality could create a wash of social and logistical challenges. The Government is reportedly on the cusp of announcing a package deal with Sanitarium and Fonterra to put food in schools for decile one to four schools. The scheme is being introduced to tackle New Zealand’s worrying child poverty statistics, many children left unable to
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Andrew Leverton says food in schools could bring a wash of new challenges. learn because they are hungry. Mr Leverton’s school is decile three and is already expecting
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Fonterra’s Milk For Schools initiative to be rolled out tomorrow. He was supportive to introduce milk, but was remained sceptical about feeding his pupils. “Were does parent responsibility start and end? “And if it did take place, what’s going to be the best way to do it?” Mr Leverton said he could see the benefits in the scheme but the onus was on parents to provide food for their children, and putting food in school could blur that line. He also questioned the logistics of putting food in schools. “Teachers are busy enough as it is, they’re in here at 7.30, 7.45 and they’re straight into it, imagine saying: ‘By the way we are going to do this’. “We would need to have coordinators or community groups, I certainly wouldn’t
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want my teachers to feel they have got to do it.” It was likely schools would have the added burden of providing cutlery, bowls and dish
washing liquid if they got onboard, on top of having to find the time to do it, Mr Leverton said. Rakaia School principal Mark Ellis met with a classroom once a week to have breakfast with pupils and sometimes parents. He said it allowed pupils and staff to know each other in a different light, and also took care of pupils who came to school hungry. However he agreed with the notion it could shift responsibility. “I don’t know if we are there to be a stop-gap ... it will come down to schools to identify it and sometimes there is a thing called pride that can get in the way,” he said. The Government is expected to make an announcement on food in schools in the next few weeks.
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