Nominations have now closed for the imminent CECC Board Elections...

Every year half of our board of 12 come up for election. This year with six of our current board members seeking re-election and several aspiring board nominees we now have ten candidates for the six available positions.

As CEO I find that most satisfying. We have a robust democrat process in place, which involves a highly contested process. Why is this so important? Well there are organisations, like ours, around the country who either “pick” their Boards, or have to go cap in hand to their members to encourage them to stand. Our governance is of the highest quality and that is partly because positions on the board are highly sought after.

I am also pleased with the fact that we have had in place an internet based voting system through Electionz .com that we have been using for the past eight years. The voting process is evolving and easy to use, and is now starting to be used by membership-based organisations across New Zealand. Who knows? Maybe someday soon we will see electronic voting for our Local and National Government elections!

The  next stage of the CECC board election process is voting, and that is up to all of the membership to ensure they have their say in the leadership of their organisation.

petert@cecc.org.nz

www.cecc.org.nz

Dispelling the Three Urban Legends of Christchurch

As we begin to get seriously engaged into the recovery phase of a post-earthquake environment it is important to dispel pre-urban legends.

1. Population Flight - There has been a lot of speculation about how many people have left Christchurch in the context of the impact of the earthquakes. The reality is that our population for greater Christchurch is now higher than it was prior to 4 September 2010 and increasing internal and external migration is having a marked impact on our population. We can expect population pressures to rise, not to fall, and pressures to come on accommodation in Christchurch as we recruit more people into the city to engage in the rebuild. 
2. Capital Flight - We have been saying for some time now that capital is designed to fly, capital was made to fly but it’s not where it flies that is important, its where it lands. The reality is that we have not lost a lot of capital from Christchurch, but we do need to assiduously work towards creating an environment that encourages capital to land. There is a lot of money looking for a home and it is important to all of us that we find good investment propositions in a framework of certainty for that capital. However, to speculate that capital is being drained out of Christchurch is a fallacy. 
3. Negative Economic Impacts - Immediately post-earthquake there was speculation we would suffer a major loss in business activity in our region. Clearly this has not been the case. Economic activity has held up remarkably well and in fact our regional economy is grower faster than the rest of New Zealand, and will continue to do so. Do not under-estimate the economic impact of the rebuild, $40 billion plus is a big spend for any region let alone a region with a greater Christchurch area population of about 400,000. 

It really is time to put these three urban legends to bed and to move forward constructively and positively in New Zealand’s biggest ever economic development programme.

petert@cecc.org.nz

www.cecc.org.nz

Grasmere Lodge....pure luxury!

I recently had the privilege of staying at Grasmere Lodge. The lodge is owned and run by Tom Butler and his partner Jo. They have a truly world class offering which earns international acclaim.

The lodge oozes history. The accommodation is pure luxury and the food offerings quite superb. The lodge is positioned amongst some of New Zealand's most spectacular high country. It unashamedly caters for the high value international traveller but is also a haven for a luxury time away for New Zealanders. There is plenty to do at the lodge from horse trekking to hiking, and simply enjoying the spectacular scenery.

The role boutique offerings such as Grasmere Lodge play in attracting and indulging high value tourists to New Zealand cannot be underestimated. They attract big spenders who are returning to New Zealand regularly because of the experiences they have while here.
 
We should applaud people like Tom and Jo who are doing the hard yards for the economic benefit of all New Zealanders.



petert@cecc.org.nz
www.cecc.org.nz

I am within 100m of where Napoleon stood and watched his troops march past!

I have had significant feedback on my blog last week relating to a night out with the police. Overwhelmingly, those who have contacted me have reinforced what a great job our Police Force does under trying circumstances. There has also been a lot of comment about the need to change our behaviour with respect to alcohol.

I am writing this blog from Brno, the second largest city in the Czech Republic. I am within 100 metres of where Napoleon stood, on a still existing balcony, to whatch his troops march past. Brno oozes history! That aside, what impresses me is the way they have almost eliminated traffic from within their central city. Cars and trucks can access where they need to but most people are delivered to the central city by a very regular and efficient tram service. The city functions well, but at its heart there is an overt and positive tranquility, which adds significantly to the central city and clearly relates to the absence of cars. There is a MacDonalds " walk through" in the city square!

My understanding is that Brno has been like this for many years. Something to think about!

I am  in Brno attending a conference on employer/reservist relationships in my capacity as chairman of The New Zealand Territorial Employers' Support Council. An interesting conference indeed, given the massive changes occurring in defence force capability around the world and the increasing reliance on part time military personnel.

On the way home I will catching up with our High Commissioner in London, Sir Lockwood Smith and the Team at NZTE in New Zealand house.

I hope to be able to pick up good information on the European economy and its direction of travel in a volatile world. I also want to ensure that the team in London know exactly where we are at in the post earthquake recovery.

Interestingly, modern technology means I am effectively still in my office!

www.cecc.org.nz

petert@cecc.org.nz

A policeman's lot is...

Last Thursday evening I attended a briefing on the Canterbury Youth Development Program and the Refocus Program. Both these programs, headed up by Director,Mike Field and supported by a Board which I have the privilege to be on with input from Sergeant Bevan Seal, have done a remarkable job in Christchurch.

The Canterbury Youth Development Program looks after young men who have gone off the rails and is busy putting them back on. Currently the program has dealt with young men who if they were in prison would be costing $18,000 per person per month. When the program started Te Puna Wai Youth Justice Residence was bulging with Canterbury youth, there are now around two young people from Canterbury in Te Puna Wai Prison. The program has dealt with 85 young men since its inception and is currently running at a non-recidivist rate of around 50%.  Anything over 30% is regarded as World’s Best practice.

After that excellent presentation I spent the evening in an incident car with Sergeant Bevan Seal looking at what happens in night time Christchurch on a Thursday night. It was a real eye opener and certainly showed me the need for an effective police presence in our city and the incredibly demanding work carried out by our Police force in the interests of our community. The evening started off with a dispute between flat tenants which ended up with one tenant having his gear on the side of the road and the other tenant refusing to allow him back in the flat. We got that sorted with the disgruntled tenant moving on to a new flat.

We visited the temporary central Police Station and in particular had a look at the control centre which covers the whole of the South Island. The technological support is stunning and the speed at which Police can respond to any incident all over the South Island  reminded me a little bit of an air traffic control centre with people juggling and prioritising all of the activity and response that was occurring across the South Island – most impressive. We also had a look at the Station as a whole which is a pretty good temporary home for the Police until they get back into the Justice Precinct.

We then visited a home for children and young adults who are being looked after by the State. I had a very interesting discussion with a young man who is part of the Canterbury Youth Development Program and really appreciates the value it is creating for him. It has had a serious and positive impact on his life. No sooner had we left that residential address than we responded to a serious car accident in the University Precinct.  A high speed trip across town to ensure that we were on site to see the driver who had done a “runner” being apprehended and his fellow passengers, one of whom was the owner being cross examined.  The accident involved four cars and there was definitely alcohol involved. 

Cruising around the city after that we responded with urgency to a stabbing on the east side of town. This was a serious incident involving a large turnout of Police and the alleged suspect was apprehended with the stab victim being taken to hospital by the excellent St John people. It was a messy and potentially explosive situation which was extremely well handled by the Police. While that incident was being attended to there was a further emergency call to an alleged threatening drive-by on the east side of the city. We attempted to find the car involved but then left that job to return to the other side of town. There were several incidences in Manchester Street involving prostitutes misbehaviour and accessing vacant buildings, which once again the Police responded to positively and quickly. 

While travelling from place to place we did some 'stop and check' on vehicles that may have been non-road worthy, or drivers that evoked suspicion. This was all handled in a highly professional way. All in all an exciting night in the city and a very, very vivid experience of the challenges faced by a tireless Police Force.  For me it was a real lesson in the impact of alcohol in our city at night. The only incident we attended that did not directly involve alcohol  was the visit to the young peoples’ home. While we were attending our various incidents the Police were being called to other activity right across the city mainly involving drugs, alcohol and on several occasions apparent mental illness. Our society is definitely troubled by excessive drinking. It was no surprise to the Police that it was yet another night fuelled by alcoholic violence and accidents driven by excessive alcoholic consumption.

This is more than a problem for our hospitality industry. It is a problem with our culture, and in particular parts of our culture, and various sub-sets of our community that seem to be intent on fuelling themselves into oblivion with alcohol and then getting involved in situations which are threatening and violent. This results in their being unable to back down and ending up being arrested or at least managed by Police. As a society we have some lessons to learn.

petert@cecc.org.nz

www.cecc.org.nz