Following Protest:
Cantabrians Unite Website Launch

Release Website Version

Peter Lynch and Hugh Pavletich
CANTABRIANS UNITE
Christchurch
New Zealand

14 February 2012

The Christchurch Peoples Protest noon Wednesday 1 February attended by some 4000 citizens, was a resounding success.

For many, this was the first time they had attended a protest in their lives.

This protest was “triggered” following the announcement of its decision mid December 2011 by the Christchurch City Council, that its Chief Executive was awarded a 14.4% pay rise amounting to $68,000 backdated to mid year – boosting his annual pay to $530,000.

The public reaction was one of stunned shock and disbelief.

A local resident Peter Lynch was so incensed, he immediately got underway a No Pay Rise For Tony Marryatt on Facebook and publicly announced that a protest was scheduled for 1 February.

Following this hugely successful protest, Peter Lynch and Hugh Pavletich, have taken the initiative to set up the Cantabrians Unite website, as a “place” for citizens to progress these issues further.

It is envisaged that Cantabrians Unite will rapidly arrange a more formal structure and put in place small Task Groups of those with specialist skills and community involvement. Suggestions are encouraged and further announcements will be made in a week or two.

With the exhaustive public conversation of the issues these past near 18 months, led by the South Islands leading morning daily newspaper The Press , with other diligent media both locally and nationally, the public is well aware the issues with respect to the Council.

The Council issues are much wider and deeper than the Marryatt pay rise issue.

The Council problems are in essence a sad story of a bureaucracy out of control, that has corrupted and seriously damaged the social, political and commercial fabric of the City.

The citizens of Christchurch have finally said – “Enough is Enough”.

The Cantabrians Unite website is another step in this process and has four key Objectives –

A FRESH MID TERM COUNCIL ELECTION

REPLACE THE COUNCIL CHIEF EXECUTIVE

ABOLISH COUNCIL CENTRALIZED
STRUCTURES AND REPLACE WITH
A
ONE CITY - MANY COMMUNITIES
MODEL

PROVIDE AFFORDABLE LAND
FOR
HOUSING AND BUSINESS

Cantabrians Unite is non partisan and sees no place for “Party politics” within the Local Government arena.

“Cantabrians Unite is all about local people taking back control of their Council and communities, with a focus on getting in place the best solutions to the four key objectives” said Peter Lynch - co founder with Hugh Pavletich of the website.

Mr Lynch, a regional marketing executive, put aside the annual summer holiday break, to devote his time voluntarily, to facilitating the protest and communicating extensively with community groups and the media.

Hugh Pavletich who runs the archival website Performance Urban Planning and co authors the Annual Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey , is a local resident, retired commercial property development practitioner, former industry leader and international authority on Local Government and housing issues.

He said “There are two types of Local Government in this world – the small and the bad. Indeed – one only has to look across the boundary for the evidence. Through 2011 on a population basis, 5 and 6 times more new housing went in to Selwyn and Waimakariri Counties respectively than Christchurch”.

“In fact, the Christchurch new residential build rate is so woeful, it is below replacement levels in a normal market and way below what the recovery levels should be. Christchurch is being hollowed out”

Hugh Pavletich went on to say that the Christchurch City Council’s problems are “systemic” and that it is incapacitated with bureaucratic bloat.

Both Peter Lynch and Hugh Pavletich are hugely heartened by the overwhelming community support and concluded by saying “We are all in this together folks. We owe it to ourselves, and those who follow us, to get this City back on its feet again”.

ENDS

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