Christchurch re-build and the ethnic population

EthnicA Conference Christchurch
When: Saturday 28 April 2012
Time: 9.00am - 4.30pm
Where: Peppers Clearwater Resort, Harewood, Christchurch

A visiting Australian expert in urban design will tell the Office of Ethnic Affairs’ EthnicA conference in Christchurch that cultural factors need to be taken into account in the rebuild of Christchurch for the city’s future success.

Richard Brecknock is an urban development and regeneration specialist who will be speaking at a session entitled “Intercultural Cities - culturally relevant urban design for the Christchurch Earthquake re-build.”

The session aims to provide an opportunity for ethnic people to discuss their views and ideas about Christchurch's regeneration.

Intercultural cities is a term used to discuss how the urban environment can affect how people get on with each other and ethnic interaction. Mixing across cultures in schools, public spaces, and cultural events has been shown to have the greatest impact when it starts young and can have a lifelong impact. In contrast, if separation is encouraged by a city’s design this can prompt areas of disadvantage, which can have serious repercussions for the economy and people’s wellbeing.

Mr Brecknock believes it is important that cultural development in the community is given a focus and he will share the tools he encourages planners and designers to use to achieve this.

Other speakers at the Intercultural cities session are Diana Turner, General Manager Strategy Planning and Policy at CERA and Shenuka de Sylva who’s a lecturer and the First Year Programme Director at the School of Architecture, University of Wellington.

A second international speaker at the conference is Peter Holbrook who will talk about the potential of social enterprise - that is, organisations that use a business model to generate profit that is used for a social purpose.

Mr Holbrook is the CEO of Social Enterprise UK and is passionate about communities creating change through innovation and believes social enterprise offers significant opportunities for organisations struggling in the new financial reality.

Another key session will discuss issues surrounding New Zealand’s immigration trend and the growth in Asian migrants over the past 25 years.

There will also be workshops led by experts on:

 Social enterprise
 International students
 Family violence, and
 Ethical dilemmas

ends