"Eastern Visions" To Be Launched At Spring River Festival in Christchurch

Giving the East a voice.

That’s the aim of a new web-based service enabling residents to share their vision for the east of Christchurch.

Rebuild Christchurch has teamed up with the Avon-Ōtakaro Network to make “Eastern Visions” a community developed and led initiative a reality, and it will be launched at this weekend’s inaugural Spring River Festival.

Deon Swiggs of Rebuild Christchurch says the project was inspired by the CCC Share an Idea campaign which allowed people to express what they wanted to see in a new CBD.

“Teaming up and working with the Avon-Ōtakaro Network has added an important depth of effective community engagement which will allow the residents to have an voice on a trusted web portal. This will allow residents to promote their own ideas about the future of their own community,” he says.

As well as posting their ideas on line, Spring River Festival stalls will be set up along the river in the eastern suburbs this weekend and people are invited to share their ideas by jotting them down.

“Every contribution will be entered into a central database and the results analysed and published. This is an open database and there will be free access to the raw data and analyses, and we will be working with the recovery authorities such as CERA and the CCC to show what people are seeking in their own communities” says Swiggs.

Evan Smith, Co-Chair of Avon-Ōtakaro Network which is promoting the festival, says anyone can contribute their ideas and visions for a specific suburb, the Avon River residential red zone or for the east as a whole.

“The festival is a fantastic opportunity for everyone to celebrate spring on and along the eastern waterways of Christchurch,” he says.

The Eastern Visions idea will stay on RebuildChristchurch.co.nz and is loaded in such a way that people can view information that is suburb specific.

At the completion of the Spring River Festival, the concept will be applied to all Christchurch suburbs so residents can share ideas and visions for their own neighbourhoods and communities.

ENDS

For further information please contact Deon Swiggs 0275794447 or deon@rebuildchristchurch.co.nz