Forum aims to set objectives for Chch

Press, 11 April 1989, Page 9

Forum aims to set objectives for Chch

A public forum in June will aim to set clear objectives for the future of Christchurch, according to the chairman of “Going for Goals,” Mr Alan Shadwell.

Mr Shadwell has just been named chairman of the Going for Goals group that evolved from the Christchurch Promotion Working Party, set up last year to foster Christchurch’s economic success.

Public support for the group’s two-day Queen’s Birthday forum was growing, Mr Shadwell said yesterday. “Given the economic circumstances Christchurch is in, and New Zealand as a whole, we have got to find a way out of our woes.

“It is timely to identify goals and objectives and to work towards them,” he said.

Further public meetings leading up to the June forum were aimed at gaining maximum public involvement.

Mr Shadwell said taskforces would be formed at the forum, with interested parties discussing subjects ranging from city redevelopment to human resources and business opportunities. The objective was to identify achievable goals. Its success would hinge on a communal effort not seen before in Christchurch, Mr Shadwell said.

“We have focused on the future before but there has never before been a co-ordinated plan involving a cross-section of the community putting ideas into action.” The plan based on a community experiment that turned the local economy around in Memphis, Tennessee, is not seen as -a short-term solution to Christchurch’s problems. Mr Shadwell acknowledges it may take five years to achieve some of the goals. “It is my hope that we will get the support of citizens all around Christchurch who are prepared to work towards these goals.” Mr Shadwell, chairman of the Lyttelton Port Company, Ltd, is a former managing director of Mair Astley, one of New Zealand’s major primary produce exporters. He is vice-president of the Manufacturers’ Association and a past president of the Canterbury association.