Nā Hora Kairangi Nicholas tēnei atikara

More than 15 years after the 2011 Christchurch earthquakes disrupted bus services through Aranui, a new route is reconnecting the community with key destinations across eastern Ōtautahi. Route 110, running between New Brighton and The Palms Shopping Centre via Aranui, began its 12-month trial on 31 August, following years of campaigning from residents who said the loss of public transport had made everyday travel harder for whānau, students and people without cars.

The service is being welcomed by residents who previously had to walk further to access other routes, with one saying kaumātua no longer have to walk “all the way down” to Pages road to catch the number 5, while another said they had been using the 110 every morning since it launched and after school.

“I live in Avondale just outside of Aranui, before I had to catch a bus to town and then go from there to Eastgate or to The Palms it would be a long journey” one resident said.

The return of the service follows a campaign led by Aranui resident Pam Williams, who had spent years calling for public transport to return to the centre of the community. Before the earthquakes, Williams regularly used the number 51 bus from her home into town, and while the service only ran once an hour, she said it provided an important connection for residents who could not drive. Williams said the route was eventually removed after concerns about the number of buses travelling along Brighton Road, but she believed there was still a strong need for it in Aranui.

“I know for a fact that it’ll be used and with the school here I know that it’ll be an asset for them.” Williams says.

The campaign gathered more than 800 signatures in support of restoring public transport to central Aranui, with over 600 presented to Environment Canterbury councillors and a further 200 collected afterwards. Williams said the push was not simply about providing transport for older people, but about giving the wider community greater independence and access to the places they needed to get to, particularly in an area where many whānau do not have a car.

“I think they deserve it, there are about 5000 in this community,” Williams said.

Williams’ campaign became a strong demonstration of the demand for the route, with Reuben Davidson, MP for Christchurch East, saying she went door-to-door to build support and show decision-makers how important the service was to residents.

“That’s a huge message from this community that they want and need this bus back … there was a really clear understanding around that table of how important this was, and that’s why the Regional Council gave it unanimous support,” Davidson said.

With the 110 now running every hour between New Brighton and The Palms as part of its 12-month trial, Environment Canterbury is encouraging people across eastern Ōtautahi to make use of the service. Patronage will be one of the key measures used to determine whether the route has a long-term future.

“For those who live in the East, please make the most of this service. How well it’s used during the trial is one of the key measures we’ll use to decide the long-term future of the service,” councillor Ashley Campbell said.

Former bus driver and supervisor Karen Wright (Te Whakatōhea) has also supported the campaign and welcomed the return of the service. She said that although the community had worked hard to get the route back, the work isn’t over.

“I’m pretty sure we’ll be able to make this work” Wright said.

“We need everyone on board! Going to Pak’nsave? Jump on the bus, they’ve made it very easy for us, bus cards are free all you have to do is top them up so it’s fantastic”

The Route 110 is operating every hour as part of its 12-month trial. With the service now back on the streets of Aranui, residents who spent years campaigning for its return have a chance to show how much the community can benefit from having a bus route running through its heart again.

 

Ka whakanui a Aranui i te hokinga mai o te waka tūmatanui

Neke atu i te 15 tau mai i ngā rū whenua o Ōtautahi i te tau 2011, kua hoki mai he ara pahi kia hono i te hapori o Aranui ki ngā wāhi matua puta noa i te rāwhiti o Ōtautahi. I tīmata te whakamātautau 12 marama mō te Ara 110 i te 31 o Here-turi-kōkā, e haere ana ki New Brighton me The Palms Shopping Centre mā Aranui, whai muri i ngā tau e tohe ana ngā kainoho mō tōna hokinga mai.

Kei te harikoa ngā kainoho i te hokinga mai o te pahi. Hei tā tētahi, kaore ngā kaumātua e hīkoi ana “all the way down” ki Pages Road ki te hopu i te nama 5, ā, i kī tētahi atu kua eke ia ki te 110 i ia ata mai anō i tana tīmatanga.

“I live in Avondale just outside of Aranui, before I had to catch a bus to town and then go from there to Eastgate or to The Palms it would be a long journey” hei tā tētahi o ngā kiritaki.

Ko te hokinga mai o te ratonga he hua nō tētahi petihana i ārahina e te kainoho o Aranui, e Pam Williams, kua roa e tohe ana kia whakahokia mai te waka tūmatanui ki te pokapū o te hapori. I mua i ngā rū whenua, he rite tonu tana eke i te pahi nama 51 mai i tōna kāinga ki te tāone, ā, ahakoa kotahi noa te pahi i ia hāora, hei tāna, he hononga whai hua tēnei mō ngā kainoho kāore e taea te taraiwa. E ai ki a Williams, i tangohia te ara whai muri i ngā āwangawanga mō te nui rawa o ngā pahi e haere ana i Brighton, engari i whakapono tonu ia he nui te hiahia mō taua ratonga i Aranui.

“I know for a fact that it’ll be used and with the school here I know that it’ll be an asset for them.” hei tā Williams.

Neke atu i te 800 ngā hainatanga i kohia e ia ki te tautoko i te whakahokinga mai, ā, neke atu i te 600 i tukuna ki ngā kaikaunihera o Te Kaunihera Taiao o Waitaha, ā, 200 anō i kohia i muri mai. Hei tā Williams, ehara tēnei kaupapa i te mea mō ngā kaumātua anake, engari mō te hapori, kia nui ake ai tō rātou mana motuhake me te āhei ki te haere ki ngā wāhi e hiahia ana rātou.

“I think they deserve it, there are about 5000 in this community,” hei tā Williams.

Nā te pakanga a Williams i tino kitea ai te hiahia o te hapori mō te ara nei. Hei tā Reuben Davidson, te MP mō Ōtautahi ki te Rawhiti, i haere a Williams mai i tētahi tatau ki tētahi atu tatau ki te kohi tautoko.

“That’s a huge message from this community that they want and need this bus back … there was a really clear understanding around that table of how important this was, and that’s why the Regional Council gave it unanimous support,” hei tā Davidson.

Nā te Ara 110 e haere ana i ia hāora hei wāhanga o tana whakamātautau 12 marama, kei te akiaki Te Kaunihera Taiao o Waitaha i ngā kainoho puta noa i te rāwhiti o Ōtautahi kia whakamahi i te ratonga. Ko te nui o te whakamahinga o te ara, tētahi o ngā paearu matua ki te whakatau mēnā ka haere tonu te ratonga whai muri i te whakamātautau.

“For those who live in the East, please make the most of this service. How well it’s used during the trial is one of the key measures we’ll use to decide the long-term future of the service,” hei tā te Kaikaunihera a Ashley Campbell.

Kua tautoko hoki te kaitaraiwa pahi, kaiwhakahaere hoki o mua, a Karen Wright (Te Whakatōhea), i te pakanga mō te whakahokinga mai o te ratonga, ā, e koa ana tōna ngākau i te hokinga mai. Hei tāna, ahakoa i whakapau kaha te hapori kia whakahokia mai te ara, kāore anō kia mutu te mahi.

“I’m pretty sure we’ll be able to make this work” hei tā Wright.

“We need everyone on board! Going to Pak’nsave? Jump on the bus, they’ve made it very easy for us, bus cards are free all you have to do is top them up so it’s fantastic”

Ka haere te pahi Ara 110 i ia hāora. Kua hoki mai te ratonga ki Aranui, ā, kua whai wā ngā kainoho i whakapau werawera mō tōna hokinga mai ki te whakaatu i ngā painga o te pahi ki tō rātou hapori.