Thursday May 28 2015 | Issue 651
Equestrian: Young riders win in Australia.
Water woes: Ire over Amberley’s water quality.
— page 17 19.
— page 4.
Real Estate: Nth Canterbury property sales. — page 30 35.
New families settle in Rangiora as the town’s population grows BY SHELLEY TOPP Rapid population growth has seen an influx of new families settling in Rangiora. The town’s population grew by 1550 in the two years between 2012 to 2014 and is expected to reach 20,000 by 2026. Meanwhile the Waimakariri District was home to 54,400 people in 2014, Statistics New Zealand figures show. Of those people, 16,450 lived in Rangiora, where 200 building consents were issued for new dwellings in 2014. Crisanna and Hugo Nel, and their two young sons, Blain, aged 3, and Acton, nearly 2, moved to Rangiora last September. They wanted to be closer to family and friends, and initially planned to move from Wellington to Christchurch. They chose Rangiora instead, because the housing market represented much better value. They also enjoy the close proximity of rivers and beaches, and the ‘‘beautiful weather’’. ‘‘It’s much better than Wellington,’’ Crisanna said. Initially Hugo, who is a master plumber, drainlayer and gasfitter, was uncertain about leaving the capital city because their business, Water Craft Plumbing, was doing well there. But they have not regretted their decision.
Family time . . . Crisanna and Hugo Nel with their two children, Acton, aged 1, and Blain, aged 3, moved to PHOTO: SHELLEY TOPP. Rangiora from Welllington last September. Crisanna, a teacher, is working part time at Ashgrove School, in Rangiora, and at the Oxford Area School, and Hugo is busy, with most of his work coming from the Waimakariri area. ‘‘We love living here, Crisanna said. Business numbers have also
increased 27 percent in Rangiora in the 10 years to 2014. However, Enterprise North Canterbury’s chief executive Heather Warwick said the last two years had been ‘‘real tough’’ for Rangiora’s retailers. ‘‘That has been because of the lower foot traffic due to
Farmers not being here,’’ she said. ‘‘Obviously some businesses have closed, but there are a lot coming too.’’ These included Farmers, which was expected to open again in August 2016, and the new PAK’nSAVE supermarket, opening later this year.
There was also a Joe’s Garage restaurant planned for Rangiora, and the completion of the new Conway Lane buildings later this year would provide more retail and office space for High Street. It is expected that the new developments will provide many jobs for Waimakariri people. ‘‘We want more people working locally so they are not on that road every day,’’ she said. ‘‘There are real positive signals. ‘‘It’s not just about what is happening in High Street, it’s also about what is happening in Southbrook.’’ The South Island’s largest catering company, Rangiora based Continental Caterers has moved a big part of its business from the Rangiora central business district to Kingsford Smith Drive. The company’s head office is now located there and a new cafe, the Kingsford Smith Kitchen, representing another large investment in the Rangiora business sector. Soda Cafe has also moved to Kingsford Smith Drive from Lehmans Road, near the Rangiora Racecourse. Go Wireless NZ Limited, a wholesale distributor of wireless internet products, is also based in Kingsford Smith Drive, and Amuri.Net, a broadband provider, is building a head office there.
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