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| Mona Vale belongs to the people of Christchurch |
Keep Our Assets Canterbury (KOA)
welcomes Friday's announcement that the Christchurch City Council has forced
its lessee, Continental Catering, to reopen the Mona Vale homestead and cafe to
the public, having closed both to all but private function guests since
October.
This was an effective privatisation
of a Christchurch City Council public asset.
KOA is as concerned about our
heritage public assets as we are about assets such as Council rental housing,
City Care, Enable, Orion, the port and airport companies.
I'm
old enough to remember the monumental public fundraising drive half a century
ago to buy Mona Vale for the people of Christchurch.
It
is a beautiful place that I, along with countless others, have regularly
visited and enjoyed in the decades since.
And
it was Christchurch ratepayers who paid millions for the post-quakes repair and
truly wonderful restoration of the homestead.
That
was not done for the exclusive money-making benefit of one private company.
But
the reopening comes with restricted hours and access and with a very begrudging
attitude from the lessee.
The
Council needs to re-tender the lease for Mona Vale and specify that the new
lessee is obliged to keep the Homestead open for the public.
After
all, it belongs to the people of Christchurch, who have paid for it several
times over.
Murray Horton
Convenor
