Shirley Centre Positives – 10 Shirley Road

Shirley Community Reserve: Positives to Participation

1. Shirley Community Facility Feasibility Study (2019)
2. Christchurch City Council Equity and Inclusion Policy
3. Shirley Centre/Shirley Community Reserve Redevelopment Ideas
4. Other relevant Blog Posts

1. Shirley Community Facility Feasibility Study (2019)
https://www.10shirleyroad.org.nz/shirley-community-facility-feasibility-study/
7.3 Community Needs Analysis for Richmond
– Lack of low cost, creative and fun activities for after-school and school holidays.
– Mental health needs (adults through to children identified as a gap).
– Need for improved playground facilities across Richmond targeting pre-schoolers and small children.
(Shirley Community Facility Feasibility Study, Page 22)
8. Need and Gap Assessment, Summary of Need
– With an aging population, it is important to also consider what has been lost that would be of value to older adults.
– Secular Bumping space (for casual interactions and cross-over between activities and areas) for adults like that provided in libraries.
– With increases in younger populations in some areas continued and increased provision could include:
School and pre-school age play, game and playground area space, linked in particular to young people population growth mainly in Shirley and Edgeware.
(Shirley Community Facility Feasibility Study, Page 24)
9. Discussion, Fit with Christchurch City Council Network Plan
Providing hubs and focal points are important network plan outcomes.
9. Discussion, Breaking out of the box
– They make the point that often open space becomes a location for community centres (of a single-use type) and not a multi-use type.
– The space at 10 Shirley Road is an ideal location to consider in this way…it has a rich history of provision of community services, firstly as a school then as a community facility.
– Its high visibility is particularly attractive to young people.
(Shirley Community Facility Feasibility Study, Page 26)
Potential Activity for the 10 Shirley Road Site
– With the provision of the correct infrastructure this site could be reborn as a new interpretation of a contemporary community centre.
(Shirley Community Facility Feasibility Study, Page 27)
11. Ownership, Governance and Management Review, Governance and Trusts as vehicles to drive Community Outcomes
– One key issue is how to gain a level of co-ordination of efforts across these neighbourhoods.
– Each Trust and its umbrella collectives in the area has a limited reach that naturally extends to the boundary of the neighbourhood they serve…
(Shirley Community Facility Feasibility Study, Page 31)
Table 9. Governance options toward increased activation of 10 Shirley Road
Option ‘Support an existing Trust’, Negatives of approach:
– Unfavourable treatment of one Trust over others
– Not one Trust that spans these two neighbourhoods
– Would be either Church or Non-church aligned
– That trust would not necessarily hold the vision (Community Plan) for the whole area
Option ‘All comers’ Approach’, Positives of approach:
– Perceived as fair
– Council is not partisan
Option ‘All comers’ Approach’, Negatives of approach:
– Council will need to manage the community planning process on behalf of community groups
– Councils role does not cover Welfare, Crime, Social and Housing areas directly
(Shirley Community Facility Feasibility Study, Page 33)

2. Christchurch City Council Equity and Inclusion Policy
https://www.10shirleyroad.org/ccc-equity-and-inclusion-policy
“While school was a ‘safe’ place, any outings in the community felt like an obstacle course. With many barriers (known/unknown) to engagement/participation & concern over what would be the triggers in the environment today, that could/would create a sensory overload & lead to a meltdown/shutdown…
While out in the community, I feel like I’m ‘Secret Service for a VIP’ (very vigilant & observant of our surroundings) when I’m in ‘mum mode’, especially when my son was younger & I was just learning about sensory processing & what triggers him.
Outings to new places/events require preparation & become a research project: ‘The 5 W questions: Who, What, When, Why and Where’, interior/exterior photos, location, map route, car parking, costs involved, food options, what we need to take etc…During the outing, you are scanning the environment, making a mental memory map of layout/exits, tagging potential barriers/triggers, rerouting when required, answering questions, thinking of distraction tactics, exit strategies etc all the while trying to enjoy the outing, as you get live updates of sensory overload levels & whether a meltdown/shutdown is imminent…
When I wrote this post: https://www.10shirleyroad.org.nz/imagine/ & started advocating for a new Centre to be built, for me it was never about just building a replacement centre. After living in both Shirley & Richmond, I was very aware of the different groups of people living in these suburbs & what their needs were after observing in them in the school & community environments.
At the time, the school had families who spoke over 20 different languages & it made me realise how do you communicate/connect with someone who doesn’t speak or understand English very well?
What if we had a library with learning spaces across the road, easy instructions on how to get to it & computers with internet access, so we could use English translation websites to communicate/connect & give them the opportunity to attend ESOL programmes to help them improve their English skills, while their children were learning at school.
For those children like my neurodiverse child, where do they learn & have the opportunity to develop their social skills, outside of their school environment?
Where could their parents go to get the education/help/support they need to parent a neurodiverse child, before their child is diagnosed & afterwards?
I recently had a meeting with an AutismNZ Outreach Coordinator, I said ‘it shouldn’t be this hard to find/access resources to help you parent your child & support for the parent/caregiver.’ Most of the resources available are targeted at helping the child.
So where do you go as a parent/caregiver? I shared my vision for the Shirley Centre & she loved the idea ‘it would be so beneficial for so many families.'”
https://www.10shirleyroad.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CCCHaveYourSayDraftEquityandInclusion2023JoannaGould.pdf , Page 2

3. Shirley Centre/Shirley Community Reserve Redevelopment Ideas
Shirley Centre: Identity | Well-being | Learning
“You Are Here”: a place to be, in our communities.
https://www.10shirleyroad.org.nz/you-are-here-a-place-to-be/
Community Education & Support Services in Learning Libraries

https://www.10shirleyroad.org.nz/placemaking/
The building of a new Centre & redevelopment of the Shirley Community Reserve, could include the following:
1. ‘Suburban’ Library
2. Christchurch City Council Service Centre
3. Learning Spaces
4. Meeting Rooms
5. NZ/Genealogy Area
6. Internal Courtyard
7. Indoor/Outdoor Seating Options
8. Natives Garden (Dudley Creek)
9. Wellbeing Sensory Garden
10. Events/Market Space (Carpark)
11. Inclusive Accessible Playground
12. Basketball Court/Youth Area
13. Shirley Playcentre
14. StoryWalk
15. Dudley Creek Trail