Keep the lights on
Sumner residents have given their verdict on the issue of the Cave Rock mast.
They say the status quo should remain: Keep the lights on every night from dusk until 11pm, except for when a request is made for them to be turned off and during Matariki.
It comes as the Waihoro Spreydon-Cashmere-Heathcote Community Board is seeking public feedback after some people in the community raised concerns over the brightness, configuration and frequency of the lights.
Some residents have also taken issue with the mast shape having religious connotations.
The solar powered lights were installed in 2021, after lobbying from the Sumner Redcliffs Historical Society and the Sumner Community Residents' Association.
The board is inviting feedback on how the lighting should be managed, including the daily operating hours and how often the mast should be lit.
Deputy chair Keir Leslie told The Press the board 'inherited' the lighting problem.
When the previous board signed a deed of accessibility with the Breakfree Foundation in November 2020, it stipulated that the foundation was solely responsible for operation, maintenance, and repair of the lights.
Leslie said a 'change of language' in the deed meant the foundation could have the lights on every night, as opposed to just on holidays like Christmas and Easter.
'This is an opportunity to have a conversation with the community that possibly didn't happen at the time of the change.'
Bay Harbour News spoke to residents to get their views.
Sebastian Koburg
'It doesn't bother me at all. I think it's a good thing that the rock is illuminated. I don't really mind if it looks like a cross, it's a free country.'
Gordon Minns
'It's 160-years-old. It's part of Sumner's history, given it was used 160-years-ago, it should get to stay. I have no problem with it whatsoever, my wife and I love looking at it from our house and, if we've been away for a while, it reminds us we're home.'
Shellie Pounsford
'I think it should stay, I'm a Christian and personally I like it. If it bothers people they need to find a different way of looking at it.'
Kate Livingston
'I don't feel very strongly about it. I suppose it is a bit imposing of Christian beliefs on to people.'
Pam Sundstrum
'I like the cross and I'd hate to see it go. Anti-Christian people don't like it and I say too bad. The locals put a lot of work into it, it's been there for a long time, it would be a shame to see it go. I think the minority get too much say.'
Lis Bennett
'The first time I came to Sumner I had to ask my partner if it was a religious cross, so if you want it to have religious meaning it has religious meaning. I've never been faulted by it, as long as it doesn't effect wildlife it's fine.'
Ivana Aisen
'It doesn't offend me. I guess I would ask why that religion, and not any other? But Christianity is the most popular so it makes sense. I don't live super close to the lights so it doesn't bother me.'
Bobbie Jones
'I don't look at as a religious symbol and the lights make it a cool beacon for when I'm driving back. It symbolises that I'm coming home, I don't understand why people are upset.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Otago Daily Times
5 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Knitting circles helping to warm up cold children
In 2000, Taupo knitter Liz Clarke started Operation Cover Up in response to news reports of children in an Eastern European orphanage suffering in wintertime because of poor quality bedding and the lack of suitable cold weather clothes. She used local media to ask knitters to knit blankets, hoping to donate one blanket per child living in that Moldavian orphanage. The following year, Kaiapoi resident Maureen Braun took up the challenge and called on her friends and associates in the knitting circles she was involved with, to do what they could to help Liz and Operation Cover Up. Now 25 years later Maureen says it has been a wonderful experience being involved with this nation-wide project. ''In the quarter of a century Operation Cover Up has been in existence, they have shipped over 165,000 blankets and half a million knitted garments to the poor and needy in Eastern Europe. That's a wonderful undertaking and one I am proud to have been part of,'' she says. Maureen started sending Operation Cover Up four wool bales full of knitted blankets and clothes from North Canterbury, which joined the others from throughout the country shipped from New Zealand to Europe under the banner of Mission Without Borders, an international Christian organisation delivering humanitarian aid to marginalised communities in Eastern Europe. Now Maureen says around 36 bales of knitted products are shipped annually from the upper South Island to join the bales supplied by the rest of the country. She says the focus has shifted to helping those in war torn Ukraine, but the knitters still support poor families in five other eastern European countries, as most of the children's homes / orphanages have closed. Today, over 90 co-ordinators living all over the country work with small groups of knitters in towns and cities producing blankets, hats, clothes and toys for children in need. Maureen says it is amazing the response she has received from knitting groups here. ''They can be as small as a couple of friends to big community groups - all are keen to help. It just seemed to happen organically through word of mouth and media articles.'' She and fellow member, Anne Murchison, say they have met many wonderful people over the years and are now working towards their June collection date, when they start bailing up all the knitted products in wool bales to be shipped to Europe in July. Anne has been involved for three years and says she has been encouraged by the generosity of people in the North Canterbury communities. ''One of the knitting groups started is at the Kaiapoi Library on Friday afternoons, from 1pm to 3pm. We would welcome anyone interested in coming along. It's a very social group and we have a lot of fun as we knit,' she says. Another is a group of only 20 knitters from the Kaiapoi Cooperating Parish, who have ''lovingly crafted 93 blankets and more than 150 jerseys'', plus dozens of other knitted articles in the past year. ''Being part of a group of knitters is great for social interaction, it gets people out of their houses and improves mental health,'' says Anne. For more information about Operation Cover Up contact Maureen on 021 036 5420.
NZ Herald
a day ago
- NZ Herald
Puanga Matariki festivities a time for joy, remembrance and peace
Puanga Matariki has developed into a major festival in our District, featuring events held by community groups, marae, clubs, libraries, and many others spread over the months of June and July. Last week was the official start of the Puanga Matariki festivities, when the rising of the Matariki star cluster signals the end of one year and the dawn of a new year. This celebration is about remembering the past, celebrating today, and looking forward to tomorrow.
Scoop
4 days ago
- Scoop
Punarua Exhibition Arrives At Taupō Museum
Press Release – Taupo District Council Punarua offers a moment of celebration and reflection during Matariki. The exhibition shares not just the piupiu, but the journey to create it, with an accompanying documentary that takes viewers behind the scenes, from the first threads to its international … Punarua: Weaving work honours legacy of Tūwharetoa knowledge holders Taupō Museum is set to unveil Punarua, possibly the largest piupiu ever created, in its Aotearoa debut following a standout international premiere at the prestigious 2024 Biennale of Sydney. Commissioned especially for the Biennale, Punarua was designed and led by Hone Bailey, a member of the local weaving collective Te Whā ā Huna, which also includes Paehoro Konui, Meraania Heke Chase-Perich, and Manu Fox. The piece pays tribute to the late Koro Te Kanawa Pitiroi, a respected leader of Ngāti Tūwharetoa and tireless advocate for the preservation of iwi knowledge. Hone Bailey, recognised online for sharing insights into te ao Māori with a large and loyal following, is an integral part of Te Whā ā Huna. Punarua is very much the work of the collective, whose artistry and cultural depth shaped the taonga from its base in Tokaanu, a place known for its geothermal beauty and celestial connections, reflected in the names of its streets. The work draws inspiration from the ancestral narrative of Māui-takitaki-i-te-rā and was created using traditional weaving techniques passed down through generations. This project is not only a celebration of intergenerational storytelling but a labour of love and legacy by weavers deeply connected to the whenua. 'This taonga is a living piece,' says museum curator Piata Winitana-Murray. 'By exhibiting Punarua during Matariki and then long term in the Tūwharetoa Gallery, we honour the fact that these traditions are still very much alive – practiced, celebrated, and shared with whānau and the community.' Punarua offers a moment of celebration and reflection during Matariki. The exhibition shares not just the piupiu, but the journey to create it, with an accompanying documentary that takes viewers behind the scenes, from the first threads to its international debut. Punarua will first be exhibited in the art gallery before moving to the Tūwharetoa Gallery on long-term loan at Taupō Museum for two years. This placement reflects the wishes of the weavers to share it publicly with their whānau and community, and to remind visitors that taonga within museums are not only relics of the past, but part of ongoing traditions. Punarua opens at Taupō Museum on Saturday, June 7. There will also be an opportunity to hear all four artists discuss the creation of this unique and significant piece at 10.30am that same day. The museum is open from 10am to 4.30pm daily, with free entry for local residents. This Matariki, come and witness a taonga woven from ancestral wisdom and community pride.
