More pressure on ECan for bus services in Aranui, where 1 in 3 ‘have no transport’

Thursday, 27 February 2025

Some old bus stops still exist on Aranui’s Hampshire St, which runs through the middle of the community. But no buses come through any more.

Aranui residents have piled more pressure on Environment Canterbury (ECan) to return bus services to their neighbourhood.

A petition with about 600 signatures was presented to councillors on Wednesday. They were collected by 75-year-old Pam Williams, who said she would have got more if she was younger.

She was supported by a phalanx of wāhine Māori, including her daughter Koha Williams (Ngāpuhi), her granddaughter Natalya Miracle (Ngāi Tahu) and Rachael Fonotia, manager of the Aranui Community Trust.

Williams relies on family, friends, taxis and her local MP to get around.

People needed buses to get to the hospital, malls and movies, Williams said. Grandparents were reluctant to send their mokopuna (grandchildren) to distant bus stops.

Aranui had regular bus services before the earthquakes but they were withdrawn afterwards.

There are bus services on Wainoni and Pages roads but the community needed buses on Hampshire St, which runs through the middle of the community, Williams said. Some of the old bus stops still existed.

A man and his child drive on a remote control car on Hampshire St in Aranui, where there are no bus options.

The situation became acute for Williams when her driver's licence was taken away on medical grounds.

She now relied on family, friends and taxis to get around.

Pam Williams, left, her granddaughter Natalya and her daughter Koha are fighting to bring buses back through Aranui.

Councillors were quick to display their Aranui street cred. Chairperson Craig Pauling said he was a “proud Aranui person” who graduated from Aranui High School.

Greg Byrne said his family moved into Aranui after World War I and his 95-year-old mother still lived there.

Reuben Davidson, Labour’s Christchurch East Member of Parliament, hopes for a trial bus sooner rather than later.

Both expressed support for an Aranui service, as did Joe Davies and David East, the ECan councillors for the Christchurch northeast constituency.

It was pointed out that better bus services were also needed in Bexley, North Beach and elsewhere.

Hampshire St in Aranui, where there are no bus options.

Reuben Davidson, the Labour MP for Christchurch East, said he was “Pam's bus driver” on Wednesday.

“It falls to the local MP to make sure that Pam can be picked up from her home and bought here to state her case to the regional council,” he said.

He called for ECan to run a trial bus service through Aranui “sooner rather than later”.

About “35% of people in Aranui have no transport”, Fonotia, the community organiser, said. “It’s very much a walking community.

“People are connected inside the community, but we believe they can be better connected to services outside the community.”

A review of the bus network was due, Pauling said.

“That is coming. It's not on our plate right now … but we hear you.”

Signatures would continue to be collected.