Ethan Richardson
For Timaru council
I’m Ethan, a 23-year old worker looking to bring real action on the big issues to the council table this year. I’m active in our community and I’ve fought for quicker action on the Theatre Royal and our CBD over the past 2 years.
I was born and raised in Timaru, this town made me who I am, but too many young and working people I speak to can't see a future for themselves here. They see a future with few opportunities, more expensive housing and a dying CBD. We can do better than that future, we can build a future where jobs are plentiful, houses are affordable and our community is vibrant.
I’m standing because to build that future we need new councillors with fresh ideas who want to see bold action. Because we’ve seen over the past 3 years that many councillors would rather delay projects than make decisions. I’ll bring those fresh ideas and bold action to the council table to build a better future for Timaru.
Why I’m Standing
My Focus
creating a Vibrant CBD
Creating a better future for Timaru starts at its heart, the city centre. That’s why my focus as councillor will be creating a truly vibrant CBD with full storefronts and urban residential living.
To do this I'll support building on our investments like the heritage hub and the Strathallen corner upgrade, making the CBD a people friendly place where people want To go.
I'll make it easier for businesses to get things done and navigate bureaucracy, at the moment businesses are spending months trying to get easy wins like outdoor seating over the line. We can make it easier for the businesses trying to make this community better.
We've also made it too difficult to create homes and rental units in the CBD. I'll look at how the council can work with investors to build housing in the CBD, and how to ease unnecessary rules so we can retrofit more buildings into housing.
Our City Centre may be struggling, but I truly believe it can continue to be the heart of Timaru with the right investment and help.
Keeping Housing Affordable
We've taken affordable house prices for granted for too long in Timaru. Over the past few years we've seen rents jump 8% a year and house prices just keep rising. Housing is the biggest everyday cost for most people, and I believe the council can do more to keep it affordable.
We can keep the cost of building a home down by easing unnecessary planning restrictions, like height restrictions in the CBD, mandating lawn sizes and allowing townhouses to be built in more places.
I’ll also work to get more homes built in Timaru by making it easier for local investors to get started and focus on partnering with existing developers to build denser housing.
One of our best assets as a district is our affordable housing, I’ll work to make sure it stays that way.
Get In Touch
Community is at the core of this campaign, so I'd love to hear from anyone and everyone. Let me know what questions you have for me and I'll get back to you!