A4 NEWS Monday, August 11, 2014 THE PRESS, Christchurch Counselling Free yoga for cases drop Cera for police staff Joelle Dally [email protected] ●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●● ● Anna Pearson ● ●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●● ● HELP FOR POLICE Canterbury Earthquake Recovery The number of police employees Authority (Cera) staff enjoy free referred for trauma counselling Employees accessing trauma yoga courtesy of the taxpayer. across the country dropped off counselling The weekly yoga sessions are a steeply the year after Christchurch’s NATIONWIDE component of the authority’s February 22 earthquake. 2009 ...................................................... 723 ‘‘overall wellness programme’’, The quake that killed 182 people 2010........................................................557 which has cost Cera about $44,000 in the city in 2011 is attributed to a 2011..........................................................995 since it was established in 2011. sharp rise in police seeking 2012 ........................................................526 The yoga classes started in counselling or psychological assist- 2013 ....................................................... 580 February and cost Cera $60 a time ance that year. CANTERBURY for the instructor. Almost 1000 police staff accessed 2009 .........................................................82 Cera chief executive Roger Sut- help nationwide in 2011, as officers 2010.......................................................... 68 ton said it was money well responded from across the country’s 2011.......................................................... 233 spent. 12 policing districts, compared to 557 2012 ............................................................61 ‘‘By helping our staff manage the year before. 2013 ...........................................................110 issues like stress and fatigue, we In Canterbury, the number of Source: NZ Police are also providing the best possible people seeking help rose from 68 in leadership of the recovery. Often it 2010 to 233 in 2011. It also spiked in is the small things that can the Bay of Plenty, rising from 94 to a psychologist for a one-on-one make a real difference for people,’’ 143. assessment or debrief before Staying put: Kaiapoi red-zoner Brent Cairns, who rejected the Government buyout offer, wants his Cass St property excluded from discussions about future use of the he said. NZ Police figures, provided under [returning] to duties,’’ Duncan said. written-off land. Photo: STACY SQUIRES/FAIRFAX NZ ‘‘I haven’t attended one of these the Official Information Act, show ‘‘[NZ Police] also provides regular sessions myself, but I know some referrals dropped to pre-quake levels three-monthly welfare checks for staff find it does make a positive in 2012 and last year. staff who work in high-risk areas difference for them. We don’t keep NZ Police wellness and safety such as child protection and adult Red zoner refusing to surrender numbers, but it is usually very manager Stu Duncan said sexual assault.’’ popular.’’ counselling referrals were offered to Staff can access help for non Marc Greenhill Government offer to buy their sory acquisition of the remaining we respect their position.’’ Cera’s wellness initiatives, [email protected] staff involved in traumatic incidents work-related problems such as per- ● ●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●● ● land, said Cera should revisit the red-zone land. Waimakariri Mayor David which also include access to influ- such as fatal road crashes and natu- sonal and relationship issues plans made to remediate and The Government risked Ayers said essential services to enza vaccinations and annual ral disasters. through EAP Services – one of the Brent Cairns wants to put the kai repopulate Kaiapoi before the red- breaching human rights legis- remaining residents were still health checks, had cost $44,316, or While initial referrals to the ser- country’s longest-running employee back into Kaiapoi. zone policy was decided in June lation, Cairns said. being provided. It was not just a $14,772 a year on average, Sutton vice were mandatory, in most cases assistance providers. The North Canterbury red- 2011. ‘‘[Brownlee] is getting the com- question of how much but over said. employees could ‘‘choose to opt out if EAP Services professional zoner is keen to see the area’s The rest of the land could be munity to decide what is going to what period. ‘‘Based on current staff they do not wish to participate’’, services manager Greg Ford, a for- abandoned land turned into a food used for a food forest and sculp- happen to our privately owned Many of the ideas were for numbers, this averages out to Duncan said. mer police psychologist, helped forest but reiterated his vow to ture garden, which he was happy property. I believe that is in ‘‘passive recreation’’, such as about $45 per employee per year. I A one-on-one meeting with a psy- implement NZ Police’s trauma pol- fight any moves to force him off to be the caretaker of. breach of our rights.’’ market gardens and bike tracks, think this is a very reasonable chologist was non-negotiable under icy in the 1990s. his property. It would ‘‘put the kai back into Sutton said discussions about which was unlikely to be ‘‘too amount of spending in the circum- NZ Police’s trauma policy in a few ‘‘There was quite a bit of resist- The Canterbury Earthquake Kaiapoi’’. possible use of occupied red-zone expensive or too hard’’, Ayers stances,’’ he said. instances, he said. These included ance from police officers who did not Recovery Authority (Cera) last Cairns this week wrote to Cera land were a ‘‘long way down the said. Cera considered what other the death of a colleague or member see the need [for it], but over time week launched Canvas, a public chief executive Roger Sutton and track’’. The Canvas campaign runs public service agencies and of the public in the course of duty, that has changed quite a bit,’’ Ford campaign to decide the future use Earthquake Recovery Minister ‘‘We need to work out what the until mid-September. private sector firms provided for discharge of a lethal weapon or said. EAP Services’ work was com- of the earthquake-damaged land Gerry Brownlee asking that the communities think the best future The public can contribute at staff. taser, and a vehicle accident plementary to NZ Police’s trauma in the region’s red zones, starting consultation campaign wording use is and then we need to have a www.canvasredzone.org.nz Some wellbeing initiatives were resulting in serious injury or death. counselling referral service because in Waimakariri. be changed to say the future conversation with those other A mobile container will be in fully funded by Cera, some were ‘‘Employees involved in these staff ‘‘not picked up by the trauma Cairns, who is among a group Crown-owned land only would be people,’’ he said. ‘‘At the moment, place on the corner of Charles and subsidised, and some were offered critical incidents must be referred policy’’ might end up struggling a of more than 170 Canterbury red- considered. there are no plans to compulsorily Williams streets in Kaiapoi for at a cost to the employee, Sutton through the district welfare officer to year or so down the track, he said. zone ‘‘stayers’’ who rejected the Cera has not ruled out compul- acquire any of those houses and the next few weeks. said. New piggy bank conveys council’s commitment to cost cutting Lois Cairns The pig did not go unnoticed by engaging in wide-ranging to postpone her scheduled trip to [email protected] ●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●● ● the council’s chief financial officer consultation with the public about China. Peter Gudsell. what it should be focusing on and Dalziel was due to visit Wuhan A silver piggy bank is a new ‘‘Raf chasing donations?’’ he where it should be spending its and Gansu in September to drum feature of the Christchurch City queried as he walked into the money. up business for Christchurch and Council’s finance committee room and spotted it perched on the Over the next few months, it to mark the 30th anniversary of meetings. table. ‘‘Pass it around the gallery.’’ will start putting together a long- relations between Canterbury and The pig was brought to the It was a light-hearted interlude term plan that will essentially Gansu, but she has decided there is meeting by council finance but the symbolism was clear: The shape the work programme for the so much happening on the home committee chairman Raf Manji, council needs to save its pennies – next 10 years. front that she cannot commit to who rattled it in the direction of and it needs to start doing it now. The plan is big picture stuff that being out of the country for the the media bench, questioning Council chief executive Dr will set a vision for post- time required for the visit. whether we had brought our Karleen Edwards has been set the earthquake Christchurch and She has put the trip off to next wallets, before ceremoniously task of cutting a minimum of 2 per outline the steps the council needs year. placing it on the meeting table. cent from the council’s operating to take to achieve that vision. It It is a wise and politically ‘‘We’re taking this seriously,’’ budget for each of the next three will involve some big decisions expedient decision. On September he said, in reference to the nearly years, so we can expect to see any around funding and, potentially, 4, the council is due to begin CITY HALL $900 million funding gap the unnecessary expenditure axed. asset sales. consulting the public about how it Chasing the pennies: Councillor Andrew Turner, Mayor Lianne Dalziel and finance council is facing over the next few As part of its belt-tightening It is critical work, which is why can raise the extra capital it needs committee chairman Councillor Raf Manji speak to the media about the state of years. exercise the council will be Mayor Lianne Dalziel has decided to plug its funding shortfall.