Editorial: A Victory that we can all share in

OPINION: The inaugural Community of the Year Award to Victory is special. It is also well deserved. The entire Victory Square area has benefited from the presence of some special people whose vision, energy and passion have created a transformative force that has galvanised just about the whole community.

A healthier Victory can only be positive for the wider region.

Much has been made of the suburb's old reputation as the "poor" part of town. The reality is that a low-wage region needs lower price housing areas, for renting as well as purchase.

Victory has for some years provided a valuable first step on the real estate ladder for Nelson people as well as those shifting here from other provinces where cheaper housing is the norm. It has also become a supportive dormitory for refugees from other countries displaced by political and social upheaval. This has contributed to a vibrant and colourful "United Nations" feel that has also helped to transform the "energy" there.

At the heart of the revival is Victory Primary School and its visionary principal Mark Brown. A key focus of his 15 years at the helm has been to ensure the school is viewed as the heart of the community: not just for pupils and their parents, but for anyone who lives nearby. The community centre, located on the school grounds but offering a huge range of courses, health and social services, is part of this, as is the way a variety of cultures and needs have been catered for.

Others who helped provide the early drive for change in the area include centre manager Kindra Douglas, former Victory policeman John O'Donovan (both of whom have won Nelson Mail Nelsonian of the Year awards) and the late Briar Maaroufi, who fought long and hard for community health facilities. Many others have contributed, and of course the award is more about the transformative efforts of an entire community than the persuasive powers of a handful of leaders.

In a feature in the Mail last Saturday, Ms Douglas described the Environment Court finding against plans to build a major road, the "southern link", through the centre of Victory as a "watershed" for the community. She's right; it was. To the link's opponents, the decision was a validation of Victory as a viable part of Nelson in its own right – no longer a dumping ground for Nelson's prejudices, but as important as any other suburb.

The award this week gives national recognition to Victory. However, as MP Nick Smith points out, this does not necessarily mean a road will not one day link Whakatu and Queen Elizabeth II Drives, via Victory and the Railway Reserve. Despite the court's decision six years ago and the inaugural Community of the Year Award, despite all of the efforts that have gone into the community over the past decade or so, a road there remains the logical answer to Nelson's current and growing transport needs. Many communities around the country have major roads bisecting them in order to serve the needs of the wider community. Victory is special. So too is the wider region. Dr Smith's comments remind us that the battle over the road is not finished yet.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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Minty   #1   06:18 pm Feb 08 2010

Given that Nelson prides itself on its eco-friendly, progressive and forward-thinking image, the Nelson Mail's continued support of the proposed "Southern Link" motorway seems especially backwards and, frankly, cringeworthy.

Inner-city bypasses and motorway extensions have proven again and again to be counter-productive in terms of improving both traffic flow and quality of life. They don't remove bottlenecks, they simply move them.

Instead of continuing with the unsustainable and discredited policy of building more roads so that commuters can pour - one person to a car - into Nelson everyday from further and further distances, local and national leaders in Nelson should look towards seriously promoting car pooling, public transport, park and ride schemes and cycling.

Nelson already has one of - if not the - highest proportions of bicycle commuters in the country. The Nelson City Council and others are working to increase this proportion even further, and this is where the Nelson Mail should be doing its cheerleading, rather than waving the flag for the anachronistic scar on the landscape that any "Southern Link" would be.

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