Lower satisfaction rates with the council in Hornby begs the question, has this community received less attention than others in Christchurch?
This comes after the latest Christchurch City Council Residents Survey results, showing that the Hornby Ward is the least satisfied with the council overall. Members in the community believe their needs have not been heard over the years, with the council taking long lengths of time to fix any issues they voice.
“We seem to be at the lowest scale of the table when it comes to park upgrades, commercial concerns and roading priorities,” one resident told Metro News.
“For a long time Hornby has been left behind, yes we do have the centre opening but that was a long time coming," said another.
Residents say that the infrastructure in Hornby is old and in need of updates, along with many roading issues that need to be fixed. Many also believe that the council is pouring money into things that aren't necessary, such as cycle lanes.
Wealthier suburbs don't seem to have this issue with Fendalton residents saying that any issue they have is fixed shortly after presenting it.
“It's easy, if anyone has any problems, usually one of our neighbours just goes to the council and it's sorted.
“It's fair to say Fendalton has received more attention from the council over the years.”
Hornby Councilor Mark Peters said he would like to see more attention given to the area.
“I understand why people in Hornby feel dissatisfied as they've had to put up with less than ideal infrastructure in the area, having to wait lengthy periods for things.
"We would certainly like more.”
Peters said there had been a lot of requests inside the council for Hornby to become more recognised and to try and catch up on the lack of focus over the years. He believes that community groups, such as the Greater Hornby Residents Association, are getting more attention and are highly respected in the council.
The opening of the Matatiki Centre in the community in mid-April is something that residents hope is a step in the right direction to getting Hornby more recognition, with hopes from the community this will help the council recognise more of the needs in the area.