Christchurch residents’ advocate and former journalist, Tony Simons is standing as an independent candidate for Riccarton in this year’s local body election, making him the first Ward candidate in the city to formally announce.

Simons, Chair of the Riccarton Bush-Kilmarnock Residents’ Association since 2016, is best known for helping organise widespread opposition to many aspects of city council Plan Change 14 (PC14), once described by former Mayor, Lianne Dalziel as a one-size-fits-all solution forced on the city by the government.

He was long-serving Head of the New Zealand Broadcasting School at Ara until 2022, and has since been advocating for residents’ groups over the city plan change.

In September 2022, Simons was a driving force when PC14 was controversially rejected by the city council. Christchurch became the only city in New Zealand refusing to notify its plan, prompting one councillor to describe it as “giving the proverbial finger to the government.”

“It was a brave and dramatic move,” said Simons. “It convinced me that residents’ voices make a difference. We helped shift attention back onto good city planning,” he said.

Later he formed a Combined Residents’ Association, made up of 25 residents’ groups across the city, which played a major part persuading the government to backtrack on its city-wide medium-density zoning plans.

“PC14 is now better for Christchurch. It’s not perfect by any means but we’ve stopped wholesale random densification,” said Simons.

“We also secured protection for Riccarton Bush and saved Matai Street West from high-density development,” he said.

Simons is married with three sons and six grandchildren. He worked around the country as a radio journalist for 17 years before joining the broadcasting school in 1996. He has lived most of his life in Christchurch and most of that time in Riccarton.

Simons also drives the Christchurch Trams a few days a week, a complete change from the work he did previously.

“I now get to work with great down-to-earth colleagues and promote Christchurch to people who are almost always happy and enjoying themselves,” he said.

Important local issues are something he intends to confirm during his campaign.

“I believe the city needs to focus on basic infrastructure and services and commit to those as soon as possible. The rest can wait. Limiting future rates is a priority but can only be achieved if there are enough councillors willing to bite the bullet,” said Simons.

“Housing intensification is probably number two, but transport, parking and community safety are also concerns for Riccarton,” he said.

“I want to see Riccarton growing sustainably and not turning into a de-facto CBD. Our focus needs to be re-populating the city centre first, with more trees, less concrete and more open spaces for Riccarton,” he said.

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