Selwyn in Focus - Cr Sarah Barnsley

24/07/2026

Two weeks left to submit a proposal for Selwyn District and we need your voice now. Three options. Which do you think will work best for our district? Go.
https://www.selwyn.govt.nz/your-council/local-government-reforms

17/07/2026

On August 13th I’m supporting the Christchurch Methodist Mission shine the spotlight on homelessness by participating in the Big Sleepout - South, alongside my son, and other community leaders from the Canterbury area.

Why?
🏠 an estimated 4965 people (1308 Māori) were living without shelter in New Zealand.
🇳🇿 our government are more interested in ‘moving on’ rough sleepers, than understanding and effectively working on the underlying issues. The “Summary Offences (Move-on Orders) Amendment Bill” would enable police to order rough sleepers or those as young as 14 displaying disorderly behaviour to move elsewhere.
👮 Police Association president Steve Watts told the committee the proposed legislation addressed the symptoms of rough sleeping rather than the cause.
"The bill risks placing police in a role of managing the visible effects of homelessness, addiction, mental health issues, poverty and youth vulnerability, rather than addressing the underlying causes," he said.
"Our primary concern is that police will be expected to repeatedly relocate vulnerable people without the resources, services, or legal guidance needed to achieve lasting outcomes."
🧡 these concerns are in alignment with the Coalition to End Women's Homelessness:
"Rather than addressing the structural causes of homelessness, it criminalises those living with the consequences of systemic housing failure. It prioritises enforcement over care, displacement over housing, and punishment over prevention,"

We can and we must do better to
- support the vulnerable
- work across political parties to acknowledge, understand and take action that deals with the root causes
- listen to those at the coalface, those organisations who work with the homeless day in day out to understand how sustainable change can be achieved

How can you help, I hear you ask??
Please support me supporting this cause by donating to the Big Sleepout fundraising page. Our goal is $50k raised to help support those most vulnerable in our society.

https://bigsleepoutsouth.nz/sarah-dorothy-barnsley

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1b2HsJpKpa/?mibextid=wwXIfr

The grieving mother of a homeless woman who died in Christchurch believes controversial move on orders would make survival harder for people on the street by pushing them to society's margins.

16/07/2026

Your voice is 'What's Next, Selwyn'.

One question, three choices to help us determine a future direction for local government structure. Would you prefer a unitary council of:
1. Selwyn solo
2. Selwyn + Ashburton
3. Selwyn + Waimakariri + Hurunui + Christchurch (A Greater Chch or mini-Canterbury, depending how you look at it)

Jump on here for the survey and background info https://www.selwyn.govt.nz/your-council/local-government-reforms. It'll take you two minutes, or a bit longer if you dig into the data.

The timelines for this change are (ridiculously) tight - the survey closes July 26th with a decision being made in council on August 5th. So please, have your say now.

06/07/2026

Take care out there ☔️

⚠️ Severe Weather Update – Selwyn District ⚠️

We are currently monitoring the weather system affecting the South Island.

MetService has issued an updated Heavy Rain Warning (Orange) for Canterbury, including the Selwyn area.

Warning period: 10.00am Monday 6 July to 12.00pm Tuesday 7 July

Forecast:

- 120–170mm of rain expected in foothills and high country areas
- 50–80mm of rain expected across the plains
- Snow expected above 600 metres
- Moderate chance of the warning being upgraded to a Red Warning

Possible impacts:

- Streams and rivers may rise rapidly
- Surface flooding and slips are possible
- Driving conditions may become hazardous
- Stay up to date at https://brnw.ch/21x3Tsi

We will continue to closely monitor the situation alongside Environment Canterbury, MetService, NZTA and other partner agencies, and will provide updates as needed.

Stay safe, take care on the roads, and be prepared for changing conditions.

06/07/2026

Much needed silt removal on the Ararira LII drainage system before this heavy rain front hit. 👍

05/07/2026

It is with a heavy heart that I acknowledge the passing of Kelvin Coe.
Ex-mayor of Selwyn District, establishment member of the Waihora Ellesmere Trust and all round community champion. I was at a Waihora Ellesmere Trust meeting with Kelvin on Monday evening when he was offering his (parochial) advice on the amalgamation of Local Government. Needless to say he was not a fan of Selwyn DC joining with Christchurch City Council and their debt levels!
Kelvin was a humble Ellesmere farming man, a man of family and god (Irwell Church), a kind man whose legacy is vast.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Jem and Kelvin’s whanau.
Rest in peace Kelvin Coe.

The photo is of Kelvin’s trusty ute that we managed to get stuck whilst he was giving me a guided tour of the western edge of Te Waihora. Thankfully the neighbouring farmer was close at hand with a tractor.

05/07/2026

Thinking of the players, their families and the club at this time. Wishing those in hospital a speedy recovery.
Intersection accidents in Selwyn happen all too often. We are continually trying to mitigate risk by improving safety measures at intersections and reviewing speed, but on this occasion those measures didn’t have the desired effect. We will be looking at the police report with interest, as will our road safety team.

Ten people were taken to Christchurch Hospital after the crash.

01/07/2026

Stoked to have Steve at the helm after a comprehensive and hard-fought recruitment process. He’s ready to get stuck in.
Selwyn - better every day!

Selwyn District Council has appointed Steve Gibling as its permanent Chief Executive. Gibling officially begins in his role today but has has been...

01/07/2026

https://www.thepress.co.nz/nz-news/361035735/we-havent-got-any-friends-christchurch-mayor-says-neighbouring-districts-wont-merge-city

Phil, we are neighbours, friends and work colleagues, we love your work, but moving in with you may be taking the relationship too far. It's a big move, and one that we need to consider very carefully, and so sitting down together to nut through the options is probably a healthy first step.

The kids are divided - more toys are always fun, and two incomes has benefits, but it would mean less space for everyone, and the extra noise may become deafening. Then there're the practicalities: How would we divide the household tasks? Would we keep our own bank accounts and financial independence? Who gets the biggest bedroom? Who will look after the cats?

No relationship is perfect however as a starter for ten, we'd need to accept that we have very different needs, and therefore we'd need to set some fairly firm ground rules to ensure those needs are respected and everyone is listened to.

Look Phil, moving in together is a major decision (no pun intended), with much to be considered for everyone. Let's take this one step at a time, because I'm fairly sure that neither of us could afford a divorce...

Selwyn and Waimakariri residents spend almost $1b a year in the city and hundreds use the city’s libraries and pools.

04/06/2026

60 seconds, 5 questions, easy. Follow the link and let us know what you think.
The government is requiring change, and how that change looks for us as a district, needs to be determined by us, the people of our district. So have a think about the proposal, what it could mean for you and your family, and share your views with us.
Thanks for giving us 60 seconds on this!