Locals in a picturesque part of New Zealand are fighting back against plans to build a large Sikh temple they say is a bad fit for their idyllic area.
The “Keep it Kiwi” campaign includes a website with instructions for how to submit opposition forms to Selwyn District Council, and a list of reasons why the temple will be out of place in Rolleston on the outskirts of Christchurch.
The Deg Tegh Fateh Sikh Society have applied to build a 480-square-metre temple on a six-hectare site they bought about two years ago using donations, saying their community has outgrown their current leased site in Riccarton near the city centre.
The temple would also include a 542-square-metre paved parking area and an informal grassed parking area with room for another 96 cars, with up to 100 worshippers a day expected Monday to Saturday and up to 300 on Sundays.
“Picture this: rolling green paddocks, sheep judging you quietly, a rusty ute parked by the dairy—and then BAM, a shiny Sikh temple screaming ‘look at me!’ on the horizon. It’s not subtle, folks,” the Keep it Kiwi website states.
“We’re not saying Sikhs aren’t lovely – top blokes, great food, wicked headgear. But this temple’s landing in a spot so Kiwi it hurts: think rugby on Saturdays, kids biking to the creek, and Nan’s scones cooling on the porch.
“Our ancestors didn’t sail halfway round the world, fight off scurvy, and invent pavlova just for us to let a cultural curveball photobomb our quiet paddock life. We’re too awkward to say it fits – because it doesn’t. It’s like inviting a Bollywood dance crew to a barn dance.
“This isn’t about being mean; it’s about keeping Selwyn’s sleepy, slightly boring rural charm intact. Imagine explaining to your grandkids: “Yeah, we let them build a temple next to the tractor shed because we felt too guilty to say no.” Nah, let’s not be that pathetic,” the website states.
Residents opposed to the proposal are concerned about traffic, noise, environmental impacts, safety, loss of farmland and incompatibility with the area’s rural character.
“Hundreds of visitors piling in for prayers or festivals, weddings and events from 4am to 10pm, 7 days a week, up to 100 people PER DAY on narrow country roads? Good luck dodging tractors and utes when the parking spills over,” the website states.
“The adjoining roads are already very busy, many families live along this road with small children and pets. Many pets have died on this road already, and increasing traffic just makes things riskier for current residents.”
Deg Tegh Fateh Sikh committee member Harman Deep Singh told The Press the temple would be for the entire community and offer free food for all comers, and said there would be no noise except for live music for two hours every Sunday.
“Anybody can come in and get a free vegetarian meal and learn about the Sikh community,” he said.
“The prayer room will be open to anybody, and the kitchen is free. There’s no fees.”
Members of the public are able to make submissions on the proposal until 4.30pm on February 27.
At the time of the 2023 Census just 1.1% of New Zealand’s population followed the Sikh religion, but last year the Sikh name Singh was the most common baby surname in the country.
Header image: An event at the Deg Tegh Fateh Sikh Society’s current temple in October last year (Facebook).
