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I Love Brighton is back in 2023 with new sponsors and an expanded line-up of activities. Held on Waitangi Day at Thomson Park the event began in the wake of the Christchurch earthquakes, as a way to lift the spirits of the community and celebrate all that Brighton has to offer. Over the years it…
A temporary alcohol ban for Woolston Village has been backed by Christchurch City Council. The Council agreed at a meeting today that the ban will be introduced for a six month period. It comes after 173 community residents signed a petition asking the Council to put an alcohol ban in place following concern over the…
Does your garden have a cornucopia of produce with tasty tomatoes, bountiful beans or crisp carrots? You could be a contender for the 2023 Edible and Sustainable Garden Awards with entries open from now until January 10. From veggie plots to garden pots, entry is free and open to everyone living in the Papanui Innes-Central,…
The MacFarlane Park Centre building may be gifted to the Shirley Community Trust for $1 if a Waipapa Papanui-Innes Community Board recommendation is given Christchurch City Council approval. The building was gifted to Council by the Lions Club International Foundation in 2018. It was shifted from Culverden, North Canterbury to St Albans and then MacFarlane…
The MacFarlane Park Centre building may be gifted to the Shirley Community Trust for $1 if a Waipapa Papanui-Innes Community Board recommendation is given Christchurch City Council approval. The building was gifted to Council by the Lions Club International Foundation in 2018. It was shifted from Culverden, North Canterbury to St Albans and then MacFarlane…
On what would have been Prince Phillip, the Duke of Edinburgh’s 101st birthday, a Memorial Grove dedicated to his memory was officially opened today. The Memorial Grove commemorates the work of the Duke who was the founder and patron of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Hillary Award. Located near the Christchurch Gondola on the Port Hills…
The former Woolston Community Centre will be gifted to Te Waka Unua School for $1 following a Christchurch City Council decision. It sits on Woolston Park and was used as a base for the Woolston Community Association until that organisation was wound up in 2021. Following a formal request from Te Waka Unua School to…
A refreshed strategy for building strong, connected communities across Christchurch and Banks Peninsula has been approved by Christchurch City Council. Community groups will play a big part in helping to deliver the strategy. “I am proud of the work that has gone into the Te Haumako Te Whitingia Strengthening Communities Together Strategy,’’ says Cr Anne…
For 12-year-old Connor Duncan-Caley and his mum Karen a trip to the beach has been a difficult rather than a fun experience. “Driftwood, sinking in the sand, seaweed and all the rest of it just doesn’t play well with a wheelchair,” explains Karen. But that has changed thanks to the addition of a special beach…
A charitable organisation which plans to build a seven-unit affordable housing facility for vulnerable young families has been given a helping hand. Christchurch City Council today approved a grant of $300,000 to the Society of St Vincent de Paul towards construction of the Pavitt Street Housing Project. The funding has been given through the Council’s…
Not-for-profit groups working on projects and initiatives that help to connect and strengthen communities in Christchurch and Banks Peninsula may be able to get help with their costs. Each year Christchurch City Council puts money aside in its Strengthening Communities Fund so that it can provide financial support to the many groups and organisations who…
Being recognised with a Community Service Award came completely out of the blue for Manish Pandey. The 34-year-old year old began volunteering in 2011 and although he wears many community-facing hats, he never expected any return for his work. His numerous contributions were acknowledged with a Christchurch City Council Community Service Award last year. This…
The small Banks Peninsula community of Birdlings Flat will be without street lights for six months in a trial that could become permanent. It was prompted after a majority of residents responding to a survey said they supported the removal or reduction of street lighting in the seaside settlement, which sits between Tai Tapu and…
Safer neighbourhoods together. That’s the motivation behind a joint initiative spearheaded by the Waimāero Fendalton-Waimairi-Harewood Community Board. The Board has been working with Police, North Christchurch Community Patrol, Ilam Electorate MP Sarah Pallet and Canterbury Neighbourhood Support to promote awareness of steps people can take to help them feel safe in their neighbourhoods. While Avonhead…
Every year Santa’s Workshop produces wooden toys for children in need and donates them to the Mayor’s Welfare Fund for distribution. Santa’s Workshop is a group of retired men and women who meet regularly during the year to create the toys. The group has been operating for about 15 years and makes a wide range…
A Farmers Market in Little River now has room to expand after moving to a new site. The seasonal market, which is in its second year of operation, has found a new home in the village centre on land owned by Christchurch City Council. It means the market can now take up to 60 stall…
Summer with your neighbours is all about bringing people together and celebrating the unique mix of each neighbourhood – which for Shirley Poppelwell takes the form of a potato growing competition. Mrs Poppelwell has organised one of the more unusual activities this summer – a judging of the annual potato growing competition. The idea…
A $100,000 loan from Christchurch City Council will help a growing bowling club expand its greens. The loan for the Halswell Bowling Club was approved today by the Council’s Sustainability and Community Resilience Committee. “The Halswell Bowling Club is in a growing area of Christchurch and it wants to develop an additional bowling green on…
A Brighton group dedicated to helping people sew is expanding after a $4000 grant from the Coastal-Burwood Community Board Strengthening Communities Fund. Stitch-O-Mat New Brighton provides a learning space, equipment and fabric for people in the community to create their own projects, repair or mend items or learn to sew with a facilitator on hand…
Tom Mackintosh never dreamed he’d win an Olympic gold medal at the tender age of 24. Tom Mackintosh (first in boat facing the camera) with the winning men’s rowing eight in Tokyo. The Cambridge-based rower is part of the now legendary New Zealand men’s rowing eight that won gold in Tokyo. Just four years ago…
A multi-media touring exhibition and a dance performance in a suburban pool are just two of the projects that have been helped by Creative Communities Scheme grants. The scheme assists a wide range of activities including craft, dance, literature, Ngā Toi Māori, music, film, Pacific arts, theatre and visual arts. Funding applications for the Christchurch…
Little River has a beautiful new mural created by local artist Frankie Bakker and pupils from Little River School. It’s been a long but rewarding process for the artist, who started last year by gaining permission from the school and Year 4/5 teacher Tara Sutherland. Miss Bakker met with the class in February, showing them…
Retired bank officer Denise McKenzie loves getting out into the fresh air and walking. Her enjoyment of staying healthy and active coupled with a desire to help others led Mrs McKenzie to start as a Walk’n’Talk volunteer 11 years ago. She’s been based in Fendalton for the past nine years where every Wednesday and Thursday…
A charitable trust which runs a native tree nursery that provides thousands of trees each year for community planting projects in Christchurch is expanding its operation. The Waikura Linwood-Central-Heathcote Community Board has given The Green Effect Trust permission to lease more of Charlesworth Reserve, in Bromley, so that it can increase the size of its…
Six young adults from a school that supports students with a disability are making the most of their workplace lessons after gaining internships with the Christchurch City Council. Four Ferndale School students have secured placements at South Library while two are digging into their intern roles in the Botanic Gardens. They are the first Council interns…
For 25 years, Community Boards in Christchurch have been celebrating inspirational people who help make local areas a better place to live. Five Community Boards are now looking for new nominations in order to recognise those special people who go “above and beyond”, giving their time and energy freely to help and support others. Nominations…
Eight-year-old Jonty Smolenski feels, hears and sees things in a different way. Jonty has a very rare genetic disorder – Trichothiodystrophy – that causes multiple, challenging physical problems and affects his ability to recover from any illness. For Jonty, the Christchurch City Council’s Southern Centre at the Pioneer Recreation and Sport Centre has become a…
The Christchurch City Council is partnering with community groups and social agencies to support the redevelopment of the City Mission site and to build a new whare for Māori youth. The two projects have been given funding through the Council’s Capital Endowment Fund as they will benefit local communities, both now and in the future….
Christchurch City Council will give the Arts Centre a $150,000 grant to help it keep its doors open to the public. The grant will come from the Council’s Metropolitan Discretionary Response Fund and will be used by the Arts Centre of Christchurch Trust Board to help cover the historic centre’s operating costs for the coming…
Understanding youth sub-cultures is core to tackling alcohol-related harm among young people, a youth addictions expert says. Speaking at the Christchurch Alcohol Action Plan (CAPP) community forum, NZ Drug Foundation Executive Deputy Director, Programmes, Ben Birks Ang points out that the young people who benefit the most from support are “the least likely to see…