Category: Christchurch Updates

The Ara |Te PÅ«kenga Summer Open day was the busiest in many years with a Canterbury heatwave no barrier to hundreds of students seeking to explore study options. Organisers said there was something for everyone with information on study pathways, student support and enrolments as well as the opportunity to talk one-on-one with tutors and…

A long-awaited Stags recall, a fresh T20 captain, and a brand new face in the Hinds are all features of the Central teams heading to Hagley Oval for this Friday’s Dream11 Super Smash T20 doubleheader. The recall is Bevan Small who is no stranger to top level domestic cricket after 89 matches across all three…

Something to celebrate at Taihape Shears A small group of shearers is today crutching more than 1000 sheep near Taihape in preparation for the Saturday’s 60th Taihape A and P Show Shears, one of the biggest shearing and woolhandling competitions in New Zealand each year. About 150 shearers and woolhandlers are expected, about as big…

Rents finished off 2022 at an all-time high, with tenants in almost every region having to dig deeper into their wallets, according to the latest Trade Me Property data. Trade Me Property Sales Director Gavin Lloyd said with the exception of Wellington, every region saw rents climb in 2022. “The biggest increase was seen in…

On Wednesday 25th January, Harcourts Holmwood achieved outstanding success in their auction rooms with all four properties listed for auction, selling under the hammer. With five properties programmed for sale, one sold prior to auction. The four properties that sold under the hammer today, each had multiple bids. Tony Jenkins, CEO of Holmwood Real Estate…

The Gallagher Chiefs and Waitomo Chiefs Manawa will feature in a block-busting international pre-season double header in Pukekohe next month. Both games will be played in a ‘Game of Three Halves’ format with three 30-minute periods at Navigation Homes Stadium on Friday 17 February. Sky Super Rugby Aupiki reigning champions, the Waitomo Chiefs Manawa, will…

The whole of Canterbury will move into a Restricted Fire Season tomorrow (Thursday 26 January) due to the increasing risk of wildfire. District Manager Dave Stackhouse says that the current and forecast weather conditions, along with drying vegetation, have reached the threshold to place restrictions on outdoor fires. “We have seen an increase in the…

What do red wine, salmon and lizards have in common? Well, Air New Zealand has crunched the numbers to reveal all the weird and wonderful things that have been sipped, eaten, and carried onboard its flights over the last 12 months. Thanks to the border reopening last year, Air New Zealand carried 12.3 million customers…

Wairarapa shearer Hemi Braddick loomed further as a challenger for possible World title shearing in an era of new Open competition winners with a flying trip from the deep south to claim the Horowhenua Shears title in Levin on Sunday. He was into his 10th season in the top grade before he had his first…

Despite a tropical cyclone and generally unsettled weather patterns ushering in 2023 for much of the country, Southern Cross Pet Insurance (Southern Cross) cautions that heat and humidity remains something to be aware of when it comes to the safety of our pets over the summer months. Southern Cross this week launched its summer safety…

A 59-year-old Christchurch man has been sentenced to four years and one month’s imprisonment in the Christchurch District Court today on charges of exporting and possessing child sexual abuse publications. Customs arrested the Merivale man at his home in October 2021 after a referral from overseas authorities that a social media platform and cloud storage…

SPORTS Entertainment Network and SENZ will have passionate Indian and Aussie fans based in New Zealand covered for the highly anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy clash, broadcasting the entire series live from India. Every ball will be dissected and analysed throughout SENZ’s various radio and digital platforms. This includes live broadcasts across SENZ’s 28 radio stations such…

Top of the South shearing welcomed back one of its most successful shearers on Saturday, but was unable to reward it with a win at the small Golden Bay A and P Show in Takaka. Jason Win, from Ikamarua, near Reefton the West Coast, won the New Zealand Corriedale Championship in Christchurch in 2012, but…

The Southland shearing fraternity had possibly its most successful day in competition with a near-cleansweep of the seven titles at the Northern Southland Community Shears’ New Zealand fullwool shearing and woolhandling championships on Friday. Opening a big weekend nationally of six shearing sports competitions throughout New Zealand, and on the first of two big days…

Ten lucky Lotto players will be toasting a special win after each winning $25,153 with Lotto Second Division in tonight’s live Lotto draw. One lucky player also won Powerball Second Division, taking their total winnings to $39,475. The winning Powerball Second Division ticket was sold on MyLotto to a player from Auckland. The winning Second…

Many of the drivers and operations team at Ritchies Transport depots across the country have a long history in the business – but not too many can celebrate five decades of experience. Our Christchurch team has been proud to thank and farewell Christchurch driver Doug Wade, who finished his last shift this morning – nearly…

Equipped with leadership skills from her late father, strong Tongan values from her mother and a Toloa tertiary scholarship, Uinita (Nita) Tapa’atoutai is ready to tackle her next big challenge at Ara | Te PÅ«kenga. After several years juggling studies, work and family life, the Oamaru mum-of-five will commute to Timaru this year to begin…

Will the residential property market prove to be as volatile in 2023 as it has been the last three years? Quotable Value (QV) Chief Operating Officer David Nagel says there could well be a few more bumps in the road ahead. His warning comes as the latest QV House Price Index shows home values fell…

Jacinda Ardern has made a significant contribution to New Zealand, in what is a difficult and demanding job as Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition Christopher Luxon says. “I would like to thank Ms Ardern for her service to New Zealand. Her leadership in the aftermath of the Christchurch terror attacks was simultaneously strong and…

The Maritime Union has offered its thanks to Jacinda Ardern for her service to New Zealand, on her announcement she will be resigning as Prime Minister next month. Maritime Union of New Zealand National Secretary Craig Harrison says Ms Ardern has led the country through unprecedented times. “Jacinda Ardern will be remembered as one of…

Kei te māringi tonu ngā roimata, kei te tangihia tonutia ngā mate o te wā iti nei, haere atu rā ki te iwi nui i te pō, okioki mai ai. Huri te pō, nau mai te ao. E te Pirima, tēnā koangē. Mōu i whakapau kaha i roto i tau nei. Tēnei te mihi, tēnei…

New Zealand property prices fell 6 per cent year-on-year in December, while demand dropped by 11 per cent, according to the latest Trade Me Property Price Index. Trade Me Property Sales Director Gavin Lloyd said the average asking price for a property in New Zealand finished the year at $897,900 in December, falling by $58,200…

New Zealand Rugby Commercial (NZRC) has today announced the appointments of Gina Brogi and Rob Fyfe to its Board of Directors. Brogi, a past President of Global Content Distribution for 20th Century Fox, and Fyfe, best known as a former CEO of Air New Zealand, are the final two Directors on NZRC’s nine-person Board. Brogi…

Queenstown Lakes District Council Acting Chief Executive Meaghan Miller has confirmed the sudden loss of QLDC General Manager Property and Infrastructure Peter Hansby after a short illness. “Our thoughts and condolences are with Pete’s family at this time. The Council family and the many contractors and stakeholders that Pete has touched over an extensive 35-year…

Cantabrians are being asked to take particular care not to spark an unwanted fire on Friday, as the fire danger is likely to rise sharply before the arrival of some forecast showers later in the day. Fire and Emergency’s Community Risk Manager, Dean Harker, says his team are monitoring the factors which would underpin a…

Cookie Time Group’s first order into Costco Japan is selling fast, with Costco placing a re-order two days after Cookie Time mega-size pouches hit the market. The pouches arrived in Costco Japan stores over the weekend and higher than expected sales prompted an immediate re-order, more than quadruple the original order. The sell-through is another…

MAUI63 and Microsoft today announced the launch of a new app to help protect Aotearoa’s whales, dolphins, and seals and. Not-for-profit MAUI63 has already received recognition for its innovative marine conservation drone work. Its new SeaSpotter app uses artificial intelligence to identify specific animals and enables citizen scientists across Aotearoa to get involved in reporting…

To celebrate its sponsorship of The Black Clash, which takes place this week, Charlie’s has been renamed after Team Rugby coach Sir Graham Henry Henry, one of the most successful rugby coaches New Zealand has ever seen, was a first-class cricket player in his day His refreshingly honest take on this is that he was…

The average cost of building a home in New Zealand’s main centres increased by 11.3% last year, but the good news is that the rising cost of construction appears to be slowing. QV CostBuilder is New Zealand’s most comprehensive construction cost database. In its price update in December, more than 51,500 rates were updated, resulting…

South Canterbury shearing contractor and Open-class shearer Ant Frew had his second win of the 2022-2023 shearing sports season with a narrow win over North Canterbury gun Hugh De Lacy at the Peninsula Duvauchelle Shears on Saturday. Taking a crew to the competition at the Duvauchelle A and P Show, Frew pipped De Lacy for…