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An unusual crevice garden created just before the 2020 lockdown is proving a hit with local, out of town and international visitors to the Christchurch Botanic Gardens. The garden is made of Halswell Quarry stone slabs set vertically and close together, the unusual topography creating microclimates where alpine, desert and cliff-dwelling plants can live in…
Two years of successful trials that have seen wildflowers blooming in Hagley Park and recently near the Antigua Boatsheds will ideally be expanded into selected community parks next spring. An initial 1200 square metre area near Carlton Corner was sown in 2021 with a mix of wildflower species designed to attract bees, and provide a…
A concert featuring UK electronic artists Groove Armada will be the first major event to be held at Queen Elizabeth II Park since the February 2011 earthquakes. Up to 5,000 people will descend on the QEII Park fields for the ticketed event next Thursday evening, 24 November. It marks a milestone for the community and…
It’s Christchurch’s most photographed landmark and Australasia’s biggest ocean pier and now it’s a quarter of a century old. Today marks 25 years since the iconic New Brighton Pier was officially opened on 1 November 1997. “The Pier is such an icon in Christchurch, but also for the local New Brighton community. It has such…
As spring weaves its magic across the Garden City, we asked Christchurch City Council Head of Parks Andrew Rutledge how the name came about. “It’s actually an association that dates back to 1906, the year Hagley Park hosted the New Zealand International Exhibition and British Government attendee Sir John Gorst remarked that Christchurch reminded him…
A weekly community-led running event will be trialled at Bottle Lake Forest Park in the city’s north-east starting on Saturday 8 October. Christchurch City Council has approved the use of a five kilometre course for the Broad Park Parkrun for a trial period of one year. Parkrun is an international organisation that runs free, timed…
The work of a Park Ranger may not be quite what you think. Sunday 31 July marks World Ranger Day so Christchurch City Council is celebrating the work of all of its rangers as the key protectors of parks and conservation for the organisation. The role of a ranger has broadened over the years, as…
Less than a month after it was reopened to the public the turf at Lancaster Park has been hit by vandals. Overnight a vehicle broke through temporary fencing which is blocking off the last entrance to the park where contractors are still installing bollards and completing perimeter concreting work. “It’s so disappointing to see someone…
With Arbor Day coming up on 5 June, we’re celebrating our volunteers who have helped to keep Christchurch flourishing over the past year. Christchurch has seen lots of green growth in the past 12 months thanks to more than 184 community planting events and 665 community maintenance events held across the Garden City. Head of…
A traditional Korean roofed pavilion to be installed in the Songpa-gu Garden at Halswell Quarry Park will commemorate Canterbury veterans of the Korean War. The pavilion (jeongja) is being shipped from Busan in Korea and on arrival at Lyttelton Port will be assembled at the quarry park and placed on the western side of the…
A bug hotel shaped like a whare has been installed in the Ōtakaro Avon River Corridor to help boost the population of native bees. Christchurch City Council Urban Rangers made and installed the hotel in the Horseshoe Lake regeneration area of the Ōtakaro Avon River Corridor (OARC) in a bid to establish more colonies of…
A new pink, green and yellow coloured basketball court is designed to encourage girls to feel comfortable using and enjoying the court space. Branston Park basketball court in Hornby has been upgraded in a joint partnership between Christchurch City Council, Waipuna Halswell-Hornby-Riccarton Community Board and the Wharenui Gators basketball club. The idea for the colourful…
Some parks maintenance work around Christchurch might be delayed over the coming weeks because the Council’s contractors are experiencing staff shortages. “Our contractors have a high number of staff isolating because of COVID-19 and that is starting to affect the capacity to complete all the normal park maintenance work,’’ says Council Head of Parks Andrew…
Little River residents can look forward to a brand new playground as work has begun to upgrade the play space at Heritage Park Little River to give it a fresh new look. Playground equipment for Heritage Park Little River has reached the end of its life and is going to be replaced with a new…
A Christchurch BMX club has been given approval to build a brand new, sealed pump track at Bexley Reserve. It will be funded and built by the North Avon Christchurch BMX Club who will then gift the facility to Christchurch City Council. Waitai Coastal-Burwood Community Board today approved construction of the track along with a…
An upgrade and extension of the St Albans skate park means beginner scooters and skaters will be better able to use the facility. Work on the project began last week and is expected to be completed in time for the April school holidays. The upgrade has been in the pipeline since a skate jam at…
A corner of North Hagley Park has been planted with wildflowers to help boost the city’s bee population. A 1200 square metre area near Carlton Corner is now home to an array of beautiful wild flowers that are helping to attract bees by providing a pollen-rich gathering ground. Wildflowers on display at North Hagley Park…
There is no such thing as a normal day at work for Christchurch City Council Ranger Yvette Williams. From dealing with blocked public toilets to finding a lost horse and protecting the city’s healthiest waterway, her days are anything but predictable. Yvette is part of a Regional Parks Ranger Team, mostly based at The Groynes…
In a job where “no two days are the same”, Christchurch City Council Park Ranger Nigel Morritt is looking forward to his busiest time of the year. Nigel has been working as a Park Ranger for 11 years and still thinks he has the “best job in the world”. “We’re very lucky to have the…
A new volunteer programme for men who are supported by the City Mission – either through accommodation or the provision of food and self-care facilities – aims to provide regular, meaningful work opportunities. Each Tuesday morning volunteers head out in one of the Mission vans to spend time working alongside a Christchurch City Council park…
Alison Evans started work as a Christchurch City Council park ranger one year ago. We asked her a few questions about her life on the job. Alison how did you end up working as a Regional Parks Team Leader for Port Hills and Banks Peninsula? I’ve got quite a broad background in conservation, including forestry,…
Play options at four neighbourhood parks in the fast-growing Halswell area are being weighed up because the existing play equipment has reached the end of its life. Shamrock Reserve, Wales Reserve, Westbrooke Park and Ridder Reserve are very close to each other and each has its own playground area, with similar play equipment. “The equipment…
A community initiated food forest in Birdsey Reserve will be supported under a new proposal which has opened for consultation. Under the proposed two-stage plan a food forest and garden currently being developed by local community groups would be continued, along with a revegetation programme involving students from Heathcote Valley School. The second stage would…
Twenty one year old Lachie Stove is stoked to be starting his new role as a Sports Turf Operator at Hagley Park this month. The latest addition to the Hagley Park Sports Turf team has been a trainee with them for the past year and a half and is now halfway through his apprenticeship. A…
A name change for Avonhead Park Cemetery will reflect its significant location as the interment site of the unidentified victims of the 22 February 2011 earthquake. Following the February 2011 earthquake, the Christchurch City Council designed an interment site for victims at Avonhead Park Cemetery. The central feature was a gift from the city to…
A chance meeting over a stinkhorn fungus four years ago sparked a whole new life for Christchurch City Council Park Ranger and volunteer team leader Fiona Fenton. After a high-flying 20 year career managing commercial property in San Francisco and London, including the famed Covent Garden estate, Fiona took a year off after moving to…
‘Smart’ bins are being installed in community parks around Christchurch as the city council moves to reduce maintenance costs in the city’s public spaces. “We have been trialling smart bins in the Botanic Gardens, Hagley Park, Akaroa and other popular parks and attractions around the city and Banks Peninsula for the past four years and…
Kids will be able to run ‘wild’ in a new natural play area planned for Rawhiti Domain. Featuring a fort, embankment slide, swing set, net nests and woodland gardens, the design of the natural ‘playscape’ aims to boost physical and mental well-being in a space where children can freely interact with the local environment. Eastern…
A skate park will start to roll into view in Sumner this year following approval of plans for the wider Village Green. The Waikura/Linwood-Central-Heathcote Community Board has signed off on the Sumner Village Green landscape plan and the site name, with work on the skate area set to start this summer. Board Chairperson Alexandra Davids…
Community volunteers are helping with predator trapping in seven small parks and reserves on the Port Hills as a part of wider initiative to protect native species. Christchurch City Council is working with local community groups on the trapping initiative at Westmorland East Valley, Purau, and Cracroft Reserves in Cashmere, Coronation Reserve in Huntsbury, Birdsey…