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“Residents who have enrolled to vote should expect voting papers to arrive in their letter boxes from today until 22 September,” says Christchurch City Council Electoral Officer Warwick Lampp. Voting opens on Tuesday 9 September and closes at noon on Saturday 11 October. “Each enrolled voter will receive an information and candidate profiles booklet, a…
Tightening the nitrogen loop in the Mackenzie Basin A new catch crop project in the Ahuriri catchment is bringing farmers, scientists and us together to explore smarter nitrogen (N) management in winter forage systems. Smarter nitrogen use Led by the Bioeconomy Science Institute (Plant & Food Research Group) and supported by us, the trial sites…
Field Operations Ranger Guillaume Jacob works year-round with his team to protect and enhance our region’s coastal lagoons – specifically, the Regional Park area surrounding Te Riu O Te Aika Kawa Brooklands Lagoon. “We’re trying our best to return this important landscape to the way it used to be,” Guillaume says. This coastal ecosystem has…
Welcoming Week Today’s the start of Welcoming Week 2025! This is a warm invitation to all who call Ōtautahi Christchurch home. This week of events connects newcomers and long-time residents through cultural exchange, shared experiences, and community spirit, building a city where everyone feels they belong. This weekend, come along to the morning tea at…
Waitaha leaders sign MOU, uniting regional and local councils in a shared commitment to Civil Defence Emergency Management collaboration. Source link
Council reviewing new Resource Management Amendment Act and its implications A new law will have several implications for how we operate, and for the region’s communities, natural environment, resource users, consent holders and Papatipu Rūnanga. At a briefing on Wednesday, 3 September, Councillors received an update on the Government’s new Resource Management (Consenting and Other…
Dog Control Bylaw and Policy Review Ōtautahi Christchurch dog rules will change on 3 November 2025. Council adopted updates to the Dog Control Bylaw and Policy today, following extensive consultation and considering recommendations of the hearings panel. Most changes reflect the ways in which the city has changed since the previous bylaw and policy review…
The Council agreed at its meeting today to seek approval from Minister Chris Bishop to withdraw the remaining parts of Plan Change 14 – related to applying national Medium-Density Residential Standards (MDRS) – ahead of the Government’s 12 December deadline. In making its decision, the Council approved some of the plan change’s Independent Hearings Panel…
The 110-hectare wetland in Christchurch’s southwest can store over one million cubic metres of floodwater, reducing flood risks and improving runoff treatment. The stormwater management project was awarded two major honours at the IPWEA Australasia Public Works Awards – the Best Public Works Project and the IPWEA Australasia Public Works Project of Year 2025. The…
All candidates for Mayor, Council and Community board were offered the opportunity to film a short video, answering election-related questions. The videos were filmed at Council premises in August to provide Christchurch voters with more information about their candidates. Ninety-two of the 97 candidates took up the offer to film a short video about themselves….
Price increases will apply from Wednesday 1 October to help with the rising costs of delivering the Council’s recreation and sport services. However, with price increases having the biggest impact on those with lower incomes, the Council has also increased the discount for Community Services, SuperGold, Hāpai and secondary student cardholders from 25% to 30%,…
Special Olympics athletes today lit the Flame of Hope to mark the 100-day countdown to the beginning of the National Summer Games, which will be underway in Christchurch from 10-14 December. The National Summer Games is the four-yearly pinnacle event for over 1200 Special Olympics athletes with an intellectual disability, representing 42 clubs, competing in…
WORD Festival The WORD Christchurch Festival 2025 is underway, jam-packed with events and more than 100 writers, thinkers and performers. Ōtautahi Christchurch will host a feast of fresh ideas, fun nights out, captivating stories and powerful performances. From Book Binding and Self Publishing Workshops to Te Tiriti for beginners and a love letter to music,…
Managed by the Ōpāwaho/Heathcote River Network (OHRN), the Predator Free Ōpāwaho rat trapping project will have oversight and support from Christchurch City Council park rangers. The project aims to lay a network of traps along the riverbanks from Tunnel Road in Ferrymead to Ngā Puna Wai in Wigram, with the aim of reducing rat numbers…
Development Contributions A new Development Contribution Policy was adopted that will enable Christchurch City Council to recoup some of the costs of providing growth infrastructure. Charges will rise across most areas of the district in the new policy, due to increased infrastructure costs, changing patterns of development and slower growth projections compared to 2021, when…
Local government futures and public transport strategy: August council meeting highlights At their latest meeting, Council heard from the public on river and harbour health, native bird restoration, and a proposed solar plant in North Canterbury. Key decisions included $2.8m for wilding conifer control, adoption of the Public Transport Asset Control Strategy, and keeping critical…
Farm safe, waste smart: Agrecovery’s chemical collection in action If you have unwanted or expired chemicals sitting in your farm shed, now is the time to register them with Agrecovery – ahead of a Canterbury-wide collection in November. Agrecovery is a rural recycling programme partnering with us to help minimise and manage farm waste. …
The project team submitted the resource consent applications for the wharf’s construction earlier this month. This will be a publicly notified resource consent processed by both Environment Canterbury and Christchurch City Council. Manager Regional Parks Paul Devlin says the project team are hopeful for the resource consent hearing to be held in early 2026. Construction of…
Regular bird monitoring at the Waitaki Street wetland is showing an increase in bird numbers and species richness, and Christchurch City Council Ecologist Andrew Crossland says the wildlife diversity is continuously improving. The two-hectare wetland was created earlier this year after the Council removed sheet metal pilings north of Pages Road Bridge at Waitaki Street,…
Financial support lights up replacement log burner options Financial help is available to replace log burners with new, cleaner forms of heating as thousands of wood burners around Canterbury are set to expire by the end of 2027. When Lorraine and Gerald Brown discovered they had to replace the log burner that had kept their…
Resource Recovery Manager Dr Alec McNeil says dangerous incidents have been increasing at the three transfer stations across the city. “We’ve recently seen an increase in numbers of children getting out of cars as well as quite a few residents getting into the pit itself,” Dr McNeil says. “This is extremely dangerous as there is…
Community and partnership key to restoring Whakaraupō/Lyttelton Harbour Whakaraupō/Lyttelton Harbour and its surrounding bays are treasured by many different people, including mana whenua Ngāti Wheke, residents and visitors. The harbour was once known for its great abundance of kaimoana, but pollution, deforestation, sediment run-off, and climate change have impacted the whenua/land and the moana/harbour. However,…
The Christchurch City Council has today published candidate profile statements and photos on its website. Key dates 9 September: Voting and special voting begins. Between 9 September and 22 September: Voting documents delivered. 11 October: Election Day. Voting closes at noon. Progress results will be available that afternoon. By 19 October: Declaration of results. The information…
The Chief Executive Performance and Employment Committee, chaired by Mayor Phil Mauger, presented its findings, highlighting significant improvements across key areas of Council operations and community engagement. Among the most notable achievements were: A rise in resident satisfaction with Council performance to 53%, up from 46% in 2024 and 43% in 2023. 84% of services…
Go Live Festival Get ready, Ōtautahi. Go Live Festival is returning to Christchurch this winter with an epic line-up featuring Minuit, Tadpole and Slim. 15 acts will be hitting the Town Hall this Saturday evening, performing across four stages. Tickets are $35, get them now on Ticketmaster. Go Live will be on from 7 –…
Winter grazing alternative shakes up dairy farm A Mount Hutt dairy farm has adopted a hybrid bale grazing system to protect their soil against adverse wet weather and better their overall environment. In the foothills of Mid Canterbury, with a postcard view of Mount Hutt, a fourth-generation farmer and a former butcher are challenging traditional…
Erebus National Memorial location offer The Council has agreed to formally offer two Christchurch locations as a potential site for a planned National Erebus Memorial – Cracroft reserve in Cashmere and the bank of the Ōtākaro Avon River in the central city. The offer is being made to Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage,…
Wetland restoration work protects critically endangered bird An ongoing restoration project is underway at Te Rauakaaka, near the mouth of the Waimakariri River, to enhance wetland and coastal ecosystems, boost biodiversity, and create vital habitat for endangered species – including the critically endangered matuku-hūrepo Australasian bittern, that we’re backing for Bird of the Year. Funded…
“A lot of great mahi” to restore Te Waihora “Mā whero, mā pako; ka oti ai te mahi. The task shall be achieved through unity.” This sentiment, and the vision of Whakaora Te Waihora – to restore and rejuvenate the mana, mauri and ecosystem health of Te Waihora and its catchment – were reaffirmed at an…
Erebus National Memorial location offer The Council has agreed to formally offer two Christchurch locations as a potential site for a planned National Erebus Memorial – Cracroft reserve in Cashmere and the bank of the Ōtākaro Avon River in the central city. The offer is being made to Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage,…