Why you should start composting now Autumn is the perfect time to start composting food waste and lift your sustainability game, say University of Canterbury (UC) students Kaitlyn and Jess Lamb, who will share their love of composting on 14 May for the Ako Ōtautahi Learning City Christchurch. University of Canterbury (UC) Environmental Science students…
Revolutionising the construction industry one panel at a time
Revolutionising the construction industry one panel at a time New Zealand engineers aim to revolutionise the way we construct buildings with a modular building system that’s fast to assemble, recyclable and could be the answer to earthquake prone communities. University of Canterbury Engineering Professor Rajesh Dhakal (centre) and Professor Geoff Rodgers (right), along with Dr…
Return your unwanted or expired agrichemicals
Agrecovery programmes provide a safe and sustainable way to dispose of old or unwanted chemicals. Source link
Rising interest rates starting to bite as downturn gathers pace – QV
The latest QV House Price Index shows the housing market is under increasing pressure from rising interest rates. Loan affordability constraints are limiting buyers, and those who are in the market are spoilt for choice as listing levels far outstrip demand. The average home decreased in value by 2.2% nationally over the past three-month period…
Kaikōura Community Wetland Planting Day
Get involved in an upcoming community planting day in Kaikōura at the end of May. Source link
Ukranian Honorary Consul to visit Christchurch for speaking engagements
A group of Christchurch women have banded together to help raise funds for the Ukrainian people. The six driven and passionate women have invited the Ukrainian Honorary Consul, Oleksandr (Alex) Kirichuk, to Christchurch to talk, over three nights, at venues across Christchurch. Marie McMillan says they knew they had to do something. “It’s horrendous what…
Bag a bargain at Library book sale
Calling all book lovers! Treat your shelves this week at the annual Big Bargain Book Sale. Thousands of great books will be on offer at the annual Big Bargain Book Sale which begins on Friday at Pioneer Recreation and Sport Centre. “This is such a popular event for the community and we’re excited to be…
Prehistoric earthquakes and snail shells may give future insights
Prehistoric earthquakes and snail shells may give future insights New research led by University of Canterbury paleoseismologist Dr Tim Stahl is providing insights into prehistoric surface rupturing earthquakes in the Republic of Georgia to understand what future earthquakes could do. Co-authors Giorgi Boichenko and Professor Eric Cowgill work from the top bench of the trench…
Consultation on draft plan changes coming to a close
People wanting to give their views on a series of Draft Plan Changes aimed at preparing Christchurch for future growth only have a few days left to make submissions. Christchurch City Council has been consulting on four Draft Plan Changes: The Housing and Business Choice Plan Change, which will enable more development in the city’s…
Tackling climate change with ‘carbon negative’ green hydrogen
Tackling climate change with ‘carbon negative’ green hydrogen Researchers at the University of Canterbury (UC) are developing a smart new way of making green hydrogen from woody biomass and capturing carbon in the process. University of Canterbury Chemical Processing Engineers Professor Shusheng Pang and Associate Professor Alex Yip UC Chemical and Process Engineers Professor Shusheng…
Council plans to use treated wastewater to irrigate Duvauchelle Golf Course
Improvements are in the pipeline for the way treated wastewater is managed at the Banks Peninsula settlement of Duvauchelle. The treated wastewater is currently discharged to Akaroa Harbour. The Christchurch City Council’s consent to do this expires in 2023. It is a condition of that consent that the Council explores all feasible alternatives to sending…
Well water testing – well worth it
Orari Temuka Opihi Pareora (OTOP) Water Zone Committee Chair, Lucy Millar, encourages those on private water supplies to make the most of free testing events. Source link
‘Firearm legislation changes could be reversed’ – Council of Licensed Firearm Owners
The coronial inquiry into the March 15 terror attack is now likely to highlight the inadequacy of the firearms legislation that was rushed through by Government afterwards, says the Council of Licensed Firearm Owners (COLFO). The coronial inquiry into the Christchurch Mosque attacks has announced that it will review whether the firearms licensing process followed…
New Medway Street footbridge opens
The twisted and distorted bridge that became a symbol for the power of the Canterbury earthquakes has a new incarnation. The Medway Street footbridge was officially opened to the public today, the second of three new pedestrian bridges to be built in the Ōtākaro Avon River Corridor. For the first time since the earthquakes, the…
University of Canterbury enrolments hit record high last year
University of Canterbury enrolments hit record high last year Student enrolments at the University of Canterbury hit a record high in 2021 despite the ongoing challenges of the pandemic. The University achieved record student enrolments last year of 20,919 (or 16,237 equivalent full-time students). This is the highest total in the University’s history. The enrolments…
Coming up at the 12 May Council meeting
Christchurch City Council is meeting at 9.30am on Thursday 12 May. The main items on the agenda for the public part of the meeting are: The monthly reports from the Community Boards outlining the initiatives and issues they have recently considered. A report from the Banks Peninsula Community Board that recommends the Council direct staff…
Music Arts graduate honoured to drum at official Gallipoli commemorations – Te Pukenga
As a member of the New Zealand Army Band, Cameron Burnett, an Ara Music Arts alumnus from 2015 was honoured to be chosen as the ceremonial drummer for both the Dawn Service at Anzac Cove, as well as the New Zealand Service at Chunuk Bair. Current Ara Music Arts students Raynor Martin and Sam Powell,…
Pick up five to support Mother of All Clean-Ups
Christchurch residents can help clean up the city’s waterways on Saturday simply by picking up five pieces of rubbish while doing their usual weekend activities. The organisers of Saturday’s annual Mother of All Clean-Ups are running a tandem campaign called High Five, I Can Pick Up Five to encourage people to pick up five pieces…
Council backs plans for container return scheme
Christchurch City Council is backing Government plans to introduce a container return scheme and is calling for it to be implemented without delay. It has made a submission on the Ministry for the Environment’s Transforming Recycling discussion document voicing its support for the idea of a container return scheme. Such a scheme would shift the…
Protecting Lake Middleton’s ecosystem through crack willow removal
Protecting Lake Middleton’s ecosystem through crack willow removal Invasive crack willow trees that can harm the natural ecosystem are set to be removed at Lake Middleton later in the year thanks to support from the Upper Waitaki Water Zone Committee. The project, run by the Ōhau Conservation Trust, received $11,000 to boost the natural biodiversity…
Styx catchment marks 20 year milestone
The Styx Living Laboratory Trust is marking its 20 year anniversary this month. The Trust was set up in 2002 to achieve Vison 3 of the Christchurch City Council document Styx Vision 2000-2040, which is to create a living laboratory that focusses on research and learning in the Pūharakekenui/Styx catchment. “The trustees, staff and volunteers,…
Cruise ships likely to return to Akaroa in November
Cruise ships are likely to return to Akaroa in November but there will be fewer of them than before the COVID-19 pandemic. Environment Canterbury, Christchurch City Council, ChristchurchNZ, and the Lyttelton Port Company recently briefed the Banks Peninsula Community Board about the likely return of cruise ships to Canterbury waters, explaining what preparations are in…
Work begins on Waitaki Street stormwater basin
The first work on a series of stormwater basins in the Ōtākaro Avon River Corridor (ŌARC) has begun, with construction of a nine-hectare flood management area under way beside Anzac Drive and Pages Road. Christchurch City Council’s Head of Three Waters, Helen Beaumont, says the Waitaki Street stormwater and flood management basin will have a…
Getting ready for the return of cruise ships to Akaroa
Getting ready for the return of cruise ships to Akaroa Environment Canterbury, Christchurch City Council, ChristchurchNZ, and the Lyttelton Port Company recently briefed the Banks Peninsula Community Board about the likely return of cruise ships to Canterbury waters, explaining what preparations are in place for the coming 2022/23 season. Cruise ships to return in lower…
Getting ready for the return of cruise ships
Getting ready for the return of cruise ships Environment Canterbury, Christchurch City Council, ChristchurchNZ, and the Lyttelton Port Company recently briefed the Banks Peninsula Community Board about the likely return of cruise ships to Canterbury waters, explaining what preparations are in place for the coming 2022/23 season. Cruise ships to return in lower numbers The…
Halswell’s miniature railway on track to expand
It is full steam ahead for the expansion of Halswell’s popular miniature railway. The Waipuna Halswell-Hornby-Riccarton Community Board has agreed that the Canterbury Society of Model and Experimental Engineers (CSMEE) can increase the size of the area they lease at Halswell Domain for their miniature railway. The railway operates every Sunday afternoon, weather permitting, and…
Sign of the Bellbird lookout work to begin
Work starts next week on constructing a new lookout and upgrading the sealed carpark opposite the historic 1914 rest house Sign of the Bellbird. It’s one of four rest houses built along the Summit Road by conservationist Henry (Harry) George Ell. The project is an initiative of the Summit Road Society, a grassroots charitable organisation…
Plan to transform food processing waste would boost NZ economy and environment
Plan to transform food processing waste would boost NZ economy and environment Micro-organisms found in bacteria and fungi could help change food waste into high-value products that would boost New Zealand’s economy by $1.6 billion a year and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. University of Canterbury Environmental Science Professor Brett Robinson is working on a research…
Biodiversity is everyone’s business
Biodiversity is everyone’s business Environmental Science students from the University of Canterbury will upskill the community on how everyone can contribute to improving local biodiversity. University of Canterbury students are helping out with water monitoring and pest control as part of UC’s on-campus biodiversity initiatives. “The key takeaway from the panel is that there are…
Free well water testing for Temuka and Fairlie
Free well water testing for Temuka and Fairlie If your drinking water comes from a private well, come along to a well water check to test your water quality in Temuka or Fairlie this month. Organised by the Orari Temuka Opihi Pareora (OTOP) Water Zone Committee, the well water checks will offer a free check…