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Matariki celebrations continue to brighten the city over the next 10 days but the winter fun doesn’t stop there. With KidsFest, Go Live!, Winter Fun, Chill in the City, the Christchurch Brick Show and the WORD Christchurch Festival all happening over the next two months, Ōtautahi Christchurch is humming! Tīrama Mai, the city’s new lighting…
The multi-agency team investigating a mass rapid transit system for Greater Christchurch has released an interim report. Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency and local councils, on behalf of the Greater Christchurch Partnership, have been looking at how MRT could work as the area grows over the next 30 years. They have assessed three scenarios; one…
Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel has decided she will not seek re-election at the October 2022 local body elections. Today she talks about that decision. Just over 30 years after first being selected to run for public office, I am announcing that I won’t be running again for the office I now hold, Mayor of Christchurch….
Updated air quality picture for Canterbury now available An updated Air Quality National Picture Summary confirms air quality in New Zealand towns, including Canterbury, is generally good and has improved over the past 15 years. However, the update from LAWA (Land, Air, Water Aotearoa) also highlights there is still work to be done to reduce levels of…
Canterbury’s taonga (treasures) will be safer and more accessible thanks to a project aiming to help up to 40 of the region’s heritage organisations improve the care of their collections. The Canterbury Museum-led project received $209,033 in the most recent round of funding from Manatū Taonga Ministry of Culture and Heritage’s Te Tahua Whakakaha Capability…
New Zealand has managed to dodge the COVID-19 bullet, again. Here’s why In a new article on The Conversation, UC’s Associate Professor Arindam Basu examines how Aotearoa New Zealand has so far avoided a Covid-19 community outbreak. New Zealand health authorities were quick to react, isolating and testing contacts and suspending travel. Of the traveller’s…
Supporting kura kaupapa Māori students into university life Lilly Eckhold is breaking through barriers as a student from a kura kaupapa Māori background and the first of her whānau to go to university. Kiliona Tamati-Tupa’i (left) and Lilly Eckhold are studying at the University of Canterbury after graduating from kura kaupapa Māori immersion schools last…
At least four in five New Zealanders will have to be vaccinated before border controls can be fully relaxed UC’s Professor Michael Plank, UoA’s Professor Shaun Hendy and UoA’s Nicholas Steyn argue that Aotearoa New Zealand needs to reach population immunity before any blanket border reopening. Find out more in their new article on The…
Building business capacity to ensure a sustainable future in tourism In an uncertain world, finding out what makes a business resilient will help owners and managers build a sustainable future. “When we think of resilience, organisations think in terms of their response when something goes wrong. Yet, resilience isn’t only about bouncing back when there…
Canterbury students invent new materials from flax and cabbage tree leaves Sustainable materials made from cabbage tree leaves and flax could soon be used to build high-performance skis and skateboards in Christchurch. KiwiFibre Innovations Ben Scales and William Murrell pictured with their first working prototype – a harakeke biocomposite skateboard made from recycled polylactic acid…
The Government has released details on how it plans to reform the provision of three water services in New Zealand by establishing four new water entities. As part of this release, the Government has produced dashboards which contain some Council specific information about the water reforms to help support local decision-making. (See below) “Looking at…
A good night’s sleep key for children with autism, study shows A University of Canterbury (UC) study has found that a reduction in sleep problems for children on the autism spectrum vastly improves those children’s behaviour and their parent’s wellbeing. The study’s lead author Associate Professor Laurie McLay says the association between sleep and behavioural…
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…
Christchurch City Council is scoping the market for companies interested in providing e-bikes and e-scooters for public hire. Two companies – Lime and Flamingo – currently hold permits to rent out e-scooters in Christchurch but their permits are due to expire at the end of August. Lime also has a permit to operate up to…
Fees and charges for some Christchurch City Council-run services and facilities will change over the coming months. The fee changes were signalled earlier this year when Christchurch City Council consulted the public on its 2021-31 Long Term Plan. From 1 July, some hireage fees for community facilities will change. “We have simplified our criteria for…
New Zealand is right to pause travel to Australia. It buys time to upgrade its COVID-19 response With the trans-Tasman travel bubble burst, now is the time to upgrade our Covid response against the threat of a Delta variant outbreak. Read more from University of Canterbury’s Dr Matt Hobbs in a new article on The…
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…
Protecting people and property from flooding is one of the drivers behind a District Plan change being proposed by Christchurch City Council as part of a package of amendments. The plan change, which is at the pre-notification stage, aims to improve the management of buildings and earthworks near the Waimakariri River stopbanks to avoid risk…
New Regent Street will light up each night, highlighting the heritage facades and attracting more people to the city’s landmark street. The permanent lighting installation spotlights the unique building features following a successful trial run last winter as part of the one-off CHCH is LIT event. Thousands of people poured into the street last year,…
Work to prepare Lyttelton’s Te Nukutai o Tapoa-Naval Point for the prestigious SailGP 2022 yachting series has started today. Whakaraupō Lyttelton Harbour will be on the global stage when a SailGP event is raced there on 29 and 30 January 2022, after a successful bid by ChristchurchNZ last year. The Council is fast-tracking the car park…
“Economists were predicting the COVID-19 pandemic would cause a slow-down in building activity but that hasn’t been the case here. Instead, we are seeing very high levels of building activity across the district and the country,’’ says Christchurch City Council General Manager Infrastructure, Planning and Regulatory Services Jane Davis. In the first six months of…
The final property required for the Canterbury Multi-Use Arena site has been settled, with the Crown reaching an agreement with the owners to buy 212–214 Madras Street. As part of the agreement the NG building will be moved to another location on the Arena site, south of the Transitional Cathedral. The owners are responsible for…
Christchurch City Council is advising Banks Peninsula residents to avoid travel on snow affected roads unless it is essential. More from the Council source here
“Event planning is progressing well, and announcements will be made in the lead up to SailGP letting people know how they can view and get involved in this exciting event,” Heaphy said. “A comprehensive traffic management plan will be in place, including details of how residents and spectators can access Lyttelton and Naval Point. “We…
Eager to be “part of the solution” and not simply onlookers, Gen and Malcolm Long have dug deep to rescue reserves and riverside tracks from smothering weeds. The busy couple are part of the volunteer army working with Christchurch City Council staff to keep parks, reserves, paths and tracks beautiful. They became involved after being…
When West Coaster Michelle Gillman moved to Christchurch three years ago, one of the first things she did was sign up as a Civil Defence volunteer. “I have always been a volunteer for all sorts of things on the Coast and I wanted to find some volunteering work that would be meaningful in Christchurch so…
The volunteer tour guide at Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū strives to “connect people with art, ideas about art and with artists”. “I want to support that connection – to increase the satisfaction and enjoyment that visitors experience while in the Gallery,” she explains. “These tours – led by 50 Gallery volunteers – help…
Christchurch City Council is investing more resources into community partnerships. “During the public submissions on the Draft 2021-31 Long Term Plan a number of submitters expressed a desire for the Council to more closely partner with the community,’’ says Mayor Lianne Dalziel. “As a Council we know that partnering with the community is the best…
Riccarton’s two bus lounges will stay open. Christchurch City Council was considering closing the bus lounges as one of the proposed cost-saving initiatives to offset the financial impacts of COVID-19, but changed its mind after considering public feedback on the Draft Long Term Plan 2021–31. Of the 260 public submissions received on the Riccarton Bus…
Making it safer for people to get where they want to go and improving the condition of roads and footpaths is at the heart of Christchurch’s transport spending over the next 10 years. Christchurch City Council has committed to spending $1.45 billion on transport infrastructure as part of its 2021-31 Long Term Plan. “We want…