St Albans Community Meeting

Tuesday 8th May 2012 @ 7.30pm. Abberley Park Hall, Abberley Cres. CCC staff will be joining us to discuss the new community facility in Edgeware Village. Everyone is welcome to contribute to the discussion. see you all there! Emma Twaddell Chair, St Albans Residents Association CERA Community Forum member www.stalbans.gen.nz for everything St Albans

Chch quake amputee to race in New York Marathon

A man who had both his legs amputated after the Christchurch earthquake is set to compete in the New York Marathon.

Chch quake amputee to race in New York

A man who had both his legs amputated after the Christchurch earthquake is set to compete in the New York Marathon.

Supermarket owners 'devastated' by closure

Big ambitions for small sites

Needleworkers add colour to Sumner container

A Sumner container has been yarn-bombed by knitters and crocheters.

Roadworks affecting turnover of businesses

Business has gone stale for a Christchurch bakery subjected to a year of roadworks and street closures.

Lyttelton, Sydenham recovery 'closer'

Recovery plans for Lyttelton and Sydenham's earthquake- hit centres are a step closer after the Christchurch City Council fast-tracked the planning process.

Cathedral verdict ignored dissent

Christ Church Cathedral's tower was demolished this week and there are plans to bring down most of the building. CHARLIE GATES has been reviewing thousands of pages of documents that chronicle the battle for the cathedral.

Mobile food licences to feed workers

Rubble still on site in Sydenham

Piles of rubble are still on site at a controversial rubble dump in Sydenham, a businessman says.

Engineers deem quarter of inspected sites unsafe to occupy

More than a quarter of Canterbury buildings subjected to detailed engineering evaluations (DEEs) have been judged too dangerous to occupy.

CCC - Communications audit

You may recall there have been concerns about the quality of communications within the Council, and between the Council and various agencies, groups, and communities. The Council is seeking feedback as part of it's audit of how well it has communicated. From the council website: A key to successful community engagement is two-way communications - opportunities for ratepayers to have a

Sir Ian McKellen one man show opens

Sir Ian McKellen is touring a one man show to raise money for the restoration of the earthquake damaged Theatre Royal in Christchurch.

Day 436 - trade accounts

Addington Action now has 12 trade accounts around the city for purchase of supplies. This will speed up repairs, keep the paperwork tidy, and save a bit of dosh.

There is one left to open. An account with Bunnings Riccarton that will save the busy and friendly trade counter staff having to process frequent cheques.

Ready, Set, Build

It seems like just the other day I was lamenting the lack of rebuilding going on... oh wait, it was! That may be true for the city centre, but around the edges and out in the suburbs, repairs & new constructions are getting underway.

Just across the road from my PO Box used to be a bookstore, art gallery & dairy. This is what it looked like on March 17, 2011...

Here's the same site today...

So, things starting to happen, it's just that in the city centre there's sti ...

Ready, Set, Build

It seems like just the other day I was lamenting the lack of rebuilding going on... oh wait, it was! That may be true for the city centre, but around the edges and out in the suburbs, repairs & new constructions are getting underway.

Just across the road from my PO Box used to be a bookstore, art gallery & dairy. This is what it looked like on March 17, 2011...

Here's the same site today...

Info on TC3 Announcements 5 May 2012

First step for temporary police station

The first sod has been turned at the site of Christchurch's new $20 million temporary police station.

White lights of hope to end this month

Christchurch's White Lights of Hope will soon fade into the darkness.

Repairs start on Novotel Hotel

Earthquake repairs costing $3.6 million have begun on the 14-storey Novotel Hotel in Christchurch.

Quake risk closes parts of Oxford centre

Part of the Oxford service centre will close today because of earthquake risk.

New Chch police station site to be blessed

A blessing and sod-turning ceremony will take place today at the site of the new Christchurch central police station.

21st century organising in a shaky city

Kaiapoi renting wave 'set to break'

Renters in Kaiapoi's red zone are a "wave waiting to break", with nowhere to go as the deadline to leave nears, agencies say.

Cera's demolition budget reaches $115m

The Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority's (Cera) demolition budget has more than doubled since last October, but the authority cannot put a figure on Christchurch's total demolition bill.

Cera's demolition may cost $115m

The Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority's (Cera) demolition budget has more than doubled since last October, but the authority cannot put a figure on Christchurch's total demolition bill.

Day 435 - Manuka Cottage think tank

Earlier tonight,an emergency meeting was called at Manuka Cottage to consider options following a notice of eviction.

Manuka Cottage is a community centre in Addington and is located in Dickens St. It is located in a residential house at cheap rent and has been there for 20 years. The eviction has been caused by the insurance company refusing to renew insurance for the house because it has been deemed "commercial use".

Many more groups can expect to face the axe as this nonsense co ...

Greater Brighton? Count Me In!

Kia ora koutou,


Once again, it's been a busy few weeks in the media with decisions and announcements being made regularly.



As a community we had the opportunity to bid farewell, kia pai te haere and good luck to the as it made its voyage up the Avon and on to parliament where our MP Lianne Dalziel presented it. This incredible journey of community in action will bring us all one step closer to recovery. The number of signatures is testament to both the incredible a ...

Greater Brighton? Count Me In!

Kia ora koutou,


Once again, it's been a busy few weeks in the media with decisions and announcements being made regularly.



As a community we had the opportunity to bid farewell, kia pai te haere and good luck to the as it made its voyage up the Avon and on to parliament where our MP Lianne Dalziel presented it. This incredible journey of community in action will bring us all one step closer to recovery. The number of signatures is testament to both the incredible a ...

Day 435 - concrete prep

Today Simon and Mike prepped a broken path for patching with concrete. Also took away a great load of demo timber for use as firewood and a load to scrap metal dealer.

Signs 'advertise vacant houses'

Northeast Kaiapoi red-zone residents fear new signs designed to curb crime could advertise empty homes to criminals.

Trust to rescue building

The Christchurch Heritage Trust has bought the earthquake-damaged England Brothers House in central Christchurch and will spend more than $4 million rescuing its historic facade.

Health bosses seek certainty for Canty

Canterbury's health bosses have asked the Government to guarantee its funding because the health system is "running on a knife edge".

Housing reports blacked out

Housing Minister Phil Heatley used public interest as justification for "blacking out 95 per cent"of reports released under the Official Information Act on housing issues in Christchurch.

Save our cathedral, Cantabrians plead

Prominent Cantabrians have made an impassioned plea to stop demolition of the Christ Church Cathedral on the day its tower was reduced to rubble.

Canterbury couples suffer quake strain

Canterbury newlyweds and couples in long-term relationships are buckling under "earthquake-related pressure", support services say.

Stats conceal crisis, say welfare agencies

More than 500 people are waiting for state and social housing in Christchurch, yet welfare agencies say the figure does not reflect the true crisis of homelessness in the city.

Christchurch Earthquake Mt Pleasant Home Damage

Christchurch Earthquake Residential Hill Suburbs Damage Christchurch Earthquake Latest Updates Sunday, 27 February 2011. 10.33am 23 properties were evacuated in Christchurch overnight due to the danger of falling rocks, Newstalk ZB reports. The homes affected were in Bridle Path Road, La Costa Lane, Maffeys Road and McCormacks Bay Road. (Source NZ Herald. Christchurch Earthquake Latest [...]

Memories on Madras

During a break in the recent conference someone approached me and asked how the rebuild was going.
'Rebuild?' I laughed. 'We're not up to rebuilding yet, we're still in the demolition phase.'

And every week, it seems, another gets added to the , some to and wanting . Other petitions have already been sent off . 

However, on Monday we reached a milestone - the , from Tuam St onwards. Traffic was reportedly busy all day long, and has been ever since too. But I wanted to ...

Day 434 - the fruit & veggie co-op begins

Today was the first day of operations of the Christchurch Fruit & Veggie Co-op (CSFVC). We packed for 55 households.

The weekly packing was held at the Sydenham Community Centre and will continue every Wednesday morning.

We started at 9am and were all finished by 10.30am. The orders were then taken away to these distribution centres. More will be opening soon.
The empty crates were then returned to CHEP and FCC.

Christ Church Cathedral tower nearly gone

Release of Ministerial Report - March Red Zone decisions

Information Sheet - Interim guidance for repairing and rebuilding foundations in TC3 - 27 April 2012

** TC3 Green - Blue Foundations Update **

** TC3 Green - Blue Foundations Update **

** TC3 Green - Blue Foundations Update **

Crowne Plaza demolition captured

Insurers set to back EQC bid to speed up drilling

The Mairehau – May issue

** TC3 Green – Blue Foundations Update **

Museum works towards reopening

Soldiering on 'in the dark' holds no appeal

Dogs hone skills in red zone

Abandoned red-zoned neighbourhoods are serving as empty playgrounds for police dogs in training.

Elderly say they have been neglected post-quake

Disgruntled elderly residents vented their frustrations at Cera's boss yesterday.

Day 433 - Lincoln Rotary talk

Lots of running around today getting ready for the launch of the Christchurch South Fruit & Veggie Co-op (CSFVC).

And then earlier tonight giving a talk to the weekly meeting of Lincoln Rotary. They were a great audience and asked a lot of good questions. Foods pretty good too!

Rotary puts most groups to shame with their hospitality to guests.

Thanks for the invite and hospitality Lincoln Rotary.

Day 433 - KidsFirst Kindergarten Selwyn St rep

Geoff Wallis is the new rep from on the committee of Addington Action.

Geoff works at the Kindergarten.

Geoff will be able to directly access resources for the families of kids at the kindergarten. One of the first steps is for the kindergarten to become a distributor for the Christchurch South Fruit & Veggie Co-op (CSFVC).

Timing of EQC geotechnical engineering work on TC3 properties

Red Cross - disability grant

The New Zealand Red Cross have announced a new grant to provide financial support for those with disabilities. The grant is: "... to be used towards the increased costs incurred by individuals and families, to access additional respite or help for carers, to help individuals/families to access activities or take a short break, or to assist with things like packing and moving from

Dalziel 'playing politics' in Chch - Key