News archive

$140m project kicks off in Chch CBD

Work has begun on Christchurch's first major rebuild development, a $140 million project that will cover 45,000 square metres in the central city.

Minister attends trifecta of CBD progress

Gerry Brownlee | Canterbury Earthquake Recovery

Reminder – Heathcote Bridge closure this weekend 21/22 September

Motorists are reminded that the Heathcote River Bridge on State Highway 76 will be closed to traffic again this weekend as part of the scheduled works until mid October. The closure will be from 6pm on the Friday night to …

Reminder – Heathcote Bridge closure this weekend from 6pm Friday 20th September

Motorists are reminded that the Heathcote River Bridge on State Highway 76 will be closed to traffic again this weekend as part of the scheduled works until mid October. The closure will be from 6pm on the Friday night to …

Two Significant new commercial developments for Christchurch.

Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee has today celebrated the start of two significant new commercial developments in Christchurch’s CBD, and unveiled imagery of the next stage of the Avon River Precinct, The Terraces.

Rebuild workers not paid

Former workers of a labour supply company which has allegedly failed to pay its employees tens of thousands of dollars have laid complaints with the Government.

Cook Strait claim deadlines reminder

New accommodation targeting homeless

The Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority says new, temporary accommodation in Christchurch should help reduce the number of homeless people going to the City Mission for help.

Photos document changing suburb

The creator of a photo exhibition on one of Christchurch's red-zoned suburbs hopes the show will go on tour as a reminder to the country of what the residents have been through.

Fendalton Road intersection with Holmwood Road to close end of September

Motorists are advised Holmwood Road will close at the intersection of Fendalton Road and Queens Avenue from 30 September for up to seven weeks. There will be no access from Holmwood Road into Fendalton Road or from Queens Avenue into …

How not to repair a Heritage building in the Christchurch CBD…. part 125….

Well miracles do happen…. yesterday 10 September 2013 a digger turned up in the street and started to clear away the remains of the Billens building that has been lying in the street since 7th December 2012. It took less than one day to clean up.  ( Link  The puzzling aspect of this all was, we were told every time we asked why it had not been removed, that it was too dangerous.  Yeah right!  Interestingly it still leaves Laurie Rose’s frontage lying on the footp ...

Latest Research from the Christchurch earthquakes – Health, Engineering and Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous Airports: sources of economic growth and disaster resilience M Coetzee – Australian Institute of Traffic Planning and Management …, 2013 … It uses the example of the role of Christchurch Airport in supporting the recovery of the city of …

Day 941 - fruit & veggie orders

There are 636 orders from 20 of the 22 CSFVC distribution centers for fruit and veggies.

  0 Addington Action
29 Bower Ave
25 Burnham
11 Comcare Addington
  1 CSCGT
38 Discovery
50 Eureka St
  0 Hoon Hay Presbyterian
50 Manuka Cottage at Church Sq
50 Opawa Baptist
28 Pensacola Cres
32 Reformed Church in Hornby
44 Riccarton Community Church
26 Rolleston
34 Rowley Resource Centre
27 Salvation Army Sydenham
19 Spreydon Bapt ...

Heritage Hotel reopens on birthday

Christchurch's Heritage Hotel put on a glitzy ceremony to mark its official reopening and the 100th birthday of the grandiose building.

Work kicks off on Terrace development

It's not everyday you see a man in a blue suit with crocodile skin dress shoes and a Cabinet minister on diggers.

CERA has left council a 'toothless tiger' - councillor

Councillors query when CERA will return powers

C is for Care

6 Days after the February quake I stood and watched a gentleman wash his dishes in the gutter outside my business in North New Brighton. It broke my heart to see such suffering occurring so the next day I started and ran a Welfare Centre from the car park of the Bowhill Mower Centre. I […]

Redcliffs TC3 land sells for $1 million

Owners of TC3 land can take heart - a bare section on some of Christchurch's most earthquake-prone land has sold for close to $1 million.

Pyne Gould site bought by Government

CBD – Available Routes Map – 21st – 28th September

For available routes around the Central City please find below the CBD network map. This is updated weekly and is available via our website and The Press newspaper on Saturdays. Please click here to download the network map – Available Routes Map.

Gloucester Street between Montreal and Durham – restricted to westbound from 20/9/13

Gloucester Street between Montreal and Durham Streets will be restricted to westbound traffic until the end of October from 20/9/13. East bound road users from Montreal Street will be advised to use Armagh Street to access Durham Street. Stage one …

Crown buys site of Pyne Gould quake building

The Crown has bought the Christchurch property where the Pyne Gould Corporation building stood until it collapsed in the February 2011 earthquake.The purchase has been made to incorporate the property at 233 Cambridge Terrace into...

Government buys sensitive Christchurch site

The Government has purchased the land where Christchurch's Pyne Gould Corporation (PGC) building used to stand.

Key meets with Cameron, praises Britain for quake support

Prime Minister John Key has praised Britain for the friendship and support it showed his country after a deadly earthquake.Mr Key met Prime Minister David Cameron in Downing Street overnight, with the rebuilding of Christchurch...

Key presses visa restrictions with Cameron - to no avail

Prime Minister John Key came away empty handed after making his plea to British Prime Minister David Cameron to lift visa restrictions on New Zealanders wanting to work in the UK.Mr Key and Mr Cameron met at 10 Downing Street in...

John Key hails UK-NZ relationship

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key has praised Britain for the friendship and support it showed his country after a deadly earthquake.

Crown buys PGC site for north frame

The Government has bought the Pyne Gould Corporation site, where 18 people lost their lives in the February 2011 earthquake.

Day 939 - 4 tonnes of fruit & veggies

Today over 4 tonnes of fruit & veggies was processed at the Christchurch South Fruit & Veggie Co-op (CSFVC) packing centre at Hoon Hay Presbyterian Church.

650 orders @ 5.8 kg each = 3,770 kg
22 left over boxes @ 15.2 kg each = 334.4 kg
Total = 4,104.4 kg

B is for Beautiful

The Burwood Pegasus ward is amazingly Beautiful. I first fell in love with it when I arrived here almost 18 years ago to study for my Geology and Geography degree. One of my favourite courses was Coastal Geomorphology, studying the Brighton spit and estuary. I have seen the decay occurring in New Brighton and in […]

Day 939 - co-op committee

The fruit and veggie packs cost $10 each, contain between $20 to $30 worth of produce at supermarket prices, and can be ordered in a week in advance and picked up from the nearest distribution centre. Each distribution centre is run by co-op members who are receiving the packs and take turns being on a roster to help pack and distribute.


The co-op packing centre is run by a committee made up of 1 voting representative from each distribution centre, and an elected organiser.< ...

Sites for public servants revealed

The shape of central Christchurch's new business district has started to emerge after Government decisions on housing public servants.

Migrant rebuild workers exploited

Some Christchurch rebuild workers continue to be exploited, a trend unions say needs to stop.

Sites for 1700 public servants revealed

The shape of central Christchurch's new business district has started to emerge after Government decisions on housing public servants.

No access into Hereford Street from Montreal Street intersection next week 24.9.13

Road users will be unable to access Hereford Street from Montreal Street or the east end of Hereford Street at Montreal Street intersection on the 24 September 2013. The lane will be closed for work which is taking place at …

More women, kids, homeless in Christchurch

Emergency housing and shelters are struggling to cope with the growing number of homeless women and children in Christchurch city.The Christchurch City Mission and YWCA say they are inundated with women and children desperately...

Historic Carlton Hotel to open doors

A revamped third incarnation of the historic Carlton Hotel will open its doors this Friday, in a nod to the burgeoning entertainment precinct it has been reborn into.

Free software available at South Library

A demo of free software to show television on your computer is one of the highlights of Software Freedom Day being celebrated on September 21 at Christchurch South Learning Centre. Don Robertson, who is organising the event will demonstrate his MythTV set-up – a Free Software personal digital video recorder and may include installation of […]

Edgeware Village Green loses treasurer

The Edgeware Village Green has lost its treasurer, Karen Lewis, who passed away on September 14 after a long illness. Nancy Higgins said that Karen was a dedicated and enthusiastic volunteer for the Edgeware Community Gardens. “She was our treasurer for two years, and spent the last few months of her life gardening for us […]

Volunteering St Albans

Volunteering Canterbury visited the St Albans Baptist Church on September 17. Photos from the session have been posted on the organisation’s Facebook page.

Rebuild workers risk 'exploitation', says ministry

An investigation which discovered a worker had not received his full pay or annual leave has prompted a stern warning to construction firms from the Government.

Rehua Marae’s leadership role in recovery praised

The leadership role of Rehua Marae in response to the earthquakes in 2010 and 2011 was highlighted by Emma Rawson from the Canterbury District Health Board at the Public Health Association’s annual conference in New Plymouth recently. She was outlining The Building community resilience: Learning from the Canterbury earthquakes study,which involved researchers from the Canterbury […]

Marae help lead quake rebuild

Researchers are crediting marae with playing a leadership role in the rebuild and recovery of Christchurch, following the earthquakes.

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People with disabilities sought for documentary

The producers of television programme Attitude are on the lookout for people who live with disabilities and/or mental health issues so they show the non-clinical interventions offered by community groups to help with traumatic experiences. “We want to meet a few people who are willing to share their stories on camera in order to not […]

Marae lead the way for Christchurch earthquake recovery

A large study of six communities affected by the 2010 and 2011 Christchurch earthquakes has found that marae have played - and continue to play - a leadership role in the rebuild and recovery of the city.

Day 938 - good crew

6 + 1/2 turned up today to finish off lots of small jobs at the Garlands Rd site.
Jobs done today were

No exit from Hereford Street at Rolleston Avenue end

Road users are unable to exit Hereford Street at the Rolleston Avenue end while Rolleston Avenue is restricted to one way traffic in an easterly direction. To access Rolleston Avenue from Montreal Street road users will need to go via …

Day 938 - co-op buy for tomorrow

The buy this morning at the Market. Arriving tomorrow in crates and cartons for packing

Banana - 44 (Bobbys in packs)
Apple - 36 (approx 1kg ea)
Celery - 41 (one ea)
Broccoli - 26 (one ea)
Carrot - 30 (approx 1kg ea)
Nectarine - 47 (there is some spoilage here so might be best to get someone good sorting out first. You should end up with at least 600g ea)
Buttercup Pumpkin - 44 (one ea)
Grapes - 82 (one bag ea)

Te Puke Lions Club have also donated 14 banana box ...

Another privacy breach revealed at EQC

The Earthquake Commission has another shaky privacy blunder to deal with after some customers were sent a letter with details of another person's claim.

You can review NZ’s human rights record

New Zealand’s human rights record is being reviewed in January next year and New Zealanders are being asked to give feedback. Every 4.5 years New Zealand’s human rights performance is reviewed by the United Nations Human Rights Council. New Zealand’s next Universal Periodic Review (UPR) will take place in January 2014 at the UN Human […]

EQC responds to privacy breach

Maori art and cultural activities showcased

The repaired Linwood Community Arts Centre at the corner of Worcester Street and Stanmore Road is hosting an exhibition and classes showcasing contemporary and traditional Maori art and cultural activities during September. The exhibition, which runs till Friday, 27 September, features work by Martin Hinkley (painting and stone carving, Vanissa Kararaina (painting), Ellyn Taawera (flax weaving), George […]

Port Hills S124 Hazard Notices Can Continue

Press Release by New Zealand Government at 5:27PM, 16 Sep 2013 The Government has today agreed to a new Order in Council, under the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Act 2011, to [...]

Insurers settling nearly $5 million of Canterbury claims each day

The Insurance Council says insurers have been paying out $4.7 million a day in Canterbury residential claims over the past month.

Port Hills hazard regulation extended

The Government has renewed a regulation that prevents people from occupying buildings at risk from natural hazards on Christchurch's Port Hills.

Strip club kicks back with video

A Christchurch strip club set to be bulldozed to make way for a park in the eastern frame is hitting back at earthquake authorities with satire.

Candidates for the Health Board

You will be asked to vote for representatives on the Health Board very shortly. We asked candidates to provide a few words and a picture.  You can read more about them by clicking on the read more link below. Dr George Abraham Independent I’m a fully integrated/involved/contributing Cantabrian New Zealander chosen Christchurch as home in 1996. […]

Day 937 - Keep Our Assets Christchurch's Public Ownership Pledge

Port Hills s124 hazard notices can continue

Gerry Brownlee | Building and Construction