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Could your local dance group use a $5,000 cash injection?
Whether it’s pre-schoolers or seniors, Scottish dancing or salsa, kapa haka or Kathak, breakdance or ballet – if you’re encouraging people of all ages and abilities to keep moving through dance, we have three Love to Dance grants up… View moreCould your local dance group use a $5,000 cash injection?
Whether it’s pre-schoolers or seniors, Scottish dancing or salsa, kapa haka or Kathak, breakdance or ballet – if you’re encouraging people of all ages and abilities to keep moving through dance, we have three Love to Dance grants up for grabs.
Receive one of three $5,000 grants to spend on equipment, transport, costumes or anything you need to support your community’s love of dance.
From local democracy reporter David Hill:
The Waimakariri District Council will vote on Tuesday, August 2, on whether to extend an agreement to develop a proposed aqua sports park in Kaiapoi.
Two options will be on the table after the Kaiapoi East Residents’ Association (KERA) presented an … View moreFrom local democracy reporter David Hill:
The Waimakariri District Council will vote on Tuesday, August 2, on whether to extend an agreement to develop a proposed aqua sports park in Kaiapoi.
Two options will be on the table after the Kaiapoi East Residents’ Association (KERA) presented an alternative option to the WHoW Charitable Trust’s proposed aqua sports park to a Kaiapoi-Tuahiwi Community Board meeting last week.
Community and recreation manager Chris Brown said a report had been prepared outlining the choice between extending the memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the trust for a further two years or allowing KERA to develop a community space on the site.
The MOU was signed between the council and the trust in August 2020 for two years, with the option of a two year extension, to develop an aqua sports park concept in the Kaiapoi east regeneration area to the north of Kaiapoi River.
A separate three-year license to occupy agreement was signed last year allowing the trust to operate an aqua play park in Lake Courtenay, to the south of the river.
Brown said there was no reason why both proposals could not be accommodated.
KERA chairperson Michelle MacWilliams proposed turning the site into a native regenerating forest with picnic areas, walkways and areas for free activities such as petanque.
‘‘We have reached out to business owners and many of them are on their knees. We don’t want them to have to wait for another three years for something that might not happen.
‘‘We are looking at something that will bring benefit in the spring. It will bring people in and it’s free, so people can spend their money in the stores.’’
MacWilliams said the proposal had support from Ryman Healthcare and other potential funders.
The Kaiapoi-Tuahiwi Community granted KERA permission last year to establish a pocket forest around the perimeter of the site.
Brown said should councillors decide to extend the MOU with the WHoW Charitable Trust, he would reach out to KERA.
Options for how the two organisations could work together and how KERA’s ideas could be accommodated on the site and on other council reserve land would be discussed.
‘‘There are some environmental regeneration projects already under way, such as the Honda Forest, and we’ve been developing dog parks and walk ways, but there’s always room for more,’’ Brown said.
‘‘The council just needs to look at the proposals and make a decision for what’s going to be the best four economic, social, environmental and cultural wellbeing for the district and long term what’s going to be the best for Kaiapoi.’’
When asked at last week’s community board meeting whether KERA would be willing to work with the trust, MacWilliams gave an emphatic ‘‘No!’’.
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From local democracy reporter David Hill:
The Waimakariri and Hurunui district councils are continuing to process high numbers of consents for new houses, as the housing boom shows no signs of letting up.
In the six months to June 30, 435 consents for new houses were issued in the Waimakariri … View moreFrom local democracy reporter David Hill:
The Waimakariri and Hurunui district councils are continuing to process high numbers of consents for new houses, as the housing boom shows no signs of letting up.
In the six months to June 30, 435 consents for new houses were issued in the Waimakariri district.
While this is 12% down on the same period last year, 400-plus consents was a normal year for Waimakariri before the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes, deputy mayor Neville Atkinson said.
Last year, 935 consents were issued for new houses and a similar result was predicted for this year.
"It’s really booming. Why would you not want to live in Waimakariri?" Atkinson said.
"When we set out rates for this year we put the range at around 900 consents and we are halfway at six months, so we are definitely on track."
Woodend led the way with 144 consents, followed by Kaiapoi with 139 and 86 consents in rural areas.
There were 38 consents issued in Pegasus and just 25 in Rangiora.
Atkinson said the bulk of Kaiapoi’s growth was in the Silverstream subdivision, with the smaller sections and high density housing.
While Rangiora’s consent numbers were down, it would pick up again soon with new developments in the pipeline.
One proposed subdivision in Rangiora, Bellgrove, was recently fast-tracked under the Covid-19 Recovery Fast-track Consenting Act 2020.
The 63-hectare site is expected to open up soon for 209 sections in stage one and up to 1100 sections over five stages.
The Waimakariri district’s population has already passed 66,000 and is on track to top 78,000 by 2031.
Long-term projections suggest Waimakariri could approach 100,000 by 2048, with Rangiora expected to pass 30,000.
Kaiapoi is set to run out of room for expansion, but could continue to grow with ‘‘infill’’ and subdividing into smaller sections and more high density housing, Atkinson said.
"That’s one of those issues we will face, whether people see it as a good thing or not is a different story."
He said careful planning and working together with the Greater Christchurch partners was essential.
"We can’t rest on our laurels when planning for our future.
"We have to make sure our systems can handle the growth and that we can continue to keep up with climate change.
"And we need to remember everything flows to Kaiapoi so we’ve got to be smarter with the way we handle our water systems."
The Hurunui District Council issued 194 consents for new houses in the year to June 30, up from 118 the previous year - an increase of 60%, building and property manager Kerry Walsh said.
Amberley led the way with 100 consents for new houses, followed by Hanmer Springs with 45 consents.
Total consents issued in the last six months were 317 with a building value of $52 million, compared with 300 at a value of $42m for the same period last year.
The Kaikōura District Council has issued 73 building consents for the first six months of this year, after issuing 154 building consents during the 2021 calendar year.
The council has also issued 50 resource consents (such as subdivisions and land use), compared to 44 resource consents for the same period last year.
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From local democracy reporter David Hill:
Direct bus services connecting Rangiora and Kaiapoi to Christchurch have continued to be well-supported, despite the challenges of Covid-
19.
Environment Canterbury (ECan) says the Rangiora (91) and Kaiapoi (92) services have enjoyed a solid 18 months, … View moreFrom local democracy reporter David Hill:
Direct bus services connecting Rangiora and Kaiapoi to Christchurch have continued to be well-supported, despite the challenges of Covid-
19.
Environment Canterbury (ECan) says the Rangiora (91) and Kaiapoi (92) services have enjoyed a solid 18 months, since they were introduced in January 2021, despite the various challenges from Covid and driver shortages.
‘‘The past year has seen more people working from home and reluctant to use public transport due to an increase in community transmission of Covid-19,’’ an ECan spokesperson said.
‘‘Despite these circumstances, May 2022 was the best month for the Kaiapoi service since it began, and the Rangiora service has also performed well during May and June.’’
The Kaiapoi service had 2380 passengers in May, while the Rangiora service had well over 3816 passengers in May and 3382 in June.
Waimakariri mayor Dan Gordon is a regular user of ECan’s bus service.
‘‘I use it myself when heading into Christchurch in the morning for regular council-related meetings and it’s fast, convenient, affordable and on-time - all things that a great bus service should be.
‘‘It’s great to see growth in the service from Kaiapoi and generally to see that more residents are using bus services.
‘‘For anyone who commutes to Christchurch for work, I’d strongly encourage you to give this service a go.’’
All other Waimakariri services have also shown an increase in patronage since half-price fares were introduced in April, the ECan spokesperson said.
Overall bus patronage for Greater Christchurch for the year to June 2022 was 8.7 million boardings, which was just two-thirds of pre-Covid service levels.
In contrast the MyWay bus service in Timaru has enjoyed patronage at 5.6% higher than pre-Covid levels, which will be good news for advocates hoping to bring the service to Waimakariri.
Last month, MyWay recorded its second highest number of rides in a day with 614, while daily average rides ranged from 490 to 580.
Similar on-demand trials in Greater Christchurch were being considered as part of ECan’s Long-Term Plan and the Canterbury Regional Public Transport Plan, the ECan spokesperson said.
It’s that time again neighbours - we need your help! Look at all this creativity hiding behind front doors. We now need YOU to vote for your favourite Upcycling Award finalist. The four designs with the most votes will each receive a $200 Resene voucher and a $300 Prezzy® card!
… View moreIt’s that time again neighbours - we need your help! Look at all this creativity hiding behind front doors. We now need YOU to vote for your favourite Upcycling Award finalist. The four designs with the most votes will each receive a $200 Resene voucher and a $300 Prezzy® card!
Find out a little more about each entry here. Voting closes 5pm Thursday 4 August.
Thanks for voting; your clever neighbours thank you!
Hi
Thought I'd post on here, as we have been urgently looking for 6months and still no luck. We would like to provide a stable home for our kids and now ready to settle down in one spot. We are wandering if anyone out there have any rental available in Rangiora area for a family of 4 and an … View moreHi
Thought I'd post on here, as we have been urgently looking for 6months and still no luck. We would like to provide a stable home for our kids and now ready to settle down in one spot. We are wandering if anyone out there have any rental available in Rangiora area for a family of 4 and an outside cat? We are looking for a 2/3 bedroom house with a garage, long term 5+years. Preferably on the price range between $400-$500pw. We've just recently transferred the kids to Rangiora preschool/school so prefer it to be closer to Rangiora as we only have 1 vehicle and also closer to where i work. We have great references, reliable and are tidy small family. We have look on TM and some are either too far away or too pricey and so far no luck. So fingers crossed 🤞, someone on here, hears of something or someone needing a long term reliable tenant. TIA 😊.
Are you overdue a getaway? You could win a 13-day Sir Edmund Hillary Explorer South Island Rail & Coach tour by participating in Neighbourly’s 8th birthday celebration.
To enter the competition, just tell us what you love about your neighbourhood. It could be your favourite spot, a … View moreAre you overdue a getaway? You could win a 13-day Sir Edmund Hillary Explorer South Island Rail & Coach tour by participating in Neighbourly’s 8th birthday celebration.
To enter the competition, just tell us what you love about your neighbourhood. It could be your favourite spot, a beautiful view, or something that makes you smile. You could be in for a once-in-a-lifetime getaway!
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