Banks Peninsula Community News - 7 October 2020
Greetings from your Community Board
Message from the Chair
Kia ora koutou,
Spring has well and truly arrived – if the weather wasn't enough of a hint, the number of fun events and opportunities listed below gives you a fair idea that people are in the mood to go outside, get active and come together.
There are also a few links below that relate to big issues that impact Banks Peninsula, like the proposed changes to short-term accommodation, and the very future of the greater Christchurch area 30 years from now – what kind of city and Banks Peninsula do you want to see in 2050? Now's the time to have your say.
I'd also like to congratulate the volunteers who've been involved with planting around our community. The Diamond Harbour Reserves Committee tells me there have been about 3000 plants distributed across the wider Diamond Harbour area this year.
Keep being kind and look after one another. Kia kaha.
Board Chair, Tori Peden
Highlights of our latest meeting
Our Community Board met on Monday 5 October. Some highlights of our meeting included considering applications to the Banks Peninsula 'Summer with your Neighbours' 2020–21 fund, with the available funds going towards a number of great-sounding community BBQs, parties and events. We also approved a design proposal for Akaroa Mini Golf and endorsed the renewal plan for the Beach Road seawall running from the Akaroa main wharf to opposite 51 Beach Road.
You can read the minutes to see what else we discussed and find out the dates, times and details of upcoming Community Board and Council meetings here.
Sponsor a plank for the Governors Bay Jetty
The Governors Bay Jetty Restoration Trust is raising funds to rebuild the historic jetty. There are 1500 planks on the 300-metre long jetty and their 'sponsor a plank' campaign aims to get a sponsor for each of them.
You can sponsor a plank by donating $500 – more than 200 planks are already sponsored, and the Trust has a target of 500.
Can’t afford $500? Donate any amount – if it’s $25 or more, you can go into the Lucky Plank Draw.
Banks Peninsula Walking Festival 2020 is coming...
Experienced guides will lead you on tracks, reserves, and private lands every Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are still available for some of the walks. Various times and locations available from Saturday 7 to Sunday 29 November.
Try pots restoration reveals whale of an Akaroa tale
Relics of Akaroa’s whaling days will be restored following decades of damage often caused by children clambering in and out of the large cast-iron try pots on the foreshore.
A $12,000 conservation project is soon to start, with the three pots to be carefully prised from their broken brickwork setting and then removed for intensive restoration.
Whalers used the pots – sitting on ship decks or in whaling stations dotted on the foreshore around New Zealand from the 1830s – to boil down whale blubber for use in lamps and soap.
Have your say on short-term accommodation
The Council is calling for submissions on its proposed changes to the Christchurch District Plan provisions relating to short-term accommodation primarily in rural, papakāinga, and residential zones of the city.
The proposed changes are primarily focused on short-term visitor accommodation in a residential house/unit (e.g. Airbnb, HomeAway, Bookabach) although other providers of short-term accommodation, such as serviced apartments, motels and hotels, may also be affected.
The proposed changes to the District Plan seek to strike a balance between enabling business and tourism activities in Christchurch and Banks Peninsula, including allowing the more flexible use of homes, while maintaining amenity levels appropriate for residential areas.
This is the formal Plan Change process. Details on how to make a submission on Proposed Plan Change 4 can be found on Have Your Say. The deadline for submissions is 22 October.
Christchurch Surface Water Quality Report
Water quality in most Christchurch waterways has remained steady, the latest research shows.
The Christchurch City Council has just published its annual Christchurch Surface Water Quality Report, an analysis of water quality data collected throughout 2019.
Waterways are monitored at 42 sites across the district, with more than 11,000 tests being conducted. Of the samples tested, 20 percent did not meet quality guideline levels and 98 percent of sites did not meet guideline levels for at least one of the quality factors measured.
Despite there being room for improvement, the city’s waterways – especially the more rural waterways of Banks Peninsula – are home to many threatened species.
Christchurch Heritage Festival
The Christchurch Heritage Festival is coming and there’s more than 50 special events and activities to explore! Tours, open days, exhibitions, talks, workshops, performances and more. There’s something for the whole whānau, and many events are free.
Some of the events happening in Banks Peninsula include:
Akaroa wastewater hearings start next week
The Akaroa Treated Wastewater Options Hearings Panel will start hearing oral submissions on Monday 12 October.
Christchurch City Council sought submissions on the project over four weeks in July and August.
Four options for dealing with highly treated wastewater from Akaroa were presented for feedback – three where the treated wastewater would be used to irrigate new areas of native trees and one where it would be piped out into the mid-harbour via a new outfall.
At the close of consultation 341 submissions had been received from individuals, organisations and businesses, with 83 asking to speak at the hearings.
Council staff will recommend that highly treated wastewater should be discharged to land, with the preferred location being the Inner Bays. Read the full report for the Hearings Panel.
Reminder: Have your say on how we use our community facilities
We want to support the network of community centres and halls across Christchurch city and Banks Peninsula so these spaces are well used, and people come together there for lots of different activities.
We’ve put together a Community Facilities Network Plan for Christchurch and Banks Peninsula which includes maps and a guidance document. We’d like to know your thoughts about:
- The plan’s scope, to make sure we haven’t missed any facilities
- What the Council needs to consider when adding, removing or repurposing facilities
- How we can make community facilities busier and able to host more activities
You can find out more and give feedback online.
Feedback is open until Wednesday 14 October.
Get pumped for Biketober!
The Community Partnership favourite Biketober is now underway for the whole month of October. It's a 31-day festival celebration promoting biking-related events and encouraging Cantabrians to explore their region by bike. The festival promotes cycling for transportation, recreation, health or wellbeing. This year’s theme is ‘Our City, Our Health, Our Environment’. If there's something you want to organise locally for Banks Peninsula, you can still register your own biking event for the 2020 festival.
Tell us what’s important for Greater Christchurch in 2050...
The Greater Christchurch 2050 survey is now open for feedback.
While the year 2050 might seem a long time away, in order to meet the future needs of our communities, we need to start planning now.
People tell us the thing they love most about living here is the lifestyle. We need to work together to make the most of our strengths and attract and retain people, business and investment while protecting what’s important to us. That’s why the Greater Christchurch Partnership is creating a new plan for our sub-region with everyone that has an interest in the area.
Greater Christchurch 2050 will describe the kind of place we want for our future generations, and the actions we need to take over the next 30 years to make it happen. This work will culminate in a plan that is real and has achievable actions that can be delivered by the partner organisations.
We want to hear what you think Greater Christchurch should look like in 30 years. Do our short survey – it should take around five minutes. You will be able to give feedback until Sunday 8 November 2020.
Get fit for free!
Sign up for a gym, pool or multi membership at one of our Recreation and Sport centres before 13 November 2020 and get one month free. If you’re already a current member, sign up a friend for a gym, pool or multi membership before 13 November 2020 and you both get a month free.
Work on your wellbeing. Find something you enjoy and get active today. Terms and conditions apply.
Contact your Community Board
The Te Pātaka o Rākaihautū/Banks Peninsula Community Board are here to provide support and advice to our community.
Contact the Banks Peninsula governance team
You can find all our contact details on our web page.
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