Greetings from your Community Board

Message from the Chair

Kia ora koutou, Autumn is here and it's wonderful to see all the changing colours throughout our beautiful city. It was wonderful to see so many of you at the opening of the St Albans Community Centre. I'm thrilled we have this exciting new space in our community. We've had a busy month as there are several important consultations happening at the moment, including our city's draft Long Term Plan and draft Climate Change Strategy. This is an opportunity to make your voice heard and help set the direction for our city over the next decade, including shaping how we work together to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and plan for the ongoing effects of climate change. Have we got it right? Is there anything we've missed?
If you haven't already, I encourage you to jump on Council's have your say page and share your views.
Stay together, look after one another.

Board Chair, Emma Norrish

Highlights of our latest meeting

Our Community Board met on Friday 16 April. Some highlights of our meeting included hearing from local residents as part of our Public Forum. Margaret Holland spoke about safety concerns at the Cranford Street/Innes Road intersection and Jo Scott on the increase in traffic volumes and speeds on Flockton Street.
We also approved funding for a number of great community projects from our 2020 - 2021 Discretionary Response Fund, including a grant of $1,000 to the St Albans Resident Association towards Shirley Road Central Skip Day event and registration fee costs, $8,000 to Papanui Youth Development Trust towards increasing their Administration Support, $3,000 to Morrison Avenue Bowling Club (Inc.) for bowling greens maintenance, and $1,100 to St Albans Resident Association towards Shirley Road Central Skip Day event and registration fee costs.
We also received the Community Board Area Report for March 2021, which gives us an overview of all the great things going on in our community.
You can read the minutes for more details of these items and other topics, and find out the dates, times and details of upcoming Community Board and Council meetings here.

Celebrations as new community centre opens in St Albans

The official opening of the new St Albans Community Centre was a huge success on Saturday 10 April 2021. Over 80 guests consisting of the Mayor, Chief Executive, Papanui-Innes Board members, local St Albans Residents Association members, representatives from Lions International (who funded the temporary community centre building which was re-sited on MacFarlane Park for the Shirley community), the project and builders teams and the original and current time capsule providers shared the celebrations.

Mayor Lianne Dalziel opened the striking new $2.7 million Kohinga St Albans Community Centre, situated on the block between Colombo Street and Caledonian Road, on Saturday. Along with St Albans Residents’ Association Chair Jason Harvey, she also planted a tree on the site to mark the occasion.

The 400 square metre building, which has a modern timber and glass façade includes a large hall and several meeting rooms for public use, a kitchen and an office. A working party made up of Waipapa/Papanui-Innes Community Board members and representatives from groups including the St Albans Residents’ Association, Edgeware Business Association and St Albans School agreed on the community centre’s final floor plan.

Find out more

New mural for Aratupu Preschool and Whānau Hub

The new mural is now up on the fence in front of the Aratupu Preschool and Whānau Hub on Harewood Rd. Our Board was pleased to be able to help fund it, along with Creative New Zealand, and we love the symbolic link back to the native bush which once stood in Papanui. Look out for it next time you’re driving past!

Shirley ‘Shine’ Event

Staff attended the annual Shirley SHINE event held at MacFarlane Park on Sunday 21 March 2021. The event ran from 12-3pm on a perfect, sunny day and the Shirley Community Trust who organised the event estimated that over 1,000 attended including many families and a number of new people attending their first community event in Shirley.

The entertainment on stage featured local singers, dancers, Zumba and a school saxophone ensemble. Activities were abundant, free and well appreciated. They included: bouncy castles, archery, water rollers, crazy bikes, Imagination Station – Lego Petting Zoo, Silly Billy – animal balloons, Toy Library; Library Bus; Sporting Activators with games; Cricket Canterbury inflatable; Smoothie Bike, plus various hands-on activities at different stalls.
Positive feedback to the Trust highlighted engaged families, excellent entertainment and a harmonious, happy atmosphere enjoyed by the local community.

St Albans School and the Innovating Streets Team

The Innovating Streets Team have been working with St Albans school members to improve accessibility and safety at St Albans School. As part of these works, students showed staff where they had safety concerns on their way into the school and several locations have been identified for improvements – such as the Day Care Centre on Cranford Street and English Park entry/exit. The Team are looking at painting additional signage for the footpaths.

Christchurch Northern Corridor (CNC) Finishing Touches

The Alliance Crew are finishing up at their site office. However, work will continue on some small jobs and the landscaping. In October they will be back to do the final seal and asphalt layer on the motorway and QEII Drive. They have all loved working on this project and being part of this community and wish to thank you all for your understanding when they were noisy or getting in your way and also for the community getting involved when there were things to celebrate.

ANZAC Day Remembrance Services

There will be two memorial services held within the Papanui-Innes Wards on Sunday 25 April 2021:

· Papanui War Memorial – Papanui Returned and Services Association (RSA)

· Belfast War Memorial – Belfast Community Network Inc. (BCN)

Community Board Chair Emma Norrish will attend each service to lay a wreath on behalf of the Board.

Name change on agenda for ‘spelling mistake’ creek

Our Community Board members want to correct the historical misspelling of Kaputone Creek, seeking an official name change to Kā Pūtahi.

Following a Community Board request, Christchurch City Council staff are preparing a proposal for the New Zealand Geographic Board Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa to approve a return to the original Māori spelling, Kā Pūtahi.

The Geographic Board holds national place-naming authority. It will review the proposal, and, if accepted, consult with the public on the alteration. It only meets a few times each year, with the proposed name change hopefully on the July agenda.

Find out more

Hoani Street - wastewater renewal project underway

Our contractors are renewing the sewer mains and laterals between 18 to 109 Hoani Street in Papanui. Work started in April and is expected to finish by September.
There will be traffic management in place to keep works and road users safe.
The contractor is John Fillmore Contracting. Phone Michael Horgan on 027 549 8489 between Monday to Friday, 7am to 6pm.

Find out more

Papanui wastewater renewals

We’re also renewing parts of the sewer network around a number of Papanui streets, including Frank, Gambia, Perry and Grassmere streets. Phone Michael Horgan from John Fillmore Contracting on 027 549 8489 between Monday to Friday, 7am to 6pm or approach any of the friendly crew on site.

Time called on cheque payments

The Council will not be accepting cheque payments from 30 April 2021 because the three major New Zealand banks are phasing out cheques in May and June of this year.

Find out more

Connecting over what's in common

A new initiative - InCommon - has been created in response to the Christchurch mosque attack by Cantabrians who want to ensure the incredible community spirit, togetherness and companionship that poured out after the tragic event doesn’t end

Find out more

Have your say on the draft Climate Change Strategy

Climate change is a global issue with local impacts. How we respond could affect the way we live and do business. Do you think we’re doing enough? Have your say on the draft Ōtautahi Christchurch Climate Change Strategy before 25 April 2021.

Have your say

Go Wild Ōtautahi! Kids school holiday trail

Explore the cultural heart of Ōtautahi with this kids' holiday trail featuring wildlife of Aotearoa and activities at Christchurch Art Gallery, Tūranga, Canterbury Museum and the Botanic Gardens.

Find out more