Greetings from your Community Board

Highlights from our latest meeting

Our Community Board met on Tuesday 16 June. Some highlights of our meeting included granting of a new easement to Orion over Council reserve land at Centennial Park. Orion are installing new lights and cabling within Centennial Park as part of the wider cycle-way master plan project. Council have also asked Orion to relocate overhead lines to underground at Cashmere Valley in relation to a wider flood detention project, which will include substantial land excavation works. The Board also approved the landscape plan for the Cashmere Worsleys Flood Storage Facility, which includes approximately 355,000 square metres of native vegetation areas, including significant woodland areas and riparian planting and gravel paths for recreation and maintenance access. Once complete, the landscape plan will also provide new habitat for native birds and animals and increase the extent of natural habitat in the Port Hills locality. We also approved funding for Summer with Your Neighbours 2020-21. You can read more about and apply for community funding here.  The Board notes that the Council is proposing to charge an excess water use targeted rate for households that use significantly more water than the average household as part of its updated Draft Annual Plan 2020-21. We have put together a submission to the Council, supporting an equitable allocation of water. We do not support households who pay higher rates receiving a larger water allowance.
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.

 Te Tira Kāhikuhiku – Red Zones Transformative Land Use Group

A big welcome to members of the new community advisory group Te Tira Kāhikuhiku who had their official orientation earlier this week. Spreydon-Cashmere Community Board member Keir Leslie is part of this group, which will advise LINZ and Christchurch City Council on temporary initiatives and activities that transform Crown-owned red zone land. They’ll also make decisions on Council grant funding for some of these short-term, transitional opportunities. 

Boost for community groups in wake of COVID-19

A financial boost to help community organisations cope with the challenges of the COVID-19 crisis is proposed in Christchurch City Council’s Draft Annual Plan.
The one-off $360,000 boost to the Strengthening Communities Fund would be available to community groups working to promote wellbeing across the sporting, arts, social, health and environmental sectors.

Winter sport bounces back

Local community sports teams have jumped at the chance to get back on the field following months of uncertainty due to the COVID-19 lockdown. Team numbers across all winter codes are similar to last year’s despite the impact of the two-month shutdown, showing the importance of sport in Canterbury.

Water charge would only impact high users

Only households that use substantially more water than the average would face an extra charge for water if Christchurch City Council moves forward with a proposal to introduce a new targeted water rate.

Matariki celebrations on the rise

Get ready for Matariki to take a starring role in mid-winter family events around Christchurch. Matariki is the Māori name for the cluster of stars also known as the Pleiades. It disappears for about 28 days during mid-winter and when it reappears on the horizon – this year from 13 to 16 July - the Māori New Year begins.