{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"/2025/05/02/flood-lessons-saved-one-district-from-a-worse-fate-in-latest-rain-event/"},"datePublished":"2025-05-02T04:34:56.522Z","dateModified":"2025-05-02T04:34:56.522Z","headline":"Flood lessons saved one district from a worse fate in latest rain event","description":"North Canterbury's councils have learnt the lessons from previous rain events slips and road closures to parts of North Canterbury but local leaders say they came out relatively unscathed There were reports of slips in the Lees Valley But local councils say recent investment in flood defences ensured the region was protected against the rain Waimakariri District Council chief executive Jeff Millward said the rainfall was similar to rain events in 2014 and 2021 But the council has made significant investment in stormwater infrastructure over the last 10 years and established a specialist flood response team last year Hurunui Mayor Marie Black said the rainfall was significant but not as severe as council staff first feared On Thursday, state of emergencies were declared in Selwyn district Christchurch and Banks Peninsula as flooding and slips threatened homes and Millward said his council was close to joining them ‘‘We definitely had a nervous first night on Wednesday and from then on we were watching river levels closely.’’ Unofficial figures indicate there was 236mm of rain at the Ashley Gorge in 48 hours ‘‘Some of those numbers are quite alarming I think Christchurch is talking about this being one of the top five rain events and we weren’t too far off with rainfall you never quite know where it’s going to fall.’’ Millward had high praise for Environment Canterbury’s rivers team which kept Waimakariri council staff up to date with river management information The council invested more than $20 million on stormwater improvements in Kaiapoi the council set aside funding to establish a specialist flood response team It led to staff proactively setting up pump stations in response to the heavy rain and having five civil defence teams in an overlapping roster to monitor the event ‘‘There’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes that people don’t see — including planning for the worst which could involve evacuating large portions of the district,’’ Waimakariri Mayor Dan Gordon said ‘‘From my travels around the district it was clear the improvements and significant investment especially in the new pumps in Kaiapoi made the difference as well as having pumps and sucker trucks on standby in other trouble spots.’’ Hurunui District Council chief executive Hamish Dobbie said there was some road damage and several roads and fords remained closed Black said the impacts varied across the district and there were high flows in the Waiau and Hurunui rivers She said there will be follow up work for staff with service requests and assessing damage ‘‘These things are not without cost to the council but we will work through it diligently and responsibly.’’ Both councils will continue to monitor the situation with updates available on their respective websites and Facebook pages LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air Surface flooding has been seen throughout North Canterbu On Thursday, state of emergencies were declared in Selwyn district, Christchurch and Banks Peninsula as flooding and slips threatened homes, and Millward said his council was close to joining them. Unofficial figures indicate there was 236mm of rain at the Ashley Gorge in 48 hours, and between 100mm and 135mm at Rangiora, Woodend and Kaiapoi, Millward said. River levels have risen around the North Canterbury region. ‘‘Some of those numbers are quite alarming. I think Christchurch is talking about this being one of the top five rain events and we weren’t too far off. ‘‘It all comes down to good preparation, but even with the best of preparation, with rainfall you never quite know where it’s going to fall.’’ Millward had high praise for Environment Canterbury’s rivers team, which kept Waimakariri council staff up to date with river management information. The council invested more than $20 million on stormwater improvements in Kaiapoi, including $9m from central Government, following previous flood events. In last year’s Long Term Plan, the council set aside funding to establish a specialist flood response team. It led to staff proactively setting up pump stations in response to the heavy rain and having five civil defence teams in an overlapping roster to monitor the event. ‘‘There’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes that people don’t see — including planning for the worst, which could involve evacuating large portions of the district,’’ Waimakariri Mayor Dan Gordon said. ‘‘From my travels around the district it was clear the improvements and significant investment especially in the new pumps in Kaiapoi made the difference, as well as having pumps and sucker trucks on standby in other trouble spots.’’ Hurunui District Council chief executive Hamish Dobbie said there was some road damage, and several roads and fords remained closed. Black said the impacts varied across the district, with rivers rising at Hanmer Springs, closing the Hanmer Reserve for camping, and there were high flows in the Waiau and Hurunui rivers. She said there will be follow up work for staff with service requests and assessing damage. ‘‘These things are not without cost to the council, but we will work through it diligently and responsibly.’’ Both councils will continue to monitor the situation, with updates available on their respective websites and Facebook pages. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air. Three in hospital after Christchurch house fire Emergency services were called to Warrington Street in Mairehau at around 8.05am New Zealand Stowaway weka catches ride across Southern Alps The native bird caught a ride after a couple left their car door open at their campsite Christchurch's Court Theatre makes grand return to the CBD It's been 14 years since the theatre lost its home in the Arts Centre to the earthquake Chch students discover resilience helps young people deal with the challenges of life State of emergency lifted for Christchurch Christchurch Mayor Phil Mauger said there were still a "couple of issues in Banks Peninsula that we need to keep an eye on" Little River locals question if some flooding could have been avoided The Banks Peninsula town was cut off after State Highway 75 was inundated by half a metre of water Environment Watch question time live as Parliament resumes after recess 12 mins ago Bystanders prevent attempted abduction of Auckland primary student 24 mins ago Homicide investigation after man dies in Auckland's Manurewa 31 mins ago Vandals in 4WDs mow down, destroy 38 pōhutukawa trees in Napier 51 mins ago DOC apologises after non-toxic pellets spark warning at Nelson sandflats 57 mins ago Ex-NZ police head Mike Bush appointed to overhaul Victoria force 2 mins ago 1Two men's shared name brings years of trouble and a hefty bill to one Kiwi motorcyclist killed in 11-bike British Supersport crash Photos: Lorde among stars at 2025 Met Gala Erica Stanford concedes use of personal email 'untidy' Govt halts all current pay equity claims, makes it harder to lodge new ones Photos: Lorde among stars at 2025 Met Gala A$AP Rocky and Rihanna also revealed they are expecting their third child. Two arrested over alleged plot targeting Lady Gaga concert in RioBrazilian police said they thwarted an alleged bomb attack planned for Lady Gaga's concert on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro. Lady Gaga rocks Copacabana Beach with free concert for over 2 million fansSun, May 4 Lorde announces new album name, dateThu, May 1 Kim Kardashian to testify in Paris trial over 2016 armed robberyMon, Apr 28 Chubby Checker, Outkast, Cyndi Lauper join Rock & Roll Hall of FameMon, Apr 28 Kim Kardashian to testify in Paris trial over 2016 armed robberyMon A weka who travelled from the West Coast to Christchurch over the Alps has been returned home after his roadie adventure The endemic bird caught a ride after a couple left their car door open at their campsite in Buller Gorge while packing up from their Easter getaway The gear was split between campers Kim Ranger and her partner Ian's two vehicles hidden in dog blankets in Ian's ute despite multiple stops He got home to Christchurch and hopped out and didn’t notice the weka," Kim said I opened the back door of the Ranger to get something there it was in the rear passenger footwell what on earth do you do with a weka in Christchurch?”  Kim said they contacted the after-hours vet SPCA and DOC but were told to care for the bird until morning Apart from setting off the car alarm at 7am and covering the inside of the ute with poo Kim said the weka didn't seem distressed after her last name and given its temporary home Ranger was collected by DOC and checked over at the South Island Wildlife Hospital where — apart from being slightly dehydrated — was in good health and was released back to the area from where it hitched a ride DOC Biodiversity supervisor Craig Alexander said the episode was a reminder for people to check their vehicles for any wildlife when camping “There are no wild weka in Christchurch so we wouldn’t want to see them accidentally introduced here.”  we also had someone accidentally bring two wētā over from the West Coast in their wetsuits,” said Alexander If you find a native animal has snuck a ride somewhere it shouldn't be; contact DOC on 0800 DOC HOT (0800 362 468) for advice on what to do next Christchurch’s Court Theatre has made its grand return to the city more than a decade after losing its home due to damage caused caused by the February 2011 earthquake A new location was found in Addington following the quake people queued to get a look at its brand new forever home The first reactions as people walked through the doors were all very positive I’m really excited to see lots of shows here,” one theatregoer said It’s such a moment for the city," another added The state of the art facility on Gloucester St houses two theatres – one large auditorium that seats 377 stopped by with his family to give it a once-over "We thought we'd pop down and see the new opening and I’m quite interested in architecture and was quite excited to see the building," his father said Christchurch Mayor Phil Mauger described the project as a turning point for the city “Its return to the CBD is more than symbolic – it’s a celebration of what we can achieve when we work together," he said the theatre is expected to grow significantly It currently produces 20 shows annually with a combined audience of 120,000 Court Theatre executive director Gretchen La Roche said the new building "represents a transformative moment for the city’s arts scene” Artistic director Alison Walls called it symbolic and stirring “It feels beautifully fitting we open our new home with this deeply personal national story." Twelve Year 10 students from Christchurch’s Hornby High School have just finished a two-week wilderness adventure as part of Project K The Graeme Dingle Foundation runs the 14-month programme which is designed to help young people deal with the challenges of life 1News were there as the group returned on mountain bikes They were given a rousing guard of honour by fellow students and showered in love and hugs by their families Tania Mulholland greeted her son Toby McLeish with a tight hug "It's been a really long two weeks without him," she said getting them to achieve things that they've never done before so I think it’s great," she said Kayla said she has learnt "to never give up and to keep trying" Felt like I just wanted to go home but I just pushed through The teens trekked through native bush and arduous terrain near Otira One student said the tasks brought out the best in each of them "You'll feel scared and lonely and down and you just need to push through because you can do this," they said The students were nominated by their teachers to take part Hornby High School principal Ian Murray said those who were chosen had the "best opportunity to grow resilience and character to help them through the challenges that some of them may have been facing at the time" Their final task was to deliver a speech about what they’ve learnt I pushed myself beyond my limits and realised I had more to me than I thought," Kayla told the audience The Graeme Dingle Foundation's general manager for the Canterbury region said they've seen students flourish after going through the programme “We've seen them from students that have got their shoulders down and their heads down chin up and just beaming that they've overcome some amazing obstacles," she said The Graeme Dingle Foundation supports 27,000 young people to undertake a similar journey of discovery each year The state of emergency put in place in response to flooding has been lifted for Christchurch but remains in place for Banks Peninsula Mayor Phil Mauger said things in Christchurch had settled down but that there were still a couple of issues in Banks Peninsula the council "need to keep an eye on" "It’s good to have access to powers under the State of Emergency if they’re required and some land instability that needs to be monitored," he said "Although we are transitioning into a recovery period we are still keeping a close eye on the stormwater basins to ensure we keep any disruption to a minimum." Lifting the state of emergency for the Banks Peninsula ward would be assessed next week which reconnected Banks Peninsula with the rest of the region but some smaller roads across the peninsula remained closed Most roads across Christchurch were now open Lower Styx Rd from number 980 to the lagoon These roads were impacted by the managed release of water from stormwater basins which continued to drain slowly The landslip at Lighthouse Rd in Akaroa continues to be regularly monitored with no changes in the past 24 hours A temporary pump installed has now stopped wastewater entering Akaroa Harbour but residents were asked to continue to limit demand on the wastewater system Cleanup is underway in the Banks Peninsula town of Little River as angry locals are left to wonder if some of the flooding could have been avoided Little River was cut off until this afternoon after State Highway 75 was inundated with water aggrieved residents are questioning if its impact could have been lessened if the council had lowered the level of Lake Forsyth before the storm hit and it could have been avoided,” Little River Service Station worker Andy Davis said “Farmers did approach the council about opening the lake and that was back early or late last week and nothing had been done.” Davis is cleaning up after floodwater smashed the windows and upended freezers in the store it might have been the quakes and that could have broken the glass or it might have been the force of the water actually inside.” Rob McFarland was mopping the floor of the hotel after it flooded for the first time in 150 years “Obviously it’s quite a tragic event – a sea of water in here was the last thing we would have expected,” he said His daughter Sarah McFarland said because the lake was left high water coming down the mountain “had nowhere to go and came through the building” the head of Three Waters said the flooding would not have been mitigated by opening the lake “Flooding in Little River and surrounding areas is caused by issues higher up in the catchment and would not have been prevented by opening Lake Forsyth earlier,” Gavin Hutchison said Diggers opened the lake to the sea yesterday afternoon “We have to time this to coincide with the southerly swells dropping to ensure the channel stays open and has the intended impact and so we can ensure the safety of our staff and contractors when we carry out the work." “Having the lake open before the rain does help but it might help disperse some of the water,” she said she found her shop in 20-centimetre-deep water destroying a lot of her stock and leaving her with a huge cleanup “I’m not sure whether to close the doors and walk away.” Vandals in four-wheel drives have mown down 38 pōhutukawa trees on Napier’s Marine Parade The damage was done overnight on Saturday after the vandals first removed new vehicle barriers in front of the trees She said the council was concerned at the behaviour and said an early estimate to replace the damage came to $20,000 "These trees were planted for our community by the Rotary Club as a gift over the past five years," Wise said "There are lots of community groups who work alongside us to make sure Napier has places and spaces that are beautiful and welcoming and Rotary is a key partner in projects like this one "It is heartbreaking to see community resources time and energy treated in this way," she said "The damage was done by people in 4WD vehicles after removing the vehicle barriers and driving over the trees Our parks' team is looking closely at the cost to replace them and at how to ensure the trees are kept safe." recently erected along Marine Parade to keep vehicles off the beach but there was no evidence to suggest the vandalism was related to that to be installed from the National Aquarium of NZ to the Pump Track were to prevent vehicles from tearing up the grass and destroying trees fishermen profiled in a Hawke’s Bay Today article last week said it was a case of blocking their access to prevent "idiots" "It’s not going to stop the idiots doing the damage," one noted Napier City Council has reported the incident to police Local Democracy Reporting is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air The Department of Conservation has apologised to Nelson City Council and members of the public after non-toxic pellets left behind following a drone trial sparked concern among residents who believed them to be poisonous The incident unfolded following a drone-based experiment conducted last week at the Wakapuaka sandflats located northeast of Nelson DOC terrestrial biodiversity director Hilary Aikman said the trial was part of an ongoing study to test the effectiveness of aerial detection methods "They used non-toxic pellets for this research dyed blue to make them easier to see," she said a drone was used to photograph the area where the pellets lay leading to a member of the public walking their dog reporting them to Nelson City Council on Monday The council issued a warning shortly before 3pm yesterday that green or blue poisonous pellets which were "highly toxic" to animals and humans had been located in the area "There is no indication of how they got there and the matter has been reported to the police," said community services group manager Andrew White in a statement to 1News last night once DOC had clarified the origin and nature of the pellets the council said this morning that the issue had been resolved "The area is safe for recreational users and dog walkers." Aikman said DOC would like to apologise to Nelson City Council and members of the public "We acknowledge the non-toxic pellets should have been removed on the day of the trial and we made an error in judgement by leaving them there." The team would remove any pellets remaining in the area today Former police commissioner Mike Bush has been tasked with leading one Australian state's troubled force out of the mire after months of internal woes Bush has been named Victoria's next chief commissioner and will take over on June 27 Victoria Premier Jacinta Allan said her government had "picked the right man for the job," pointing to his job performance across the ditch "Mike Bush will bring new leadership to Victoria Police," she told reporters "He made the community safer in New Zealand and he'll make the community safer in Victoria." Opposition police spokesperson in Victoria said the new commissioner must not be set up to fail and be able to carry out the job without political interference and the powers required to do the job effectively," Southwick said Bush retired from the New Zealand police force in 2020 after six years in the top job Victoria Police was thrust into leadership turmoil in February with a no-confidence vote from officers costing chief commissioner Shane Patton his job The state government installed Emergency Management Commissioner Rick Nugent as acting chief while it searched for a replacement Nugent was viewed as a frontrunner for the vacant role but pulled out after admitting he didn't have the drive to commit to a five-year term The force has not appointed a top cop from outside Victoria Police since former NSW police assistant commissioner Christine Nixon in 2001 Nixon described Bush as a calm and considered leader "He'll be very focused on working with the Victorian community members of Victoria Police and the government to .. push things to the future," she told ABC Radio Melbourne Bush joined the New Zealand police in 1978 spending his career on the frontline and the criminal investigation branch Bush oversaw the police response to the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings led the force during the Covid-19 pandemic and the Whakaari volcano eruption he became a private investigator and ran his own international consulting firm Bush made headlines in 2022 when he unsuccessfully applied to become the head of the Metropolitan Police in the UK and it was uncovered he had a drink-driving conviction He was a 23-year-old detective constable at the time and disqualified from driving for six months Shane William Pritchard has been charged with crimes he didn’t commit and chased for debts he doesn’t owe That’s because the Dunedin man is not the only Shane William Pritchard in town While the duo’s shared name and age has sometimes been a handy loophole for one Shane for the other it has caused problems for 36 years It’s been years of fearing every knock on the door Years of wondering if he’ll be hand-cuffed and taken to jail to be honest,” says Shane William Pritchard a scout and a member of the Air Training Corp remembers getting quite a shock when her friend called one evening She'd been acting as a referee for a gun licence for Shane whose friend informed her that the police had a long list of offences against Shane’s name Not long after that the police turned up to where Shane was working at the local tannery to arrest him “You're scrambling in your head to think of ways that you can prove it's not you.” Another Shane William Pritchard had been born in Otago They were separated by just two weeks and about 50 miles – one growing up in Mosgiel the other in Milton – but also by the lives they’d been leading To watch the full video story go to TVNZ+ Shane from Milton had huge problems focusing at school He was raised in foster care and then boys’ homes I just wanted to look cool and get in trouble,” he tells Fair Go Milton Shane was used to run-ins with police he got pulled over in his car and asked about his driving licence one’s got a licence and the other hasn’t.’ And I’m like ‘obviously it must be the one with a licence’.” he went to his bank to draw out an ACC payment and was asked which bank account was his He says that at that point he was trying to figure out what was going on “I thought it was just an error.” But he took advantage of the situation and withdrew a large sum of cash Mosgiel Shane became aware of the withdrawal when a scheduled car payment was declined and when Milton Shane turned up at the bank to withdraw more money Identity fraud was considered but Milton Shane was legitimately expecting an ACC payment so the withdrawal appeared to be a genuine mistake and the police couldn’t take any action 'Anything I could get away with Mosgiel Shane thought the bank incident would have alerted police to the problem But his nemesis had cottoned on to the advantages of having a second identity to use Milton Shane acquired a suite of furniture on hire-purchase Milton-Shane clocked up more driving offences Mosgiel Shane thought about changing his name but realised he’d have to provide his previous name in the process the courts and debt collectors such as Baycorp should be able to distinguish between himself and Milton Shane The police first addressed the issue in the 1990s after Mosgiel Shane went to the media He was given a letter to carry with him should he be apprehended He and his parents felt his situation wasn’t being taken seriously Mosgiel Shane went to the media a second time in the mid-2000s the police gave their word that a record in their system would stop the misidentification from happening again This does appear to have worked as far as police action goes But while Mosgiel Shane was given the same reassurance by the Ministry of Justice he continued to receive demands from the courts for unpaid fines He’d also get stopped and questioned whenever he left the country for work trips or holidays It took a huge toll on Mosgiel Shane’s mental health not realising the constant stress it placed on his life John Pritchard says that at times his son felt his life wasn’t worth living worrying about what he was going to do to himself and that really ate me up.” he and his son were in tears as Shane admitted he was at breaking point He described going for days at a time unable to eat or sleep wondering what might happen next "Am I going to be in a position where they've got me in handcuffs or I've got debt collectors coming to the door?" ...You're spiralling into this black hole." He started taking anti-anxiety medication which helped And events regarding Milton Shane seemed to settle Milton Shane was charged for fishing without a licence in Twizel and failing to comply with fisheries officers But a court registrar incorrectly entered the birth date of Mosgiel Shane in the system both Shanes were being chased to pay the $1530 fine It was Mosgiel Shane who spotted the error and rang the court He also sent a statement from his manager saying he’d not been fishing in Twizel that day The reply he got was to say he’d been given the wrong form and that they wouldn’t accept his proof They just wanted to know how I was going to pay the fine.” The first Milton Shane knew about this was when Fair Go told him Mosgiel Shane had been chased for the fine He was told to pay up or face the consequences feeling he shouldn’t have to pay good money to correct someone else’s mistake But it cost Mosgiel Shane over $5000 in legal fees and took months of back and forth between him “Why should anybody have to pay their own money to right somebody else's wrongs and prove who they are I’m sick and tired of proving who I am all the time.” He wanted the Ministry of Justice to take responsibility and reimburse him for his legal costs saying court staff such as the registrar in this case have immunity if they make mistakes such as the one made here and if I make a mistake and it's affecting my client that it's going to cost them money to rectify a mistake that I've made.” he deserves a million apologies from those guys,” she says Milton Shane told Fair Go he still gets in trouble but wants the other Shane to know he doesn’t use his birth date anymore And he had a message for him: “We’ve got to get it sorted for you so you can have a good life with you and your family because I’m trying to get my life together with my son and my grandson” He offers to meet to see if they can sort it out together but I’m not interested in meeting him,.” says Mosgiel Shane He says he doesn’t hold any grudges and accepts Milton Shane’s apology And he believes the only way for that to happen is for the courts and the Ministry of Justice to give him a guarantee that mix-ups won’t occur in the future Fair Go asked the Ministry of Justice to appear in person to apologise and provide reassurance to Shane of its plans to guard against these mistakes The Ministry declined our request to be on camera saying any comment on an individual case would compromise the independence of the courts as the Ministry operates separately But it did send a written apology directly to Mosgiel Shane It also admitted mistakes can occur in clerical records but said instructions were clear and the importance of getting things right had been emphasised to staff Mosgiel Shane isn’t totally convinced that’s the end of it “All I want is for the Ministry of Justice and the courts to do their job I'd like to live without this hanging over me all the time his criminal check has come back showing a clean slate The government is making it harder to make a claim for pay equity that will cut costs There have been massive pay equity claims in recent years for nurses and resthome workers Workplace Minister Brooke van Velden announced the moves to raise the threshold for proving work has been historically undervalued to support a claim on Tuesday saying changes back in 2020 had created problems "Claims have been able to progress without strong evidence of undervaluation and there have been very broad claims where it is difficult to tell whether differences in pay are due to sex-based discrimination or other factors." Claims were concentrated in the public sector with costs to the Crown of all settlements so far totalling $1.78 billion a year "The changes I am proposing will significantly reduce costs to the Crown," she said "The changes will discontinue current pay equity claims." Van Velden told Midday Report she believes in pay equity but the current thresholds were "a bit too loose" Asked how she ensure women were not hurt by this the minister said "I'm a woman and I support women who work" "I also support removing gender based discriminations from our workforces but what I don't support are muddied laws and unclear laws," she said "So these changes are better for all women who are working where we can genuinely say hand on heart that what they are finding with their claims is genuine gender based discrimination." Van Velden told reporters at Parliament any current claims would be stopped and need to restart under the new threshold to show "genuine" gender discrimination and make sure the comparators were right She gave a figure of 33 current claims that would be stopped as the legislation was put through under urgency "You have librarians who've been comparing themselves to transport engineers We have admin and clerical staff at Health New Zealand comparing themselves to mechanical engineers." Social workers had compared themselves to air traffic controllers "We don't believe we have that setting right." Any comparison would now be between female employees and male employees at the same employer "But you cannot go fishing for discrimination across the New Zealand workforce." All current settled claims would continue but the government was drawing "a line in the sand" "We're not stopping claims." The nurse's union has this year had at least 10 pay equity claims in play The PSA union has said pay equity claims and settlements had resulted in significant improvements in pay and working conditions for many workers The union said the changes would make it "impossible for people in female-dominated professions to be paid fairly" "Women across the country will pay the price for this," PSA national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons said "The government's changes today are a dark day for New Zealand women as the government says it will repeal the pay equity law and extinguish 33 existing claims in a constitutional overreach "The PSA is exploring all possible avenues to oppose these unconstitutional amendments and stop this attack on women We will not be deterred in our fight to achieve pay equity for all." "This is a blatant and shameful attack on women," New Zealand Nurses organisation chief executive Paul Goulter said "Women in workforces predominantly performed by female employees have been underpaid and undervalued for generations That is what pay equity claims seek to rectify," he said "This move by the government will widen the pay gap between men and women." The union had at least 10 pay current pay claims across Aged Care These cover many nurses and support workers The E tū union also called the changes an attack on women and a green light to pay them less for work of equal value The government was pulling the rug out from under a 13-year-long fight in aged care "These changes are not about evidence — they are about saving money by keeping women underpaid," national secretary Rachel Mackintosh said in a statement A number of unions have called a snap rally at Parliament at 1pm today in light of the announcement the Council of Trade Unions and representatives of other unions say they will be "protesting the government's attack on women and the destruction of progress on pay equity..." rnz.co.nz Lady Gaga gave a free concert Saturday night in front of 2 million fans who poured onto Copacabana Beach for the biggest show of her career (...) Thank you for making history with me,” Lady Gaga told a screaming crowd kicked off the show at around 22.10pm local time with her 2011 song Bloody Mary Cries of joy rose from the tightly-packed fans who sang and danced shoulder-to-shoulder on the vast stretch of sand Concert organisers said 2.1 million people attended the show switching between an array of dresses including one with the colours of the Brazilian flag Some fans – many of them young – arrived on the beach at the crack of dawn to secure a good spot “Today is the best day of my life,” said Manoela Dobes a 27-year-old designer who was wearing a dress plastered with a photograph from when she met Lady Gaga in the United States in 2019 Madonna also turned Copacabana Beach into a massive dance floor last year The large-scale performances are part of an effort led by City Hall to boost economic activity after Carnival and New Years’ Eve festivities and the upcoming month-long Saint John’s Day celebrations in June “It brings activity to the city during what was previously considered the low season – filling hotels and increasing spending in bars generating jobs and income for the population,” said Osmar Lima the city’s secretary of economic development in a statement released by Rio City Hall’s tourism department last month Rio’s City Hall said in a recent report that around 1.6 million people were expected to attend Lady Gaga's concert and that the show should inject at least 600 million reais (NZ$178.3 million) into Rio’s economy Similar concerts are scheduled to take place every year in May at least until 2028 Lady Gaga arrived in Rio in the early hours of Tuesday The city has been alive with Gaga-mania since as it geared up to welcome the pop star for her first show in the country since 2012 Rio’s metro employees danced to Lady Gaga’s 2008 hit song LoveGame and gave instructions for today in a video A free exhibition celebrating her career sold out While the vast majority of attendees were from Rio the event also attracted Brazilians from across the country and international visitors More than 500,000 tourists poured into the city in the days leading up to the show according to data from the local bus station and Tom Jobim airport Rio’s City Hall said in a statement yesterday made a cross-continent trip from Colombia to Brazil to attend the show “I’ve been a 100% fan of Lady Gaga my whole life,” said Serrano who was wearing a T-shirt featuring Lady Gaga’s outlandish costumes over the years the mega-star represents “total freedom of expression – being who one wants without shame” Rio officials have a history of organising huge concerts on Copacabana Beach Madonna’s show drew an estimated 1.6 million fans last year while 4 million people flooded onto the beach for a 1994 New Year’s Eve show by Rod Stewart in 1994 that was the biggest free rock concert in history sixteen sound towers were spread along the beach Rio state’s security plan included the presence of 3300 military and 1500 police officers Among those present were Lady Gaga admirers who remember their disappointment in 2017 when the artist cancelled a performance scheduled in Rio at the last minute due to health issues “She's the best artist in the world,” the 25-year-old said I love you” in Portuguese rose from the crowd behind him whose real name is Ella Yelich O'Connor which also displayed what appears to be the album cover art — an X-ray of a pelvis "100% written in blood," the website read The new album's announcement came a week after she released her latest single What Was That The song's music video was filmed at a mysterious pop-up event in New York City's Washington Square Park that was initially shut down by police. The event ended up going ahead after all, and fans who stayed got to hear the new song for the first time. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lorde (@lorde) It was the first sign of a follow-up to Lorde's previous album Her other albums were 2013's Pure Heroine and 2017's Melodrama she collaborated with British singer Charli XCX on a remix of Girl so confusing — on a re-release of the Grammy award-winning Brat Kim Kardashian thought she was going to be raped and killed when criminals broke into her bedroom in central Paris tied her up and stole more than US$6 million in jewellery 10 people will go on trial in Paris over the robbery abduction and kidnapping of the media personality and the concierge of the residence where she was staying during Paris Fashion Week the night of October 2 Kardashian’s lawyers said she will testify in person at the trial starting Monday and scheduled to run through May 23 "Ms Kardashian is reserving her testimony for the court and jury and does not wish to elaborate further at this time," they said "She has great respect and admiration for the French justice system and has been treated with great respect by the French authorities "She wishes the trial to proceed in an orderly fashion in accordance with French law and with respect for all parties to the case." In interviews and on her family’s reality TV show Kardashian has described being terrified as robbers pointed a gun at her In a 2020 appearance on David Letterman’s Netflix show she tearfully recalled thinking: "This is the time I’m going to get raped Twelve people were originally expected in the defendants’ box and another is seriously ill and can't be tried five of the 10 defendants were present at the scene of the robbery The French press has dubbed them The Granddad Robbers because the main defendants are elderly and have careers as bank robbers with long criminal records Kardashian told investigators she was taken to a bathroom next to her bedroom and placed in the bathtub Her attackers fled on bicycles or on foot and she managed to free herself by removing the tape from her hands and mouth She had also removed the tape from her feet and rushed to her stylist’s room She called her sister Kourtney to tell her about the theft Kardashian told investigators that she had not been injured adding that she wanted to leave France as soon as possible to be reunited with her children According to her testimony and that of the concierge at least one of the suspects had a handgun The gangsters stole many pieces of jewellery estimated to be worth more than US$6 million (NZ$10 million) Only one piece of jewellery — a diamond cross on platinum that was lost during the suspects' escape — has been recovered Two of the accused have partially confessed to the crime is one of two suspected robbers who allegedly entered the apartment his genetic profile was found on the tape used to gag Kardashian who was waiting for him in a parked car at a nearby train station The second robber said he tied up the concierge with cables but did not go up to Kardashian’s apartment said he acted as a lookout in the ground-floor reception area He said he was unarmed and did not personally threaten Kardashian but admitted he shared responsibility for the crime Abbas was arrested in January 2017 and spent 21 months in prison before being released under judicial supervision he co-authored a French-language book titled I Sequestered Kim Kardashian is the second alleged robber suspected of entering the flat although he was filmed by CCTV cameras and numerous telephone contacts with the other co-defendants show his involvement The other defendants are suspected of providing information about Kardashian’s presence in the apartment Others are accused of playing a role in the resale of the jewellery in Antwerp Joe Cocker and Bad Company will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame — in a class that also includes pop star Cyndi Lauper the rock duo the White Stripes and grunge masters Soundgarden the first female rap act to achieve gold and platinum status and the late singer-songwriter Warren Zevon will get the Musical Influence Award pianist Nicky Hopkins and bassist Carol Kaye will each get the Musical Excellence Award who sang at Woodstock and was best known for his cover of The Beatles’ With a Little Help From My Friends a member of Elvis Costello & The Attractions who argued that Cocker is "about as rock and roll as it gets" Soundgarden — with the late Chris Cornell as singer — get into the Hall on their third nomination They follow two other grunge acts in the Hall — Nirvana and Pearl Jam Bad Company get in having become radio fixtures with such arena-rock staples as Feel Like Makin’ Love Can’t Get Enough and Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy The Ahmet Ertegun Award — given to nonperforming industry professionals who had a major influence on music — will go to Lenny Waronker Some nominees that didn't get in this year included Mariah Carey and subsequent Let’s Twist Again are considered among the most popular songs in the history of rock 'n' roll The 83-year-old has expressed frustration that he hadn't been granted entry before including telling the AP in 2014: "I don’t want to get in there when I’m 85 years old so you better do it quick while I’m still smiling." Lauper rose to fame in the 1980s with hits such as Time After Time and Girls Just Want To Have Fun and went on to win a Tony Award for Kinky Boots have six Grammys and a reputation for pushing the boundaries of hip-hop The White Stripes — made up of Jack White and Meg White — were indie darlings in the early 2000s with such songs as Seven Nation Army Artists must have released their first commercial recording at least 25 years before they’re eligible for induction The induction ceremony will take place in Los Angeles this fall Nominees were voted on by more than 1200 artists historians and music industry professionals The selection criteria include "an artist’s impact on other musicians the scope and longevity of their career and body of work as well as their innovation and excellence in style and technique" Dave Matthews Band and singer-guitarist Peter Frampton were inducted You are not permitted to download, save or email this image. Visit image gallery to purchase the image The Waimakariri District Council is proposing to build half of the 9km cycleway for now by creating a pathway from Smith Street to Pine Acres The new plan would see cyclists take the route of a shared path council roading and transport manager Joanne McBride said the proposal has the backing of the Kaiapoi-Tuahiwi Community Board and will now be presented to the council at its April meeting If the revised project gets the green light Ms McBride said work could begin towards the end of this year The likely timeframe for the project is not yet known In a report to last week's community board meeting council civil projects team leader Kieran Straw said the revised project can be completed without impacting on the construction of the Woodend Bypass The cycleway was originally going to be jointly funded by the previous Government’s Better Off fund and the Transport Choices programme But the Transport Choices programme was cancelled after the change in Government Mr Straw said $965,000 from the council’s Better Off funding allocation of $5.54m was put aside for the project and needs to be spent by June 30 The Department of Internal Affairs has advised the funding needs to either be spent on the original project or reallocated to a water infrastructure project There is not expected to be any rates impact The revised project will see a shared pathway built from Smith Street to Lees Road then a footpath from Lees Road to Pine Acres with cycling on the Old North Road and speed humps installed to slow the traffic The community board asked staff to consult with Old North Road residents and with Environment Canterbury to co-ordinate works with planned improvements to the Sidey Quay floodgates Deputy Mayor Neville Atkinson said he is not a fan of speed humps but agreed to support it to move the project forward ‘‘This is a way of affording that end of the cycleway.’’ A cycleway from Christchurch to Kaiapoi was included in the Christchurch Northern Corridor project The agency did say it will ensure local connections for pedestrians and cyclists are maintained Main North Road (the existing State Highway 1) The council will then be able to consider how to fund the remainder of the cycleway to Woodend Funding of $6m was approved in December 2022 as part of the Transport Choices fund to support several walking and cycling projects in the district The council was able to complete three projects including gritted paths from Mandeville to Swannanoa School and from Mandeville Road to Ōhoka and traffic calming and pedestrian facilities at Southbrook School Other cycleway projects at Rangiora (Southbrook) and Woodend to Pegasus were placed on hold The projects were developed as part of the council’s walking and cycling network plan which was adopted in 2022 after consultation with the community will complete a circuit with the Passchendaele (Kaiapoi to Rangiora) and Rangiora to Woodend pathways ■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air A residential house fire in Canterbury spread to a neighbouring property where it damaged a lean-to today Fire and Emergency services were called to a house fire in Kaiapoi A Fire and Emergency spokesperson said one house was “well ablaze upon our arrival” and the fire spread to a neighbouring property where it damaged a lean-to and broke two windows Hato Hone St John also responded to the scene about 12.30pm with two ambulance “Two patients are being assessed and treated at the scene at this stage,” said a St John spokesperson Fire and Emergency initially sent two volunteer trucks from Kaiapoi but have since sent two additional fire trucks to help battle the blaze 'The team have nailed it – it’s a strategy that everyone can understand.' A born and bred Cantabrian, Matt lives in the electorate with his wife Viktoria and their daughter Emily and son James. After pursuing opportunities in the UK, Matt decided to return home to give something back after the Canterbury earthquakes and took up an opportunity to work at the Canterbury District Health Board. Matt went to St Bede’s College before studying a BSc (Hons) in Social Policy, an MA in Healthcare Management from Kingston University in London, and an MSc in Global Politics from Birkbeck College, University of London.  Matt had a long career in mental health and healthcare management, including in the delivery of community health, mental health and social care services both in voluntary and Government settings.  Matt is currently the Minister for Mental Health and Associate Minister of Health. Matt is honoured to be serving in Cabinet in a Christopher Luxon-led government. Matt was re-elected as Member of Parliament for Waimakariri in 2020 and in 2023 As your local Member of Parliament, Matt is committed to ensuring your views, problems and concerns are heard in Parliament. Some of you he will meet during visits to your area. Others may prefer to send Matt an email, give a call, or visit his offices in either Kaiapoi or Rangiora.  Matt is working hard to represent you and he welcomes you to get in touch at any time to discuss any issues, problems or assistance you may need. By clicking subscribe you agree to receive emails from Waimakariri and the National Party. Minister for Mental Health Matt Doocey is pleased to announce today that the Women’s Refuge is the latest recipient of the Government’s Mental Health and Addiction... Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says it was excellent to meet with Christchurch Hospital Emergency Department staff and peer support specialists today to mark the start... Associate Health Minister with responsibility for Rural Health and Minister for Mental Health Matt Doocey announced today he will be coming to 12 rural locations across... Health Minister Simeon Brown and Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey have today officially opened Manaia House, a new community mental health and addictions facility in the... While preliminary work has been carried out by the trustees the trust is now planning to invite volunteers to join the effort working bees will be held on a weekly basis with the intention of having them on a weekday for volunteers who prefer that It is expected each working bee will comprise a morning with occasional afternoon activities Volunteers will be inducted into proper safety procedures and will be equipped with safety equipment for modern work practices The work will be under the control of an on-site trustee Trust chair Graham Robertson says it is seen as a five-year project "We are thrilled to now be at the stage where work can begin." Following the stripping of the unwanted timber volunteers will be given the opportunity to develop their skills to become proficient in restoration and rebuilding this will be one of only two restored scows of a type that traded with Kaiapoi A decade of showcasing art at Kaiapoi’s Art on the Quay gallery is being celebrated with a 10-year anniversary exhibition The anniversary exhibition will include work from many of the artists who have had exhibitions in the gallery over the years The gallery has held 97 exhibitions since it opened in the Ruataniwha Kaiapoi Civic Centre which was built to replace the earthquake-damaged former library building The centre also includes the Kaiapoi Library service centre for the Waimakariri District Council plus public toilets and two public meeting rooms who is also chairwoman of the Kaiapoi-Tuhahiwi Community Board says she is unsure whose idea it was to include an art gallery in the civic centre but may not have been the first,’’ she says ‘‘It was very much driven by the community and it was a real privilege to be a part of that decision-making ‘‘It has been a tremendous success because of the volunteers who have given up their time to organise each exhibition,’’ Jackie says ‘‘As a group of art lovers we are very lucky to have council provide the building and fittings and what a fantastic building it is too.’’ The first person to exhibit work at the gallery was craft artist and storyteller Mary Kelleher Her Stitch in Time Saves Nine exhibition opened on January 17 Before that she was a guest artist at the 2014 Kaiapoi Art Expo It was at the expo where Mary exhibited her four-metre-long hand-sewn textile mural I was a newbie to the world of crafting as an artist then of having these stories rendered as published books,’’ she says More recently Mary has moved to Northland to live where she has created innovative craft projects Handmade Histories depicts several large murals illustrating early New Zealand life and Sew Your Story shows participants how to express themselves using craftwork Mary has work in the anniversary exhibition, which closes on February 12. A property that had "lovely colour combinations with great planting using space intelligently" has won the premier award in the annual Kaiapoi garden competition also took out the walk around garden section Kaiapoi Garden Club ran the competition this year after the previous organisers who was master of ceremonies at the awards presentation at the Kaiapoi Club told those attending they were there to celebrate their love of gardens Perhaps that is why you influence others in your street to garden too." said he was a keen gardener who particularly liked roses Gordon presented some of the awards and congratulated all the participants for "not being afraid to put your gardens up to be judged" Joan Whillans and Helen Roberts - also presented some awards Other than the premier garden and the walk around awards there were seven other section awards winners The celebration marked 10 years since the Ruataniwha Kaiapoi Civic Centre was opened on January 17 The multi-purpose community building was built to replace the previous quake-damaged Kaiapoi Library The Waimakariri District Council service centre Art on the Quay Gallery and the Kaiapoi Museum provided a key milestone in Kaiapoi’s recovery after the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes Waimakariri District Libraries manager Luke Sole says Kaiapoi Library has emerged from the earthquakes as an important community hub ‘‘The previous Kaiapoi Library on the same site which was earthquake damaged was incredibly well-loved,’’ he says ‘‘Ruataniwha Kaiapoi Civic Centre was one of the first significant postquake construction projects and has been described to me as a 'beacon of hope' for the community at a challenging time it was for a time one of the few places where people could gather and socialise it was vital to reassert a sense of identity in a town centre which changed so rapidly.’’ art gallery and museum experiences has provided inspiration for other civic facilities including Turanga in Christchurch ‘‘The Art on the Quay Gallery and the museum have presented some rich opportunities for storytelling and connection with our unique landscape and culture,’’ he says ‘‘It is always a delight to see so many people engaging with exhibitions and being inspired by the stories within.’’ Libraries have evolved substantially over the last decade with the addition of services which meet the changing demands of growing communities including a huge uptake in digital experiences and in-person programmes that promote lifelong learning regardless of age or background ‘‘People are now engaging with libraries for so many different reasons but many people come to libraries to socialise and connect Waimakariri Libraries ran 1200 events and programmes across the district's three libraries (including Rangiora and Oxford) ranging from musical performances to author talks virtual reality sessions and even a living tuatara experience such as a great relationship with Canterbury Museum have enabled us to bring high-quality learning experiences to Waimakariri,’’ Sole says Ruataniwha Kaiapoi Civic Centre has seen substantial growth in visitation and is very much a destination facility ‘‘Our visitor numbers increased over 10 per cent just last year alone ‘‘It is wonderful to be able to reflect on the first 10 years of the Ruataniwha Kaiapoi Civic Centre and what it has brought to the community ‘‘Here’s to the next 10 years and beyond.’’ shares and researches Christchurch’s archaeological heritage for everyone to explore and use Highlighting Kaiapoi and Rangiora is a project developed in collaboration with Waimakariri Libraries CAP also holds a lot of data about sites in Christchurch’s hinterland Christchurch has a rich archaeological archive owing to the incredible amount of archaeological work that took place following the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes CAP holds a significant amount of the archaeological data - and the artefacts - from that work The archive holds the story of how Christchurch and the surrounding townships were built CAP and Museum of Archaeology Otautahi director Katharine Watson said the archive includes data from archaeological sites in both Kaiapoi and Rangiora ‘‘CAP wants to make this data more accessible to the people we have recently taken on an intern through the University of Canterbury's PACE programme is studying for a Bachelor of Arts in Cultural Heritage and she’s very passionate about researching and writing about Aotearoa's past.’’ Opie's project for CAP involves carrying out detailed historical research about some of the more significant archaeological sites of European origin in the Kaiapoi and Rangiora She writes up this information to appear on the Waimakariri Heritage website Opie says she has had a love for reading and research ever since she was little and over time this has translated into a passion for exploring the connections between people and understanding what can be done to keep these stories alive CAP also be curating an exhibition to be held at the Kaiapoi library in the second half of 2025 showcasing some of the artefacts found during this archaeological work and highlighting the stories they've revealed They will also be conducting a public talk Waimakariri district councillor Neville Atkinson says ECan needs to step up and investigate the causes of pollution levels in the Kaiapoi and Ruataniwha Cam rivers Atkinson was addressing community concerns at a Kaiapoi-Tuahiwi Community Board meeting on Monday night Local residents formed a new catchment group last month following concerns about the degradation on their local rivers which they blamed on the use of herbicides ECan has acknowledged issues with macrophyte (weed bed) dieback and freshwater mussel (kākāhi) deaths but said it was primarily due to saltwater incursions and also heavy frosts But Cr Atkinson rejected ECan’s explanation "We owe it to our community to help ECan to come up with some answers Cr Atkinson said residents may not like the outcome Councillor Philip Redmond said the issue was complex Waimakariri District Council water environment advisor Sophie Allen said saltwater could come from other sources Community members raised similar concerns following the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes The river was historically the north branch of the Waimakariri River and environmental changes following the earthquakes both contributed to the high levels of saltwater intrusion Drought conditions and changing farming practices were also factors The community board asked council staff to assist ECan to investigate the causes of saltwater incursions river flows and salinity data and to monitor water quality and aquatic ecology trends with the river being a popular spot for boaties and whitebaiters Being next to a growing sub-division makes it difficult to plan ahead says Kaiapoi North School principal Jason Miles The school has a site capacity for 540 students and ended last year with a roll of 528 While 60 year 8s will start high school this year Mr Miles said he has 25 new enrolments (including 16 new entrants) arriving on day one and another 50 new entrants enrolled to start during the year ‘‘It is hard to plan for because we don’t know what age children will be when families move into new sub-divisions.’’ He enrolled 95 new students throughout last year The Beach Grove sub-division sits over the school’s back fence and is consented for around 650 sections in eight stages with sections in stages six and seven now on the market Mr Miles said the Ministry of Education will review the school’s enrolments in the middle of the year ‘‘We will go to them with our July 1 roll and pending enrolments and hope they will make a decision on a new building." Kaiapoi North School is one of several North Canterbury schools awaiting decisions building projects Work got under way last year on a building project to build six new classrooms and a hall at Te Kura o Tuahiwi Ministry of Education spokesperson Sandra Orr said the Ministry has been working with local school boards of trustees on options to address different schools’ needs Several North Canterbury school building projects were placed on hold earlier this year while the Ministry conducted a review of 352 projects in a bid to save $2 billion Since then the building project at Te Kura o Tuahiwi has got under way and a temporary solution has been found for Woodend School Oxford Area School and Amuri Area School will be reviewed after this year's Budget Ms Orr said the Ministry is focusing on delivering value for money offsite manufactured or modular classrooms based on a par-3 contest held before the Masters Tournament at Augusta The recent competition was a fundraiser for the ambulance and health care services charity It was organised by its president Jack Oldridge which was based on a similar event held at the Masters Tournament in the United States Three men's teams and a women's team competed The women’s winner of the par-3 contest was Di Smith with a score of 61 while Tui Samau won the men’s senior section with a below-par score of 52 Club captain Sean Regan said a field of 72 players took part in the contest with one team of four players on each fairway moving around the 18 fairways "Red markers were placed on all fairways between 80 and 140m from each green "One had a large water hazard in front of it and the tee-off for the 18th green was placed on the tee block of the second green "The eighteen-hole game was followed by a shootout on number 18." The idea for the fun-filled shootout came from Mario Trnjanin "He borrowed the idea from the Phoenix Open tournament where spectators on one par-3 break all of the rules of golf they make as much noise as they can supporting or upsetting the players teeing off The club’s main sponsor for the day was Kaiapoi Kats Tyres which provided a barbecue at the ninth green The club’s players also supported the event The Harper family gave the Waimakariri District Council a bequest from the late Harry Harper which will be used to restore and upgrade the Williams St bridge over the Kaiapoi River Brother Ray Harper said using the funds to support the bridge upgrade is a fitting tribute so this project would make him very happy because most days his walk would take him over this bridge.’’ Waimakariri Mayor Dan Gordon said Harry Harper dedicated much of his life to community service left a significant donation in his estate towards a project in the Charles and Williams Street area His dedication to the community will live on through the many causes he has supported over the years," Gordon said ‘‘We are honoured to be able to facilitate another act of quiet generosity on his behalf.’’ The upgrade will include an architectural laser cut stainless steel handrail and infill panels The existing concrete pillars and lamp posts will be retained and refurbished the council had budgeted for the work to be undertaken in the 2027/28 financial year Council staff will work with the Kaiapoi-Tuahiwi Community Board the Waimakariri Public Arts Trust and a community advisory group to develop a design for the panels ‘‘that will represent the unique history and narrative of Kaiapoi’’ Members of the Harper family will join the advisory group to give input into the design The Harper family has asked the amount of the bequest remain private A residential house has been destroyed by fire in Kaiapoi - and the blaze is spreading rapidly Fire and Emergency NZ crews and several trucks from the Kaiapoi Redwood and Spencerville stations are battling the house fire on Willock St The fire was reported about 11.30am on Wednesday by multiple 111 callers “The 1 x 150m residential house is well ablaze plus the fire is spreading into the property next door,” a Fenz spokesperson said It was not threatening any structures on the neighbouring property Hato Hone St John sent two ambulances and treated two patients at the scene SH1 KAIAPOI, CANTERBURY - CRASH - 5:40PMDue to a crash, SOUTHBOUND is now BLOCKED prior to Smith St on-ramp. Follow the directions by emergency services on-site and expect DELAYS. ^SG pic.twitter.com/m6s0BqeFs9 State Highway One was briefly closed near Kaiapoi on Saturday afternoon because of a single-vehicle crash. A police spokesperson said police were alerted to the crash at 5.25pm Minor injuries were reported and traffic management is in place while the scene is cleared A Fire and Emergency New Zealand shift manager said two crews from Kaiapoi assisted police and ambulance on the scene and left the patients in the care of paramedics SH1 KAIAPOI, CANTERBURY - CRASH - 5:40PMDue to a crash, SOUTHBOUND is now BLOCKED prior to Smith St on-ramp. Follow the directions by emergency services on-site and expect DELAYS. ^SG pic.twitter.com/m6s0BqeFs9 He said the road was blocked but has now been cleared though there are still some delays on the motorway A Hato Hone St John spokesperson said two patients were being treated at the scene and described their injuries as moderate Sign up to The Daily H a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday Mairehau house fire: Firefighters battle two-storey house blaze 10 patients were assessed and treated by our crews in total Auckland commuters face a chaotic morning after two highways leading into the central city have been majorly disrupted by crashes NZ film industry faces uncertainty over US tariff ongoing decline in livestock numbers and questions over longer sentences reducing reoffending Reporter Sierra is at Magnificent Moa Day where experts are revealing their incredible 3.6 million year-old find Emergency services are attending the fire at a McDonald's on Pakuranga Rd Christopher Luxon holds a post-Cabinet press conference Air New Zealand's chief executive talks about the $490m Dreamliner retrofit and his job A video of a dog abuse incident is circulating on social media showing a dog swinging in the air and slamming into the ground on a walk in Manurewa Goodman Group is upgrading Highbrook Crossing to add retail dining and public space to New Zealand’s largest business park in East Tāmaki where hip hop crews from all over the world are battling to see who’s the best and Parliament tackles alcohol and mental health The Coleman family has been melting down precious metals for more than 40 years This is the first time they've shared inside their multi-million dollar gold and silver operation The Prime Minister joins Mike Hosking in the Newstalk ZB studio to talk all the big politicial issues Moana Pasifika beat the Highlanders 34-29 in Dunedin Prime Minister Christopher Luxon was joined by Deputy PM Winston Peters and Minister of defence Judith Collins to make a pre-budget defence announcement The NBA star's split-second jab at an Australian reporter’s accent was picked up by microphones and 3D-printed limbs help child amputees in Gaza Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is expected to be joined by Defence Minister Judith Collins and deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters make a pre-Budget defence announcement Neighbours heard explosions as a fire ripped through a Mt Roskill house Mum pays tribute after Auckland bus stop killing Australians vote early and insurance companies brace for claims Megyn Cordner and Lucas Prince started their business from the back of a van in 2022 Andrew Che lost his life savings after sending it to the wrong account Barclays Bank has refunded his money after a prolonged battle for compensation Aerial footage reveals the scale of flooding across areas of Canterbury after a destructive weather system hit the region and prompted a state of emergency North Shore real estate agency chief responds to a Real Estate Disciplinary Tribunal decision Mark Mitchell provides an update on the state of emergency in Christchurch and Selwyn A possible mini tornado was spotted about Auckland Harbour as the latest band of wild weather hits the city Fire and Emergency NZ said it responded to more than 30 callouts overnight more Kiwis turning to methamphetamine and Drs are back at the negotiating table NZSA chief executive Oliver Mander speaks about CEO pay in 2024 Waiwhetu woman Julie Paterson heard 'a loud cracking' and saw a tree branch falling towards her during Wednesday's storm Heather Keats updates the powerful system battering New Zealand breaks down why Wellington is under a rare red warning with extreme winds and Local MP Hon Nicola Grigg speak to the media on the local state of emergency in Selwyn Gisborne locals and health workers marched to Heipipi Park where speakers highlighted what they say is a regional health crisis NZ Herald Live: Simeon Brown talks to media A tourist in the Philippines climbed into a crocodile cage to pose for a selfie retirement village have spent two years working on the masterpiece which incorporates hundreds of hand-knitted and crocheted poppies as well as family war memorabilia donated by residents The blanket will be hung in the village clubhouse in the lead-up to Anzac Day and will be a focal point for the village's Anzac service this month who instigated the project after working on a similar item in Christchurch says the blanket is a way for the residents to work together on a commemorative piece that holds meaning for them and their families ‘‘We’ve had poppies made by many people within the village ‘‘It really is a combined effort that has been a work in progress for quite some time.’’ Work on the blanket started in 2023 - and the about 2m-long masterpiece is now completely covered in several hundred red and purple poppies The use of different wools and patterns added variety and texture to the piece pins and even some medals will be incorporated into the design for the Anzac Day service along with the names of those who will be remembered ‘‘We’ve left a space at the bottom of the blanket so residents can write the names of those they want to remember ‘‘Many of our residents have a family connection to WW2 ‘‘We put a call out for medals and other memorabilia from the wars and we were inundated with the most amazing items ‘‘One person even brought along some tags that were worn by dogs in the world wars You can see each dogs number etched into the leather tags from his time in the New Zealand Medical Corps in WW2 It is pinned proudly to the centre of the blanket ‘‘That will stay there and be part of this blanket long after I’m gone The two-yearly fundraiser continues to attract participants with 38 teams and over 300 people registered so far for the 12 hour marathon ‘‘People and teams can still register right up to the day before,’’ says Tiffany Wafer community co-ordinator for the Christchurch and North Canterbury Southern Cancer Society ‘‘One of the biggest teams to register so far has been the Papanui High School team of 75 members They are challenging others schools to join them at the Kaiapoi Rugby Football Club on Saturday Tiffany says the Kaiapoi Rugby Football Club is excited to be hosting the community event It is the first time the fund-raising relay has been held in Kaiapoi and the Smith Street park ‘‘The rugby club has been fantastic to work with preparing for the relay and we are excited to bring it to a new location.’’ She says everyone will have easy access and parking as they take part in or support the many teams walking the track on the day and many other businesses and volunteers are helping out as well ‘‘We will also have a number of local entertainers on-hand throughout the day plus local food trucks to complement what the teams provide to help cater for everyone taking part in this exciting community event.’’ Tiffany says many of the supporters keep coming back for the Relay For Life She has walked at the relay for life four times over the past 20 years ‘‘My friends and I first walked at the Rangiora showgrounds as the Calendar Girls like the movie ‘‘Then we have walked twice at Dudley Park and now as the Cup Cake Queens we are excited to be taking part again in Kaiapoi ‘‘It is a very special event to be involved in as we celebrate the lives of those suffering with cancer At the last relay held at Dudley Park in Rangiora in 2023 a total of 415 participants raised over $101,000 for the society all of which stayed in the North Canterbury area The relay used to be 24 hours long but now participants take part in a shorter 12 hour event which makes it much easier for groups to take Tiffany says the relay starts at 10am with a celebration lap for invited VIPs and special guests others take it in turns to see how many laps they can do in 12 hours — carrying their team’s baton throughout - and a few hardy souls even try and run it although it is primarily a walking event.’’ Tiffany says there are three main parts of the Cancer Society Relay For Life North Canterbury there is the opening ceremony at 10am followed by a Celebration Lap of Honour for those who have been affected by cancer ‘‘This is then followed by a special morning tea which is being provided by the Rapid Relief Team for the invited people taking part in the Celebration Lap of Honour ‘‘It’s our way of thanking the wha ¯nau and carers for their support for those who have been touched by cancer and to celebrate those who have had or are currently going through a cancer diagnosis,’’ says Tiffany If anyone would like to register for the Celebration Lap and Morning Tea, please contact Tiffany on ncrelay@southerncancer.org.nz The next major part of the walk happens 10 hours later at 8pm with a poignant candlelight ceremony to remember those we have been lost to cancer and to make a commitment to fight back against cancer Every participant receives a candlebag and candle to light in memory of a loved one we have the closing ceremony just before the finish at 10pm It’s always a very emotional moment as everyone is exhausted Rangiora and Kaiapoi residents will get the chance to have their say on what parking demand might look like in 2040 and whether they are willing to pay for a good spot The Waimakariri District Council will consult on how to address future parking needs in the two Canterbury town centres including the possibility of paid parking and a new parking building for Rangiora strategy and centres team leader Heike Downie said the feedback would help the council develop a parking management plan She said the proposed approaches for each town were different and reflected parking trends population projections and possible land use changes "We are a growing district and providing parking is an important asset to make our town centres successful," she said "Our future modelling shows parking supply is still reasonably comfortable in Kaiapoi but in Rangiora we are anticipating there will be high demand in the future." Proposed measures for Rangiora include piloting graduated priced parking with the first hour or two free and charges applying after that exploring all day parking options and a central parking building The council is looking to reconfigure the Blake Street car park and to acquire another centre site for parking by 2035 to meet Rangiora's growing demand The former police station site in High Street The proposals also take into consideration mobility needs The council also plans to consider future parking needs in other town centres Councillor Niki Mealings noted the council needed to develop a parking management plan as the National Policy Statement on Urban Development removed the requirement for private developers to provide parking which placed pressure on existing parking supply Mayor Dan Gordon said it was timely to consider future parking needs "I regularly get feedback around the town centres about how busy they are and particularly in Rangiora with the new retail experiences and it is the same in Kaiapoi "It is nice that we have the problem of our town centres being busy but it is something we need to keep an eye on." Consultation will be held later this month with the council due to adopt a parking management plan in May sustained increases in the use of alternative modes of transport remain elusive Wilson Parking says it's just supply and demand Masterton's council is considering "alternative approaches" to addressing the problem of businesses using public car parks for vehicle storage The fees would apply seven days a week and are expected to generate almost $2.1 million in annual revenue Local Democracy Reporting RSS Follow RNZ News Following their breakthrough success in 2021 Kaiapoi backed it up with a 14-6 win over Hurunui to be crowned the 2022 North Canterbury champions Kaiapoi managed to control the territory and possession for most of the match forcing the Hogs to continuously exit their own half in wet conditions Kaiapoi led 6-3 when dotting over to score the games first try after 20 minutes It wasn’t long after that the rain started with a penalty apiece taking the match to it’s final score of 14-6 Hurunui continued to assault the Kaiapoi line but resolute defending and a number of errors stopped any last ditch efforts to overturn the scoreline with Frank Soli and his men deserved winners on a day that proved a great advertisement for North Canterbury rugby info@crfu.co.nz(03) 379 8300 About Canterbury RugbyTerms of UsePrivacy PolicyHealth & Safety Two people have died in a crash in rural Canterbury Emergency services were called to the single-vehicle crash in the town of Clarkville The crash happened in Butchers Road about 12.10am and police said they found that two people had died A third person in the vehicle was taken to Christchurch Hospital More than 100 North Canterbury households remain without power following the crash Fire and Emergency NZ said the car hit a power pole in Butchers Rd demolishing it and bringing down power lines Firefighters from the Kaiapoi and Swannanoa brigades responded A St John spokesperson said two ambulances and a rapid response unit were sent to the single-vehicle crash at 12.09am One person was taken to hospital in a moderate condition Police said Butchers Rd was expected to remain closed between Moodys Rd and Christmas Rd for much of Saturday Lines company MainPower said power would stay off for 101 customers in the area while serious crash investigators were at the scene As the Covid-19 pandemic brings the world into uncharted waters Star Media journalists and photographers continue to report local stories that matter everyday - yours For more than 152 years our journalists have provided Cantabrians with local news that can be trusted It’s more important now than ever to keep Cantabrians connected As our advertising has fallen during the pandemic You can help us continue to provide local news you can trust simply by becoming a supporter was taught to crochet by her mother-in-law But after the stroke nearly 30 years ago she could no longer crochet and thought she would never be able to do so again But that changed after she saw a video online showing how a right-handed person had learnt to crochet left-handed after a stroke The clip inspired her to do the same and eight months later with the help and support of her Knitters and Natters friends Sheryl has just completed a large woollen crocheted rug a Christian organisation providing knitwear for the people in war-torn Ukraine and other Eastern European countries Nola says Sheryl started learning how to crochet one-handed by creating "chains" using a small crochet hook "She struggled for a while but once she got the tension right she was away," she says Sheryl has already started work on another one Both women say they find crocheting "very relaxing" They both look forward to their weekly meetings with the Knitters and Natters group at the Kaiapoi Cooperating Parish where they all knit items for Operation Cover Up making many woollen items every month for the charity They all enjoy knitting or crocheting but also the social aspect of their weekly get-together "There is a lot of nattering which is also enjoyable," Sheryl says "We all help each other and have fun doing it." A busy fortnight of events for Kaiapoi started with over 12,000 people attending the Kaiapoi Lights and the Kaiapoi Matariki celebrations last week This Saturday there will be two further celebrations of creativity and artistic prowess at the Blackwell’s Fire and Ice display and night market says they were very happy with the turnout and support ‘‘The usual funding opportunities for community events are a lot more difficult to achieve at the moment so we are very grateful for our sponsors - Lime Real Estate Fools of Desire and grant bodies - Rangiora Festival Charitable Trust with a bigger than expected turnout on Friday Some people decided at the last minute to attend as they went from one event to the other Karl says Kaiapoi Matariki was a busy night with 40 market stalls capped off with an amazing firework display from Firework Professionals ‘‘It certainly would have created a spending boost in the region with many of the food and market vendors being local ‘‘We were also very happy to help foster an understanding of Matariki by theming some of the light displays working with nine local schools to create Matariki-themed displays and a wonderful explanation from the main stage about Matariki Photo / Supplied- The listing of 90 Beach Road has stirred fond memories of its past as the Island Motel - It currently generates $163,000 annually as rental accommodation The sale of 90 Beach Road, in Kaiapoi, Canterbury has warmed the hearts of many Kiwis who remember fondly as the “flashiest” motel in the region and the number one place for weddings and birthday parties The two-storey property is better known to locals as the Island Motel and it was immensely popular with holidaying Kiwis during the 1960s and 1970s It was also an ice cream pitstop for those making their way to The Pines Beach for the day Bayleys agent Angela Webb said the listing had stirred up a lot of memories “It’s sparked interest just in the short time it’s been on the market,” she told OneRoof The Island Motel was converted into residential flats in the 1980s “There are so many fond memories from Christchurch people of this property from back in the day when it was the place where everyone went to dinner The restaurant and dance floor closed down in the 1980s and the adjoining motel rooms were converted into 12 flats The building looks very different from 50 years ago; it has been painted grey and the swimming pool has been filled in as one of the two roads it was once sandwiched between has disappeared The property has changed hands several times since it was a motel The current owners purchased the property as an investment after the Christchurch earthquakes and have strengthened the building to bring it up to code Some of the tenants have lived there since before the Christchurch earthquake in 2011 - Whangārei’s famous castle for sale - but it won’t cost ‘millions and millions’ - Couple sit back and pocket an extra $460,000 in the space of 12 minutes - Tiny island where everyone knows your name and houses cost less than $500,000 Webb said the property could continue to be run as rental accommodation returning a rental income of $163,000 a year but could also be turned back into an events venue “It would be amazing if someone bought it and restored it to what it used to be,” she said “The restaurant and dance floor are still there the wishing well in the restaurant is still in the corner There’s the potential for someone to do something very cool there.” Twenty groups had attended the first open home last weekend and many had a connection with the old motel The flats return a combined rental income of $1630,000 a year Some of the tenants have lived in the units since before the Christchurch earthquake in 2011 “People were coming along to have a look because they remember it from their childhood or buying ice-cream there We had some people who had relatives who owned it or ran the property – that kind of situation but then also looking to buy it for the return because it’s got strong income.” An old photo of the Island Motel on the Christchurch Memories Facebook page complete with a Singer car parked in front of it has sparked a lot of memories Several people commented that it was the “flashiest motel they knew” while others said taking a Sunday drive and stopping there for ice-cream or afternoon tea was a popular thing to do The property is located between the towns of Kaiapoi and The Pines Beach - 90 Beach Road, Kaiapoi, Canterbury, goes to auction on February 20 founder of the Iron Ridge Quarry Sculpture Park in Waipara Valley The work was commissioned by the Waimakariri Public Arts Trust (WPAT) and the project was overseen by a trustee Jackie Watson The project took longer than expected to complete because Raymond became seriously ill with a critical case of long Covid-19 which saw him hospitalised for a time Raymond said he was grateful to the WPAT trustees for their patience allowing him time to recover fully before completing the work He is pleased with the place chosen to install Windswept The sculpture was funded by the proceeds of the first Kaiapoi Art Expo held after the Covid-19 lockdown Without the support of all the sponsors who support the Kaiapoi Art Expo as well as the Kaiapoi-Tuahiwi Community Board All Together Kaiapoi and Lime Developments securing this new artwork would not have been possible A small function was held at Urban Revival in Silverstream after the ribbon-cutting ceremony to thank sponsors and supporters said the trust was delighted Raymond’s outstanding sculpture was now in place ‘‘It certainly enhances the environment where it is situated in Silverstream.’’ The WPAT was formed by the Waimakariri District Council in 2020 with its key task to promote art and culture in the Waimakariri district with a specific focus on public art in public places such as sculptures and murals Molly belongs to the shop’s owner Jared Raines and sometimes accompanies him to work She is a member of the Dogs of Kaiapoi Wall of Fame which features 64 photos of canine cuties who have visited the shop with their owners Jared says the initiative began when his sister Keely Raines started bringing her two dogs to work with her to ease their separation anxiety "We got so many positive comments from customers and staff about the dogs being in the shop," Jared said The positive feedback intensified when Jared started bringing his family’s new puppy Customers began asking staff if the shop was dog-friendly and Jared started to think it could be a good initiative to introduce While travelling overseas he had seen many dog-friendly shops where canines were welcome and thought it was a great initiative with many benefits So we started welcoming people with their dogs into our shop too." Soon after that staff members began photographing the dogs that came into the shop The Dogs of Kaiapoi Wall of Fame was then born which is now a feature at the shop and is enthusiastically supported by visitors Keely no longer works at Paper Plus Kaiapoi in the restored former Bank of New Zealand building on the corner of Williams and Charles Sts who runs the printing side of the business still takes their two Brussels griffon dogs although they are more likely to be found at the back of the shop with Sam they have become popular members of the Paper Plus team which is on the corner of Todds and Fernside Rds high-tech replacement for the company’s former Kaiapoi factory which was badly damaged by fire in January 2022 Sutton Tools (NZ) general manager Kevin Donovan says the company was expecting to take ownership of the new building at the end of October when the internal fit-out would begin in preparation for the gradual transfer but it is expected to be late February or early March This will give the company time to become fully operational and ready to showcase the facility to a large contingent of local and community groups with tours through the factory Work on the project began in October last year small-drill manufacturing facility in the world which will provide us with a lot of productivity and quality advantages,’’ Kevin says ‘‘All the machines and equipment are brand new along with all of the digital technology we will be installing.’’ The building has also been cleverly insulated to provide comfortable working conditions and reduce the environmental impact of the business ‘‘At the old building we burned 70,000 litres of diesel each year to keep the team warm in winter There is also a high-tech fire suppression system with a dedicated back-up power supply installed at the factory ‘‘We have a sophisticated stormwater retention and treatment plant and dedicated EV (electric vehicle) charging stations in the car park,’’ Kevin says the administration/office areas of the building exceed the company’s current requirements so there is a possibility parts of it such as meeting rooms and conference rooms could be used by other businesses and community groups in the future Although the January 2022 fire caused a massive upheaval for the company ‘‘one of the positive things to come from it is the benefit of skills development’’ ‘‘The team had to pivot to new types of work including our apprentices so we have all learnt a lot.’’ but the team has demonstrated remarkable resilience since the fire in less-than-ideal conditions ‘‘Simple things like connected locker rooms and bathroom area training rooms and a spacious cafeteria with outdoor areas for the team will be a real novelty for a while.’’ describes the building as a big open factory specifically designed to be very adaptable to what we want to do Australian managing director of Sutton Tools wanted something specifically from Kaiapoi for the new building so the boardroom will feature a table handcrafted in Kaiapoi by MODesign The Kaiapoi Garden Club has stepped in to take over running the competition In recent years it has been the domain of Altogether Kaiapoi but with it winding up the future of the garden competition was in limbo Club president Margaret Maw said it plans to hold the competition at the end of January next year The categories would include Walk Around the Entire Garden; View from the Street; Town house; Garden under three years; Structured Landscape; Community Pride; Commercial; Sustainability and Best Vegetable Garden plus a certificate will be awarded to the winner of each category Second and third placings will receive a certificate There is also a Supreme Garden Award which will be awarded to the garden that receives the most points overall Maw said the 102-year-old club has about 55 members It is in good heart and looking forward to the competition Entry forms are available on request from the club by emailing kaiapoigardenclub@gmail.com Two people have died in a crash in Clarkville Police confirmed two people died in the crash while a third is in hospital with minor injuries More than 100 North Canterbury households were also without power after the serious crash near Kaiapoi overnight Fire and Emergency New Zealand said a car hit a power pole on Butchers Road demolishing the pole and bringing down power lines across the road One person was taken to Christchurch Hospital in a moderate condition with the spokesperson referring enquiries about any other patients to the police Police would say only that Butchers Road was expected to remain closed between Moodys Road and Christmas Road for much of the day Lines company MainPower said power would remain off for 101 customers in the area while serious crash investigators remained on the scene Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday New Zealand RSS one of the most modern and sophisticated small drill manufacturing plants in the world has risen in Canterbury Sutton Tools New Zealand will officially open its new factory today on Todds Rd It will replace the company’s former Kaiapoi factory which was damaged beyond repair in an early morning fire in January 2022 General manager Kevin Donovan says the new site allows for diversification and further development ‘‘when we are ready’’ ‘‘First and foremost though the new building is a safe something they deserve as some of them have been working in tin sheds since the fire ‘‘It is full of new high-tech equipment so to a certain extent we are future-proofed and it has put us ahead of most of our competitors.’’ The new facility is also a $40 million vote of confidence in Rangiora as a place to do business as the company employs mainly Waimakariri staff ‘‘We had been at the Kaiapoi site since 1962 but in reality it is now surrounded by residential developments and not really suited to a large manufacturing facility,” he said ‘‘Rangiora is growing fast and the new site in the middle of a growing industrial area ‘‘It is not too far away for our Kaiapoi-based staff and closer for some who live in with staff moving into the new building about four months ago enabled the cost of the project to be completed for ‘‘much less than what it would have cost if our own team weren’t designing and building a lot of the equipment and managing projects required to make things happen’’ innovation and services are all part of plans for the new factory which employs about half the number of staff the company had in Kaiapoi before the fire ‘‘New technology and machinery mean less direct labour is required and some of the processes we are managing here were not possible in the temporary buildings we have been working in for the last few years so staff numbers will increase," Kevin said Although the company’s largest markets are Australia and New Zealand the business is growing and has ‘‘various manufacturing and distribution operations in the United Kingdom We export to the United States and our brands are well-established throughout southeast Asia” the photo has helped build the foundation of a teddy bear hospital in Kaiapoi The young girl was Kaiapoi resident Suzanne Irvine’s grandmother and for more than 107 years ‘‘Old Ted’’ the teddy bear has been watching over generations of the Irvine family Taking care of Old Ted over the years inspired the former CTV camerawoman to start her Teddy Bear Hospital A few years ago she started making and repairing teddy bears part-time, but her love for restoring old heritage bears saw her start teddybearhospital.co.nz The mohair British Teddy Bear was made by the Terry Toy Company in East London and travelled to a Canterbury toy shop sometime before 1914 In 1917 he was purchased by some of Florence’s family members who bought him to aid in her recovery from a near-fatal illness and a three-month stay in hospital three of her brothers went off to World War 1 ‘‘Old Ted sat on a small chair in the lounge of the family home on Moorhouse Ave ‘‘My dad was an only child and he wasn’t allowed to play with him and neither were we ever allowed to touch him ‘‘That’s why he was in such good condition Old Ted was later passed on to Suzanne’s father Martyn Irvine and in time he will pass him on to Suzanne who has recently restored him to his former glory ‘‘Four generations of my family have worked on ‘Old Ted' to preserve his stability ‘‘There were old stitches on his ears which my great-grandmother would have done ‘‘Grandma kept him together sewing him up when the stitches failed over the years ‘‘My dad tidied him up and replaced the eyes and now I’ve cleaned him up and strengthened him so he’s looking as bright and sparkly as he was when he first came into our family.’’ Suzanne says Old Ted now has a shine on his fur that he never had before Sixty years of sitting near an open fire has coated it in black smokey ash and tar Suzanne is currently working on a 23-year-old Lion attacked by a dog a 70-year-old rabbit and an 85-year-old teddy bear suffering from a bug infestation problem I’ve only been in business for four weeks and people from all over are calling me up surprised there is a teddy bear hospital service here in Kaiapoi.’’ ‘‘That one I had to put in the freezer for 48 hours to kill off all the bugs now I'm thawing him out before the restoration work starts.’’ Suzanne has been surprised by the demand for her skills with many calls coming from Canterbury and just as many from cities up north.’’ She says Old Ted epitomises the physical longevity of heritage family bears ‘‘They honour the legacy and heritage they represent in a family’s history ‘‘It’s time for people to dig out these old bears from storage and create a lasting family heirloom for future generations to enjoy.’’ The company was already famous for its soft toys before producing its first teddy bears in the early 1900s The webbed claw stitching on the bear's paws is another characteristic of English bears Terry died in 1924 and his son took over the company Made between 1905 and 1908 from shaggy mohair and stuffed with wood wool and kapok these dolls set the standard for British bears Certified Terry bears like Old Ted now sell at international auctions for NZD$2000 and above while many others reside in museums such as the Victoria & Albert Museum in London A residential house fire in Canterbury is spreading rapidly to a neighbouring property Fire and emergency services were called to a house fire in Kaiapoi Firefighters on the scene of the blaze in Kaiapoi plus the fire is spreading into the property next door,” said shift manager Ryan Dawson the fire was not threatening the house on the neighbouring property Crews were called to the house fire at 11.35am North Canterbury powerhouses Kaiapoi and Glenmark Cheviot will meet once again in the final of the Luisetti Seeds North Canterbury Division 1 competition Played alongside North Canterbury Finals Day at Kaiapoi the showcase event is one that we’ve seen before with bragging rights back on the line between two proud clubs Glenmark Cheviot went through the Division 1 competition unbeaten culminating in an impressive 33-0 win in challenging conditions last weekend over Hurunui “That’s probably one of the coldest games the boys have ever played,” said Glenmark Cheviot captain Andrew Hull “but to be up 12-0 at half time going into the wind in the first half “It’s definitely exciting (to make the final) we’ve worked hard back in the North Canterbury rounds so it’s quite pleasing to have the result of being in this weekend’s final.” “Going unbeaten in the round robin is just a result of how we’ve been playing and that has been a good result of getting it done so far this season.” Glenmark Cheviot may have topped the round robin but with the full North Canterbury Senior Finals Day taking place at Kaiapoi it gives the ‘Poi the opportunity to run back out for the final time this season in front of their fans “We were lucky to have that opportunity two years ago,” said Kaiapoi captain Jacob Hurring “we managed to get over the line that time two years ago so it’d be awesome to do it again this weekend.” “We’ve also got the women’s and Division 2 in action on the day so it’ll be pretty awesome to have everyone out there on Saturday.” we know that you’ll have to play the full 80 to beat them so this is the one we want to respond well in and get the win.” Hurring said with Gavin Cate and Cyril Le Gros as Assistant Referees Neil Wilkinson and George Welch will manage the sideline as the sub controllers Kaiapoi High School principal Jason Reid says more students have been signing up for sports and clubs since the Covid-19 restrictions of 2020/21. Music has seen a huge boost, putting pressure on limited instruments and music tutors. Last year, the school had to find nearly $50,000 to buy more instruments and pay for more lessons due to the demand, Reid said. "We’ve had donations of instruments to provide opportunities, but I can’t get enough instruments and tutors. "You hear all the time about young people spending too much time on social media and on their devices. "But the vast majority are taking up opportunities in sport and the arts, not because they are forced to, but because they are choosing it." Reid said growing numbers of young people were also looking for opportunities to volunteer in the community. One deputy head student recently joined the local Rotary Club and was helping establish a youth branch to organise events, he said. Rangiora High School has also had an upsurge in students participating in sports, music and the arts since Covid, principal Bruce Kearney said. More students than ever before were studying music, while kapa haka was growing in popularity and team sports numbers were strong, he said. While youth often got a bad rap, Kearney said he was constantly amazed by the way young people "talk about the concept of kindness". "Our motto next year will be 'don’t just fit in'. "We want young people to fit in with a sense of belonging." The school board of trustees helped to set a school's vision for the future. Board of trustees presiding member Simon Green said this year’s head boy David Moore was set to lead by example. Speaking at the school’s prize-giving at the end of last year, David said year 10 was his least enjoyable school year as he lacked the courage to take opportunities, Green recalled. "‘His advice was, 'don’t try to fit in or conform, but follow your passions'. It was really cool to see a young man do well and be courageous." Former Kaiapoi High School student Josh Keating is a popular performer in North Canterbury. Music is taking centrestage at Josh’s old school, with a growing number of students signing up for music lessons. (Source: Local Democracy Reporting) A surge in demand from students taking up sport, music and art is stretching resources at Canterbury schools. 17 mins ago 28 mins ago 36 mins ago 55 mins ago 1:08pm 6 mins ago A surge in demand from students taking up sport music and art is stretching resources at Canterbury schools Kaiapoi High School principal Jason Reid says more students have been signing up for sports and clubs since the Covid-19 restrictions of 2020/21 putting pressure on limited instruments and music tutors the school had to find nearly $50,000 to buy more instruments and pay for more lessons due to the demand "We’ve had donations of instruments to provide opportunities but I can’t get enough instruments and tutors "You hear all the time about young people spending too much time on social media and on their devices "But the vast majority are taking up opportunities in sport and the arts Reid said growing numbers of young people were also looking for opportunities to volunteer in the community One deputy head student recently joined the local Rotary Club and was helping establish a youth branch to organise events Rangiora High School has also had an upsurge in students participating in sports More students than ever before were studying music while kapa haka was growing in popularity and team sports numbers were strong Kearney said he was constantly amazed by the way young people "talk about the concept of kindness" "Our motto next year will be 'don’t just fit in' The school board of trustees helped to set a school's vision for the future Board of trustees presiding member Simon Green said this year’s head boy David Moore was set to lead by example Speaking at the school’s prize-giving at the end of last year David said year 10 was his least enjoyable school year as he lacked the courage to take opportunities It was really cool to see a young man do well and be courageous." Last year the school had to find nearly $50,000 to buy more instruments and pay for more lessons due to the demand ‘‘We’ve had donations of instruments to provide opportunities ‘‘You hear all the time about young people spending too much time on social media and on their devices ‘‘But the vast majority are taking up opportunities in sport and the arts Mr Reid said growing numbers of young people are also looking for opportunities to volunteer in the community One deputy head student recently joined the local Rotary Club and was helping to establish a youth branch to organise events Rangiora High School has also seen upsurge in students participate in sports More students than ever before are studying music while kapa haka is growing in popularity and team sports numbers are strong Mr Kearney said he is constantly amazed by the way young people ‘‘talk about the concept of kindness’’ ‘‘Our motto next year will be ‘don’t just fit in’ ‘‘We want young people to fit in with a sense of belonging.’’ The school board of trustees helps to set a school's vision for the future Board of trustees presiding member Simon Green said this year’s head boy David Moore is set to lead by example Speaking at the school’s prizegiving at the end of last year ‘‘It was really cool to see a young man do well and be courageous.’’ The next day an informal afternoon tea was held at the church to give everyone attending the anniversary a chance to meet and share memories There is also an exhibition of photos in the church showcasing its history Orchard said the celebration was about coming together for a gathering and to catch up at a church service from 10am with singing guest speakers and a celebration to recognise 125 years of service in the Kaiapoi community The church was established during the late 1800s when a group of believers formed a fellowship and began worshipping as the Kaiapoi Baptist Church the foundation stone was laid for a new church building at 67 Fuller St and on May 21 the new building was opened beginning a rich history of community service which will provide much to reminisce about during the anniversary celebrations Mission work has played an important role in the church’s history This has included missions in the Kaiapoi community starting in 1956 when Edgar and Dorothy Pollard left Kaiapoi for missionary work there while others from the church have also served there By the early 1970s the original church building was no longer fit for purpose and work began on constructing the present day building which is believed to have opened on July 1 The Person to Person Help Trust was established during the 1980s and the house behind the church was converted for use as a childcare facility It is now a fully licenced and registered early childhood centre The church was also proactive in helping in the community after the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes ‘‘We have a wide pool of skilled people who were able to provide help in many ways,’’ Orchard says The large prominent wheelhouse of the 29.5m long double-masted auxiliary schooner has been restored close to how it was before she ran aground on September 27 on a sand bar at the mouth of the Waimakariri River and was deemed unsalvagable The schooner was based in Kaiapoi for many years and now its restored wheelhouse sits as a memorial to it in one of the display sheds at the club’s McLeans Island Rd base near Christchurch It is surrounded by one of the vessel's two engines and a large amount of memorabilia communication devices and controls inside the wheelhouse while others have worked on resurrecting one of its engines NZVMC president Wayne Dyer says thanks to the drive and persistence of member John Thompson the club now has a wonderful slice of North Canterbury history on display ‘‘John played a crucial role in its journey here it would have taken a lot longer to rebuild this memorial to an amazing vessel whose history dates back over 100 years and includes hazardous service in World War 2.’’ masts and several container loads of equipment five years ago from the Kaiapoi Maritime Society it had been in storage in the old Kaiapoi Mill for so long that its future was in doubt ‘‘But we took on the task of restoring parts of it to their former glory.’’ When club vice president Cedric Croft joined the club four years ago ‘‘The MV Tuhoe has so many special memories for me ‘‘So when I joined the club I was working alongside some talented carpenters who were meticulously rebuilding the wheelhouse ‘‘It was so special working on her,’’ he says Dyer says that among the spares and other engineering parts they salvaged from the containers was enough parts to make one of the three diesel engines workable ‘‘There were enough parts from the vessel’s two main engines and one spare to get one of them going but it took a year to remove all the saltwater corrosion damage from her demolition ‘‘There is one thing we are still looking for ‘‘When the salvage contractor cut up the Tuhoe on the beach at the Waimakariri Mouth in the three days ECan gave him to remove her someone took away its unique high-pressure compressor and we would love to know what happened to it.’’