People at a social housing complex in Christchurch are shocked by an unexplained death at the property
with one neighbour saying she feels "sick to her stomach"
Reports suggested a child had died at the complex on Barrington Street in Spreydon on Wednesday afternoon
although police would not confirm the age of the person who died
A child's scooter could be seen outside the home
told RNZ she saw emergency services in the area
"Our other flatmate came back home from work and said that there were heaps of ambulances and cops across the road," she said
like facing towards the fence with his hands above his head and the cop standing behind him
"Our other flatmate was speaking to a neighbour and they said that there were heaps of ambulances
"They also mentioned that there were heaps of like
The woman said she would be distressed to learn that a child had died
"That makes me feel sick to the stomach," she said
police said they were treating the death as unexplained
"Police are continuing to make enquiries into a death at an address on Barrington Street yesterday," they said
the death is being treated as unexplained."
Oranga Tamariki is refusing to say whether it has been involved with the family
The Ministry for Children referred all comment to police and refused to say whether they had any involvement with the family
all enquiries are best directed to them," Oranga Tamariki said
Police refused an interview request from RNZ and did not answer specific questions about deceased's age and gender
or whether CIB were handling the investigation
Kāinga Ora regional director for Canterbury Liz Krause said the agency's thoughts were with the friends and whānau of the person who died
"While this death is under police investigation
it would be inappropriate for us to comment further."
Police say officers are in the early stages of determining what happened
Police are making initial inquiries into a death at a property in Christchurch this afternoon
Emergency services responded to an incident on Barrington St
About four detectives arrived on the scene half an hour later
The Herald understands the incident involved a child
A police spokeswoman provided the Herald with a statement at 6.20pm
confirming emergency services were called to the house about 2.30pm
reports a person was unresponsive,” she said
“Police are in the initial stages of determining what happened.”
Officers were seen speaking with a man on the street who appeared stressed and agitated
The man was pacing on the footpath and then sitting against a fence as police spoke to him
A woman was seen being escorted out of a property and into a police car
A child’s scooter was visible at the front of the property
Fire and Emergency NZ (Fenz) confirmed it was responding to a medical event in Christchurch
A Fenz spokesman said Fenz was helping St John Ambulance and sending one fire truck from the Spreydon station
A St John Ambulance spokesman confirmed it responded to an incident on Barrington St
An ambulance and rapid response vehicle are on-site
There is a large police presence at a medical incident in Christchurch this afternoon
Emergency services responded to an incident on Barrington St
Emergency services respond to what they called a "medical event" on Barrington St
A Fenz spokesman said they were helping St John Ambulance and sending one fire truck from the Spreydon station
A spokesman for St John Ambulance confirmed they responded to an incident on Barrington St
The Herald has approached police for comment
A 36-year-old Spreydon man has been arrested after allegedly discharging a shotgun in the Christchurch suburb of Shirley this afternoon
Police were called to an address in Emmett St about 4.40pm after reports a man had discharged a shotgun and fled the scene in a car
A pursuit was abandoned due to the concerning manner of driving,” a police spokesperson said
“Police tracked the man to a Sumner St property in Spreydon
where cordons were put in place as a precaution
After being challenged by police at the address
“This was fast-moving and we are thankful that no members of the public were harmed.”
Police said they would carry out scene examinations at the Emmett St and Sumner St properties
Sign up to The Daily H
a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday
Police making enquiries into the death of a 9-month-old baby in Christchurch on Wednesday can now confirm there are no suspicious circumstances
A police spokesperson said emergency services were alerted to reports a baby was unresponsive at a Barrington Street property in Spreydon shortly after 2.30pm
Medical attention was given but the 9-month-old died
Oranga Tamariki referred all comment to police and refused to say whether they had any involvement with the family
Kāinga Ora regional director for Canterbury Liz Krause said the agency's thoughts were with the friends and whānau of the baby who died
Emergency services were called to a Barrington Street property on Wednesday afternoon - but police are not confirming a child died
NZ's first-ever property AI tool - Try OpesAI today
Nairn StreetCase Studies
Managing Director, 20+ Years' Experience Investing In Property, Author & Host
FacebookTwitterCopy to clipboardCopied
0800 676 737
Here’s a case study of a development I recently recommended to investors in Spreydon, Christchurch.
Please note that this property is not currently available and has already been recommended to an investor. The statistics provided were accurate at that time, but may now be outdated.
When it comes to property investment, the first question is always about price: “Is it a good price compared to other properties on the market?”
The table below shows how Nairn Street properties stack up against two other similar developments in Spreydon, all within a 2km radius.
For instance, the most affordable property (Evesham Cres) is $10,000 cheaper than Nairn Street but lacks a garage.
Meanwhile, Mountfort St, despite having the same floor area and an additional garage like Nairn St, is $50,000 more expensive and Nairn St has an extra bathroom.
Beyond price, the true measure of a good investment is value. In this case, Nairn Street leads with the highest gross yield of 4.5%, followed by Evesham Cres at 4.28%.
Gross yield, calculated as the annual rent divided by the purchase price, is a simple but effective tool to gauge investment value.
Interestingly, the most expensive property, Mountfort St, despite its higher cost, does not get higher rent, resulting in the lowest gross yield of 4.18%.
This indicates that a higher price does not always equate to more value for an investor.
Having a garage significantly affects the price of new builds in Spreydon, often adding $40 - $50k to the cost.
However, the lack of off-street parking in the area makes a garage a desirable feature, potentially affecting tenant retention.
In this context, investing in a townhouse with a garage in Spreydon could be a justifiable expense.
Book your free sessionAndrew NicolManaging Director, 20+ Years' Experience Investing In Property, Author & Host
Andrew Nicol, Managing Director at Opes Partners, is a seasoned financial adviser and property investment expert with 20+ years of experience. With 40 investment properties, he hosts the Property Academy Podcast, co-authored 'Wealth Plan' with Ed Mcknight, and has helped 1,894 Kiwis achieve financial security through property investment.
Auckland\",\"hideAuthor\":false,\"hideDate\":false,\"topic\":{\"id\":\"3078\",\"name\":\"Case Studies\"}}],[\"$\",\"$L23\",\"935554\",{\"className\":\"h-full max-w-[350px]\",\"id\":\"935554\",\"url\":\"/case-study/gloucester-st\",\"fullTitle\":\"Gloucester St
Christchurch\",\"hideAuthor\":false,\"hideDate\":false,\"topic\":{\"id\":\"3078\",\"name\":\"Case Studies\"}}],[\"$\",\"$L23\",\"928124\",{\"className\":\"h-full max-w-[350px]\",\"id\":\"928124\",\"url\":\"/case-study/freeland-ave\",\"fullTitle\":\"Freeland Avenue
Auckland\",\"hideAuthor\":false,\"hideDate\":false,\"topic\":{\"id\":\"3078\",\"name\":\"Case Studies\"}}],[\"$\",\"$L23\",\"728835\",{\"className\":\"h-full max-w-[350px]\",\"id\":\"728835\",\"url\":\"/case-study/cross-street\",\"fullTitle\":\"Cross Street
Christchurch\",\"hideAuthor\":false,\"hideDate\":false,\"topic\":{\"id\":\"3078\",\"name\":\"Case Studies\"}}],[\"$\",\"$L23\",\"727062\",{\"className\":\"h-full max-w-[350px]\",\"id\":\"727062\",\"url\":\"/case-study/barrington-street\",\"fullTitle\":\"Barrington Street
Christchurch\\\",\\\"image\\\":\\\"https://d2p5lmkcbt3lk2.cloudfront.net/images/_thumbLg/933269/Case-study-Nairn-Street-WEBSITE.webp\\\",\\\"author\\\":[{\\\"@type\\\":\\\"Person\\\"}],\\\"datePublished\\\":\\\"2023-09-27T17:09:00+13:00\\\",\\\"dateModified\\\":\\\"2023-09-27T17:09:00+13:00\\\",\\\"url\\\":\\\"https://www.opespartners.co.nz/Learn how Nairn Street in Spreydon stacks up as an investment
You’ll also see how it compares to similar properties investors could buy at the time.\\\",\\\"description\\\":\\\"Case Studies\\\",\\\"publisher\\\":{\\\"@type\\\":\\\"Organization\\\",\\\"name\\\":\\\"Opes Partners\\\",\\\"url\\\":\\\"https://www.opespartners.co.nz\\\"}}\"}}]]]\n"])Related Previous properties (Last 12 months)Case Studies
You are not permitted to download, save or email this image. Visit image gallery to purchase the image
A large contingent of uniformed police officers descended on a private residence in Barrington St
Part of the street was blocked up around 11am while police carried out their operation
Police confirmed a number of items were located and seized a modified pistol
Two men - aged 34 and 41 - were taken away and charged with a range of offences
including unlawful possession of a firearm and drug charges
A specialist paramedic was on hand in case of a medical emergency
The police operation was largely completed by 11.40am on Monday
allowing traffic to return to normal around the busy thoroughfare
when the roll is dropping and there’s little love from the locals
At West Spreydon School it’s taken a decade
inspiring leadership and dozens of working bees to make the school the pride of its community
committed group of local parents set a plan in place to make their school great again
a Canterbury University study revealed that each year in Christchurch
high school students alone travel a combined 71,000 kms extra
to attend schools outside of the communities they live in
For many parents there remains a perception that the local school isn’t going to meet their child’s educational and/or emotional needs
says all it takes is one or two dissatisfied parents to leave a school
How do you turn a school around and make it the school of choice
Faced with a plummeting school roll and a disenfranchised community
a group of Spreydon parents put a “stake in the ground”
Leading the way was Duane Major - the man who would go on to save a beach
with the campaign to ensure Awaroa Beach remained in Kiwi ownership
“The beach campaign was borne out of this context
where people pull together and do stuff together.”
When Frank Film visited West Spreydon School
it was welcoming new families to the school community with a mihi whakatau and hangi
For all Frank stories visit www.frankfilm.co.nz
for easy access to all your favourite programmes
A decade later the library assistant is taking a trip down memory lane as the facility celebrates 50 years since its opening in 1971 marked a new era of public library service in Christchurch
Barsby has witnessed the library scene reinvent itself in the past 20 years to keep up with the community’s ever-changing demands
But even as society furthers into the digital era
she had no concerns that people would turn their backs on a good story
especially now with advances like e-books and Kindles
a lot more people have their own devices,” she said
“The earthquakes changed the demographic of this area quite a lot
There used to be mainly older adults or young families
but people moved from town out to the suburbs.”
Most libraries at the time were run by volunteers
It first opened in 1929 from the remodelled Borough Council Chambers at the current Barrington St site as a volunteer-led community library
It continued operating that way until Christchurch City Council started a new network of suburban public libraries following a boom in book stocks
with the library initially housing 17,000 books
All of this would not be possible without the passion and efforts of librarian Ernest Bell
who campaigned to make libraries public and to improve reading in the community more than 70 years ago
“If every library was its own little community run by themselves
they wouldn’t have the resources or funding,” said Barsby
“Now we have a huge collection that floats between all libraries.”
the Spreydon facility is more than just a library - it is a place of refuge
Over time the library has developed a strong bond with the community through daily activities
the library also attracted the odd homeless person
“Sometimes they’ll spend the whole day there because they just want to be amongst people to talk,” she said
“Some people are going through mental health issues; they could be having a bad day but they happen to be in the library that day
It was threatened with closure when South Library was being built until the city council did a U-turn
Because Spreydon Library was already a huge part of residents’ lives
they rallied together and produced a 3500 signature petition against the proposal
Having worked in a number of libraries prior to Spreydon
it meant she could continue working in a place she loved and be surrounded by thousands of book titles every day
The Spreydon Library mmarked the occasion with a free social morning tea to share stories today from 10.30am to 12.30pm
The man was taken into custody on a range of charges
after armed police raided a property on Domain Tce in Spreydon this morning
"Police can confirm a 24-year-old male has been arrested following an incident in Addington yesterday
The man was due to appear in the Christchurch District Court today
It comes after armed police were called to "a family harm matter where a person was reported to have a firearm" at a Barrington St property about 1pm yesterday
Police said yesterday two people from the address were helping them locate a person of interest
One person involved in the incident was taken to Christchurch Hospital with moderate injuries
Nearby residents on Barrington St were evacuated during the incident and Addington Te Kura Taumatua school was briefly placed in lockdown
The New Zealand Herald reported the man allegedly pulled a gun during the incident and evaded police by fleeing in a taxi moments before officers arrived on the scene
Perazzolo was at the Waitai Spreydon-Cashmere Community Board's latest meeting
He told the board the bollards at the entrance of the car park were damaged in the 2010/11 earthquakes and are no longer used
He said while there was a city council-owned padlock and chain being operated by security
it would be better to have the bollards operational again
there has been an ongoing and worsening problem with vehicles entering and rubbish being dumped,” Perazzolo wrote in a letter to the board
“Bollards would act as an additional deterrent.”
Perazzolo raised other issues with the car park
He said this results in vehicles double parking
which adds to the issue of congestion in the car park
Perazzolo also said in his letter the asphalt surfacing was in poor condition
causing weeds to grow in the stormwater drains
Perazzolo questioned if the repairs to the car park would be carried out alongside the Coronation Hall repairs this year
The board has requested staff advice on options to upgrade the car park and whether this can be done with the Coronation Hall rebuild
A Christchurch school pool restored by parents and volunteers then destroyed by the February 2011 earthquake will be rebuilt yet again
Duane Major, who was behind the Buy the Beach campaign that saw New Zealanders buy a piece of Abel Tasman Park
West Spreydon School will have its second pool reopening in seven years
Originally built by parents and children wielding wheelbarrows during the 1930s depression
the pool fell into disrepair and closed in 2008
Parents wanted the pool back and after three years of fundraising and countless volunteer hours
it just didn't survive that one," Mr Major said
The Ministry of Education's insurance did not cover it
"To go to the local council-run facility ..
So the campaign started again from scratch
the Christchurch City Council has approved the consent and this week the base will be poured
"This has been a little bit longer than anticipated..
but I believe it will be worth it in the end," Mr Major said
"The more access we can get to water for our young
and create memories and connections around our communities
Mr Major said the pool steering group had raised about $700,000
They needed about $200,000 of donated goods
They hope to have the pool in the ground by Easter and be swimming by Canterbury Anniversary Day in mid-November
About 156 New Zealand school pools closed in the last five years - and 130 more are at risk
The beach property purchased through a crowd-funding campaign has officially become part of the Abel Tasman National Park
An Awaroa beach property bought for the New Zealand public through a crowdfunding campaign was once the target of a $1.4 million government offer
The public has officially bought itself a beach after a crowd-funding campaign secured Awaroa Beach in Abel Tasman National Park
coined a Kunstautomat by its creator Lars Kaiser
was installed at the Arts Centre on Tuesday as his vision is displayed in New Zealand for the first time
Popular in parts of Europe during the 1960s and 70s
the vending machines have been repurposed by Potsdam-born Kaiser since 2001
Danae Smith and Jeff Bain from Spreydon were among the first users to deposit $2 coins
as you don’t know what you’re going to get,” Smith said before the couple paid for two small art works and read background about the artists
“For $6 you get a piece of handcrafted art which could be a painting
a cartoon or any other type of art you can imagine,” city council arts advisor Zara Potts said
“There’s something exciting about not knowing exactly what’s about to come out of the machine
They’ll be great pieces to collect and just a bit of fun.”
Potts first spotted the Kunstautomat while on holiday in Berlin; Kaiser was contacted and he happily designed and donated one specifically for Christchurch
which is configured to accept New Zealand coins
The Kunstautomat is situated in the south quad of the Arts Centre and is the first of three machines designated for New Zealand
“We are super excited to be launching the first one in the Southern Hemisphere and the first one in Aotearoa
It’s going to be a great asset for our Christchurch creatives,” Potts said
Proceeds raised through sales will help support local artists and pay for their supplies
The project is part of the council’s arts strategy Toi Ōtautahi
which has been developed to support the growth of the local arts sector and creative community
A second Christchurch rest home resident has tested positive for Covid-19 overnight
One case was confirmed at the George Manning Lifecare & Village in Spreydon on Thursday but another test has come back positive
Canterbury's Covid-19 tally stood at 54 cases as of Thursday afternoon
One of them is aged 87 while the age of the second woman is not known at this stage
said both women are in isolation and receiving medical treatment on site
The remainder of the rest home's 81 residents are also in isolation
Nurses and staff are working 12-hour shifts and some are staying on-site to care for the two women
Said Ms Barlow: "This is distressing for the families
it's distressing for the staff and we just look at it and go
we're doing everything we can and will continue to do [so]."
Only residents who have a temperature and other symptoms are being tested for Covid-19 at this stage
but she said she wants as many residents tested as possible
Staff are taking all necessary safety precautions when dealing with residents
Ms Barlow said the mood at the rest home is " immensely sad"
Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield announced 89 new confirmed and probable cases in New Zealand
Canterbury remains seventh behind the Southern
Capital and Coast and Counties Manukau district health board areas
Thirteen people are receiving treatment in hospital
and two remain in ICU - all of which are in a stable condition
there have been no more Covid-19 related deaths to date
Dr Bloomfield said the majority of cases were still linked to overseas travel
About 1 per cent of cases were still considered community transmission
"A further 17 per cent of cases are still being investigated
and we fully expect that many of those will transpire to be community transmission," he said
Testing is expected to ramp up in the coming days
Here's how day 9 of the lockdown looked through the lens in Christchurch
and we comply with best safety practice during these trying times
Here's how life in Christchurch looked through the lens on day 21 of the lockdown
has one of the highest levels of socioeconomic deprivation in the city
Riccarton and Spreydon have more people living at the highest level of socio-economic deprivation than any other wards in Christchurch
The data comes from profiles completed by Christchurch City Council's community support
governance and partnerships unit for all of the city's wards
Profiles for these areas will be released next month
But community leaders in the most deprived wards say it is important to look beyond the statistics on paper and focus on the great initiatives and groups in the areas
The deprivation scale ranges from one to 10
One represents those areas with the least deprivation and 10 those with the most
27 per cent of people live between levels nine and 10 on the scale of deprivation
Aranui's A-Town Boxing Gym manager Jamie Roberts said he understands there are some people in the Burwood Ward doing it tough and others whose behaviour can damage people's perception of it
he said great work is being done through his gym
which teaches people from sometimes challenging backgrounds to box and heads up other initiatives in the ward
"I think there are a lot of opportunities out there for people that want them – a lot of different support groups
a lot of different help groups," Roberts said
a lot of things to do if you want to get off your butt and do something."
Dallington Residents Association chairwoman and Coastal-Burwood Community Board member Bebe Frayle agrees there are challenges caused by deprivation in the Burwood Ward
but she praised how the community responds to these challenges
"Our [community board] governance team informs us that we have the highest level of community activity in terms of [residential assistance] and other community groups across all the boards in Christchurch
"So I think the response to high deprivation is to form groups and provide support for each other
and that's what our communities have done."
Frayle said the earthquakes and loss of houses and schools in the Burwood Ward have had a significant effect on its demographics and landscape
but this has presented rebuild opportunities
"I would honestly say that our ward really has spent the last 10 years reeling from the impacts of that [the earthquakes]
which has culminated in the removal of all of those houses and all of the people that go with it
and all of the diversity of people that goes with that
represents a huge opportunity for suburbs to rebuild in a different way."
Riccarton has the second highest proportion of people living at the worst level of deprivation – 21.3 per cent
Riccarton Baptist Church manager Geoff Ngataierua said there are a number of younger residents in the Riccarton Ward on low incomes
including migrant workers and university students
Ngataierua said the ward has a great community with plenty of groups like the church that support people in need
a community development agency in the Spreydon Ward
said the area has traditionally had a number of residents on lower incomes living in social housing complexes
She challenged the narrative that it is deprived
saying the recent growth of new housing developments in the ward and organisations like the cottage help the diverse population
the percentage of people living at the highest end of deprivation in Halswell and Banks Peninsula is zero
closely followed by Cashmere on 0.5 per cent
The factors used to determine the wards' deprivation scores included the number of people aged 18-64 receiving a means tested benefit
those living in households with incomes below an income threshold
and people with no access to the internet at home
Other factors were the number of people aged 18-64 without any qualifications
people aged under 65 living in a single parent family
those living in households below a bedroom occupancy threshold
and those living in dwellings that are always damp or always have areas of mould bigger than an A4 sheet of paper
The profiles released so far also include information on median rent prices across the wards
The median rent is most expensive in the Halswell Ward
Harewood is third at $390 and Cashmere and Riccarton are forth equal at $380 a week
The median rent price across all of Christchurch's wards is $350 a week
The median weekly rent in Spreydon is the cheapest of all wards at $330
Innes and Banks Peninsula are close runners up
There have been a number of reports from the community on social media about the same group
Residents of a Christchurch suburb are fed up with a group of youths jumping over their fences and attempting break-ins
A Spreydon woman was in her lounge when she saw a group of four young people jumping into her yard over the neighbour's fence
It was the second time she had caught them on her property
"I was really shocked when I saw them and I called out to my partner and we both went outside to confront them while I took these photos," she said
The Rosewarne St resident then posted the photos to social media in a bid to warn others in the area
She said the group tried to open her neighbours' doors and managed to get into one of the houses through an unlocked door
The woman said the group is well known to police
she believes "the police's hands are tied because of their age"
"[The group is] often causing trouble around the neighbourhood
stealing from homes and trying to steal vehicles
There have been a number of reports from the community on social media about similar incidents
She said it is concerning young children are involved in the attempted break-ins
"Youth crime is definitely getting worse and has been particularly bad over recent years."
An ambulance and rapid response vehicle are on-site.