What was the legacy of the Christchurch Commonwealth Games?
By Lee Kenny:
Talk of Christchurch stepping in to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games has rekindled memories of when the Garden City staged the event almost 50 years ago.
Mayor Phil Mauger says the tournament should be brought to Canterbury but other city leaders disagree - read the full story about that in The Press.
So what was the legacy of the tenth British Commonwealth Games, held in Christchurch from January 24 to February 2, 1974?
The tournament saw 1276 athletes from 38 countries take part in 121 medal events. They stayed in the student accommodation at University of Canterbury.
In June 1974, The Press published that the Christchurch City Council had blown its budget, with one of the largest contributors being the overspend on the QEII, which cost five times the initial $20,300 cost.
The final bill was $101,821 ($1.3m today).
However, the sports facility needed a major upgrade 26 years later after falling into disrepair.
Speaking in 1999, council staff said that the construction of the pool and stadium had been rushed to ensure completion for the Games.
“The low quality of finish, and lack of maintenance over the intervening years, had left the building in poor repair. Several health and safety risks had been identified,” The Press reported at the time.
In 2000, work began on the site’s $20.7 million revamp but just over a decade later, it was announced the whole QEII Park and complex would be demolished.
News reports in April 2012 confirmed the site would be knocked down, having been closed since the February 22 earthquake the year before.
A new facility - Taiora: QEII Recreation and Sport Centre - opened on part of the site in May 2018 at a cost of $38.6m.
Other Christchurch venues for the 1974 games included Cowles Stadium in Aranui and Woolston Working Men’s Club which staged the bowls' tournament.
The Town Hall hosted weightlifting and wrestling. Road cyclists raced around Cashmere, Beckenham and Huntsbury, and the shooting was split between West Melton, Yaldhurst and McLeans Island.
During the Games, New Zealand won a total of 35 medals (nine gold, eight silver and 18 bronze), compared to last year’s Commonwealth Games (Birmingham 2022) when Kiwi athletes brought home a medal haul of 49.
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
Best way to use leftovers?
I'm sure you've got some excess ham at home or cold roast potatoes.
What are some of your favourite ways to use leftover food from Christmas day? Share below.
Fair play
Whether it’s a playhouse, she shed or teenager’s sleepout, a stencil-painted floor in Resene Clockwork Orange will elevate it from meh to wow. Find out how to create your own with these easy step by step instructions.
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