Top brass urged to step up efforts amid crime spike
Canterbury appears to be underserved by the police, new figures show, as suburbs in Christchurch battle spiralling crime.
With about 650,000 residents, Canterbury makes up about 13% of New Zealand’s population.
But the region is only home to 987 sworn officers, about 9% of the New Zealand police force. National roles, such as those in the police prosecution team, are not counted in the district numbers.
It comes as some people in Christchurch are demanding an increased police presence following a massive spike in crime in their suburb.
Thefts and burglaries in Hornby are up by more than 80% in the past year, and tired residents are calling on the region’s top officers to step in.
Residents in Hornby are petitioning the police to have their police station manned 24 hours a day following a major spike in theft and burglary.
The petition, which on Monday night was just shy of 1000 signatures, will be presented to Canterbury Metro Superintendent Lane Todd on Tuesday night at a community meeting to discuss rising levels of crime.
Read the full story from reporter Shannon Redstall here (subscription required).
🧩😏 Riddle me this, Neighbours…
I am an odd number. Take away a letter and I become even. What number am I?
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Some Choice News!
DOC is rolling out a new tool to help figure out what to tackle first when it comes to protecting our threatened species and the things putting them at risk.
Why does this matter? As Nikki Macdonald from The Post points out, we’re a country with around 4,400 threatened species. With limited time and funding, conservation has always meant making tough calls about what gets attention first.
For the first time, DOC has put real numbers around what it would take to do everything needed to properly safeguard our unique natural environment. The new BioInvest tool shows the scale of the challenge: 310,177 actions across 28,007 sites.
Now that we can see the full picture, it brings the big question into focus: how much do we, as Kiwis, truly value protecting nature — and what are we prepared to invest to make it happen?
We hope this brings a smile!
Poll: Canterbury is thriving on paper... but are you seeing evidence of Canterbury's improving economy?
As reported in the Press, Reserve Bank Governor Anna Breman recently gave a shout-out to our region, calling Canterbury a "stand-out" for how we recover from tough times. With tech firms growing and exporters investing, the business side of things is looking bright!
👉 But we know that "business growth" doesn't always mean the weekly shop gets any cheaper. While the city expands, many families feel like they’re just trying to keep their heads above water.
We want to know: With the business buzz of 2026, do you feel like things are finally looking up for your household, or does it still feel like a climb?
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17.4% Yes
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58.7% No
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23.9% In some areas ...
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