New dog park proposed for Heathcote, but some locals concerned about noise
A new fenced dog park has been proposed for the Christchurch suburb of Heathcote as part of a plan to open all of Birdsey Reserve to the public.
The new park would occupy Birdsey Reserve across the road from Heathcote Valley Primary School and the Heathcote Cricket Club and not far from the Lyttelton Road Tunnel.
The 3.5-hectare site rises from Bridle Path Rd. Under the proposal, it would contain two fenced dog areas, one for medium and large dogs, and the other for small dogs. Both would contain agility equipment.
The rest of the reserve would be planted in natives and fruit trees. Walking tracks, benches and signs would complete the landscaping plan.
Heathcote ward councillor Sara Templeton said she had received “some emails” opposing the dog park “due to the well established community ecological restoration project happening there”.
At a community consultation meeting in Heathcote early in November, noise from barking dogs was raised. The council had never received a noise complaint about a fenced dog park, the spokesperson said. Dog parks are typically open 24 hours.
Consultation on the proposal has closed. It was a “temperature check” by the council, engagement adviser Hannah Ballantyne said. If it was positive, a bid for funding would be made up the chain of command at council.
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!
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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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16.7% Yes
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60.4% No
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22.9% In some areas ...
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