Christchurch to be 'forced' to chlorinate remainder of water supply, mayor says
Christchurch’s water supply may become permanently chlorinated after the national water regulator indicated it will reject the city council’s exemption applications.
In 2022, the Christchurch City Council applied to Taumata Arowai for chlorine exemptions, but on Tuesday was told these will fail.
Christchurch mayor Phil Mauger said he and fellow councillors were “outraged” and described it as the council being “forced to chlorinate our water supply.”
To be exempt from chlorination, the council would need to make substantial and expensive upgrades to its water supply network, according to a council statement.
“[E]ven then, it may not be possible,” it said.
Read the rest of reporter Sinead Gill's story on The Press' masthead site (subscription required) here and find more on this issue on The Press site and in the paper on Wednesday.
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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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18.2% Yes
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56.8% No
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25% In some areas ...
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