Views sought on Shirley Community Reserve
Residents are being asked to share their vision for the future of the Shirley Community Reserve - including whether a community hub should be created, the recreation faciltiies developed, or the site left as it is.
The reserve at 10 Shirley Rd was previously home to the Shirley Community Centre, which hosted various organisations and projects.
The centre was damaged in the Canterbury earthquakes and demolished in 2012. The reserve was then fitted with facilities including a basketball court, playground, pump track and a large green space.
In 2020, feedback from 58 public submitters was split between replacing the old community centre and developing the area into an open green space.
In 2021, the council approved $3 million of funding to rebuild of the Shirley Community Centre and requested an updated feasibility study.
Waipapa Papanui-Innes-Central Community Board chairperson Emma Norrish said the board wanted to "develop a meaningful, dynamic, and fun space for everyone, so that the reserve becomes a destination of choice for the community".
The community is being asked their opinion on three options for the reserve.
The options are:
- A recreation space with a full basketball court, renewed playground, planting, a picnic and BBQ area, a community garden and a walkway.
- Creating a community hub that's open to partnerships with local organisations.
- Leaving the space as it is.
Visit the council's website to have your say.
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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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Love potatoes? We will give away free copies of the May 2026 issue to readers whose potato recipes are used in our magazine. To be in the running, make sure you email your family's favourite way to enjoy potatoes: mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, by March 1, 2026.
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