Poll: Should Christchurch have a permanent police helicopter?
Could a permanent police helicopter be in the pipeline for Christchurch?
As authorities in the city grapple with a wave of car thefts and reckless driving by youths, top brass haven’t ruled it out.
In the last 10 months, police in Christchurch have chartered commercial helicopters to help catch rampant young offenders on four occasions, most recently on Wednesday when a trio of youngsters in a stolen car left a trail of havoc from Heathcote to Belfast – ripping up a sports field, forcing a school into lockdown, and closing part of a highway.
They allow fleeing drivers to be tracked from the air, meaning officers don’t have to engage in risky pursuits, particularly when roads are busy during the daytime. It also spares their patrol cars from being damaged by youth offenders, who’ve shown a willingness to ram their way out of tricky situations.
Read the full story from reporter Blair Ensor here and share your thoughts in the comments below.
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91.8% Yes
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7.4% No
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0.9% Maybe/something else (tell us in the comments)
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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Once again, Resene and NZ Gardener are on the hunt for New Zealand’s best shed! Send in the photos and the stories behind your man caves, she sheds, clever upcycled spaces, potty potting sheds and colourful chicken coops. The Resene Shed of the Year 2026 winner receives $1000 Resene ColorShop voucher, a $908 large Vegepod Starter Pack and a one-year subscription to NZ Gardener. To enter, tell us in writing (no more than 500 words) why your garden shed is New Zealand’s best, and send up to five high-quality photos by email to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz. Entries close February 23, 2026.
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