903 days ago

Poll: Is Christchurch New Zealand's most beautiful large city?

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from The Press

Christchurch has been named as a finalist for New Zealand’s most beautiful large city - competing against Tauranga for the honour.

Keep New Zealand Beautiful announced the finalists of its Beautiful Awards 2023 on Tuesday. The not-for-profit organisation has held the awards annually since 1972 and this year's winners will be announced November 9.

“The awards are a chance for Kiwis to put their community on the map and to celebrate a stand-out sustainability initiative," Keep New Zealand Beautiful chief executive Heather Saunderson said.

“This collective contribution is key to maintaining the biodiversity of Aotearoa and to creating a waste and climate conscious future for the next generations.

Christchurch was selected as a finalist in the large city category (major urban area with 100,000 or more residents) because of its council’s focus on sustainable local food production and distribution systems, a statement by Keep New Zealand Beautiful said.

Is Christchurch NZ's most beautiful large city? What do you like about the Garden City, or what could we improve? Read reporter Kristie Boland's full story here, and let us know what you think in the comments below.

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Is Christchurch New Zealand's most beautiful large city?
  • 84.8% Yes
    84.8% Complete
  • 3.1% No, Tauranga is
    3.1% Complete
  • 8.4% No, somewhere else is (tell us where in the comments)
    8.4% Complete
  • 3.7% Not sure/something else (tell us in the comments)
    3.7% Complete
356 votes
More messages from your neighbours
20 hours ago

Some Choice News!

Kia pai from Sharing the Good Stuff

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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20 days ago

Have you got New Zealand's best shed? Show us and win!

Mei Leng Wong Reporter from NZ Gardener & Get Growing

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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1 day ago

Share your favourite main crop potato recipe and win a copy of our mag!

William Hansby Reporter from NZ Gardener & Get Growing

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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