Vaccination challenge for east Christchurch as just 16 go to school clinic
East Christchurch has some of the country’s lowest Covid-19 vaccination rates, but despite a push to increase uptake that involved a possible cash prize just 16 people turned up to a community vaccination clinic on Wednesday.
Wainoni is among the bottom 10 suburbs for the vaccine uptake, with 70.2 per cent of the population having had a single dose. Neighbouring Aranui is the least vaccinated suburb in Canterbury and among the lowest in New Zealand, with 59.7 per cent of its residents having received a first dose.
But just 16 people turned out for a vaccination event at Haeata Community Campus on Wednesday – albeit a day blighted by torrential rain and blustery winds.
Principal Peggy Burrows said she was pleased to open the school for Covid-19 vaccinations after being approached by the Canterbury health board about two and a half weeks ago.
“My stance is it has to be a choice. You can’t compel people to, but I’m certainly vaccinated myself and so is my family, and we just provide opportunities because that is what education is about," she says. Continue reading here.
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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0% Yes
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0% No
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100% In some areas ...
🧩😏 Riddle me this, Neighbours…
I am an odd number. Take away a letter and I become even. What number am I?
Do you think you know the answer?
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