100 days ago

The Christchurch Art Show is back!

The Christchurch Art Show

The Christchurch Art Show is back at Te Pae Convention Centre March 8 – 10!

Expect amazing artwork of all types, artist demonstrations, and award- winning artists at New Zealand’s largest art show. The Christchurch Art Show’s new VIP Preview event opens 8 March 5pm, the ever-popular opening night follows this at 7:30pm. Both are pre- sale catered events and opening night will sell out!

Show Days are: Sat 9th March 10am-8pm and Sun 10th March 10am - 5pm.

Come and view thousands of original quality artworks, meet the artists and view live art demonstrations. Make it a day out and enjoy The Christchurch Art Show!

Buy Christchurch Tickets (New) – ART SHOW TICKETING
Book now

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More messages from your neighbours
1 day ago

Who am I?

Riddles from The Neighbourly Riddler

I help you in reading and writing but I am neither your book nor your pen. Who am l?

Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.

Want to stop seeing riddles in your newsfeed? Head here and hover on the Following button (and it will show Unfollow) on the top right of the page and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.

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5 days ago

Could the jury service process be improved?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

Every year, thousands of New Zealanders are called up to serve as jurors in the High and District Courts, and it's an important way to contribute to your country.

But for some, jury service can be a huge disruption and a financial burden. Do you think changes could be made to our jury service system to address these challenges?

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1 day ago

Controversial floodwall ‘may never stop leaking’

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from The Press

By local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:

Transfer of a controversial Franz Josef flood bank into West Coast Regional Council ownership remains to be seen as engineers assess the extent of its leaks.

The Havill Wall was controversially authorised by former Westland mayor Bruce Smith and his close ally, former councillor Durham Havill, following an April 2016 storm.

The event saw the Waiho (Waiau) River overtop an existing stopbank at the northern entrance to Franz Josef and wipe out the sewage treatment site.

It also ruined the now abandoned Scenic Group Franz Josef Mueller Wing hotel complex.

Transfer of the wall's ownership to the regional council is included in its 2024-34 long-term plan (LTP) as it moves to complete a $12.5 million stop bank improvement scheme in the area.

But during the recent formal LTP hearing, council chief executive Darryl Lew said the underlying engineering integrity of the Havill Wall still needs to be better understood.

Councillor Peter Ewen said he still felt uneasy about the Havill Wall and wanted to see how it coped with "a real southerly storm".

Councillor Andy Campbell, chair of the Franz Josef Joint Rating District, said the wall as it was, "may never stop leaking".

Lew said the regional council knew full well of the Havill Wall's "seepage" issue.

But at this stage council needed to fully understand to what extent that seepage compromised the structure's flood protection value.

Lew said all flood banks administered by council across the region to some extent "have seepage" and were never entirely "impervious flood barriers," he said.

It was if the degree of seepage was "acceptable to its viability", with that aspect currently under engineering investigation.

Lew said if the seepage was assessed as acceptable without compromising the protection value of the wall, "then that's fine".

If not, then it would not be acceptable to take on ownership.

Lew also noted the Government money for the north bank scheme had included future mitigation of the Havill Wall.

Ewen asked if the ownership transfer idea also extended to an emergency extension built at the end of the wall by the district council, following the January 2024 weather event.

The district council built the small extension amidst fears that, with the Waiho River having swung north into the neighbouring Tatare Stream, it might eventually take out the Franz Josef sewage ponds on the same side.

Lew said what the district council had done was "really an isolated" piece of work and the regional council did not intend to take it on.

The Havill Wall was controversially thrown up without regional council consent.

In 2017 Westland District got a grilling from the Office of the Auditor General over its actions, and the wall subsequently got retrospective consent.

The regional council has already undertaken work on the Havill Wall under its $12m Waiho northern bank protection scheme - which aims to increase resilience for the tourist hotspot of Franz Josef.