The Press

‘Shock’ over rise of new shoplifter type

A year ago, Sergeant Melissa Shaw’s retail crime team was set up to curb such theft in Christchurch. Shaw expected to deal mainly with drug addicts who repeatedly steal to fund their next hit. And there have been those. But then came the surprise: A...

Meat ban sees grocer opt for fish alternative

An independent supermarket unable to sell meat has found an alternative protein to attract customers. Harvest Market on Ferry Rd in Christchurch has partnered with Theo’s Fisheries, a long-standing family-owned Christchurch business. Harvest Market...

Kayaking Antarctica

For many, it might be difficult to quantify why they would choose to visit Antarctica – the coldest, leasthospitable environment on Earth, when a Pacific island beach or vibrant foreign city is far more accessible (and affordable). Being neither...

Love-Hate Relationship

Air fryers are a thing. This means either all other methods of food preparation are now obsolete or we need to put all the fryers and, ideally, their owners into a rocket and fire it at the sun. But which? Swivel-eyed convert Carly Gooch and artisanal...

Mānawatia a Matariki mā Puanga

The South Island’s long-awaited Woodend and Hope bypasses still have no money allocated to start construction, prompting Waimakariri mayor Dan Gordon to write to Transport Minister Chris Bishop to seek answers on when that might change for the critical...

Rain reckoning

Canterbury could face New Zealand’s biggest annual flood-damage bill for infrastructure by 2075, with power, water and road networks carrying most of the projected cost. New modelling prepared for the New Zealand Infrastructure Commission estimates...

Facing the floodwaters

More than 100 Kaikōura residents were denied the comfort of their own beds last night, as they sheltered from floodwaters that deluged the town following dramatic rainfall. About 140 people gathered at the town’s full to capacity Takahanga Marae,...

Snow in the south

Otago towns blanketed with 25cm

Fresh plan emerges to save Dux de Lux

A proposal to give Christchurch’s Arts Centre $5 million towards the restoration of its beloved former Dux de Lux building was drawn up by city council staff just weeks before a vote left the centre empty-handed. Emails released to The Press under...

ABs unite ages in countdown to test

When Alys Edwards walked into the All Black captain’s run yesterday, she wasn’t just another fan. The 101-year-old Cashmere resident had spent more than eight decades cheering on the national side, and after a lifetime of support, finally got to meet...

Killer flu fears

Temporary closures of conservation land are among the drastic measures being considered if a deadly strain of bird flu reaches our shores, as DOC rolls out vaccines for some of the country’s most vulnerable birds. The H5N1 strain of highly pathogenic...

From Scotland to the Coast

Joe Bennett

‘Ghosting’ stains on walls perplex

A Canterbury woman was mystified after dark “ghosting” stains appeared in her near-new rental home. She was more mystified when her candle-making was blamed for the house frame shadows, and her property manager asked her to contribute to wall-cleaning...

Live art display

An artist’s canvas will be turned towards the audience as she captures Christchurch music star Lee Martin’s live show over the course of two hours. It will blend visual arts and music in a celebration of a deeply personal album that explores Martin’s...

$11,000 bill for luxury hotel among millions in ministers’ travel spend

Ministers on taxpayer-funded overseas trips have stayed at luxury resorts, five-star hotels, and historic landmark properties, an analysis of travel records reveals. It gives a rare glimpse at how some senior politicians travel while representing New...

Minister backs down on conservation reforms

Conservation Minister Tama Potaka is getting rid of the controversial disposal and exchange provisions from the Conservation Amendment Bill. Opposition to the clauses gained traction last week after the lobby group Forest & Bird released maps of...

Ten years on

Brexit fractured the European Union and broke British politics. The United Kingdom is about to get its seventh prime minister since June 23, 2016 – a decade ago – when the country voted 52% to 48% to leave the European Union after more than four...

A sneeze says we're not in control

Isaid there had to be a column in sneeze, cough and yawn. I lied. There are three columns in sneeze, cough and yawn. The Chinese believe that if you sneeze without good reason, it means that someone is talking about you behind your back. Most...

Support for Kiwisaver policy

Voters have delivered a resounding endorsement of compulsory Kiwisaver, with fresh polling showing overwhelming support for requiring all workers to contribute to the retirement savings scheme. The latest The Post/freshwater Strategy poll with...

Wahs stadium march

If you didn’t see them, you definitely would’ve heard them. Thousands of rugby league fans flooded Christchurch yesterday for the Warriors’ first NRL game at sold-out One NZ Stadium, against North Queensland Cowboys. Marching down Cashel St for the...

Five-year ordeal turns to tragedy

When David McDonald died the week before Christmas in 2021, he had $8 to his name. There was no food in his fridge and he was thousands of dollars behind on his bills. His daughter, Penny Hill, found his body in the garage of his home in Gore. Death...

‘Takeover’ bid for port has landed

Christchurch City Holdings (CCHL) has received an “unsolicited” proposal to run Lyttelton Port, after workers reported a Dubai-headquartered multinational logistics giant would be making a takeover and operational lease bid. Unions have come out in...

Is our paint safe?

When you ask Resene technical director Colin Gooch how safe our paint is in New Zealand, he warns that while mainstream manufacturers do an excellent job, there’s “a lot of scope for BS” around this topic. Some companies play on what he calls people’s...

Avon flood defence to cost city $380m

Flood protection work along the Ōtakaro Avon River Corridor is expected to protect 2200 homes and buildings during a onein-200-year storm, but will cost ratepayers $380 million. However, Christchurch City Council says the cost of not doing the work...

FROM 8-hour results TO 3-hour patches

STEP 1: Cleanse with precision Great skin starts with a clean slate. The Effaclar Foaming Gel Cleanser is a gentle yet highly effective face wash formulated specifically for sensitive, oily and acne-prone skin. Instead of stripping your skin of its...

Record-breaking crowd cheer on victorious Matatū

Flags were flying, faces painted and chants shouted as thousands of people helped women’s rugby team Matatū break a record at the weekend. Some 11,793 people poured into Christchurch’s One New Zealand Stadium on Saturday to watch Matatū demolish...

Super Rugby Pacific

What Crusaders curse? How about their biggest loss of all-time. The Chiefs’ red and black ghosts of seasons past were vanquished, in the most stunning of styles, on a freaky Friday night in Hamilton. A Super Rugby Pacific semifinal that had...

Airborne once more

Lynda Harrap doesn’t remember saving four lives. She just did it. Five years ago today, the Canterbury pilot was at the controls of a helicopter carrying a newlywed couple and a wedding photographer when the engine failed and the aircraft crashed at...

Boss’ $800k of missing tax

Inland Revenue has charged the boss of a Canterbury painting company with helping his business spend almost $800,000 of tax deductions elsewhere for more than two years. Phil Clarke & Son was placed into voluntary liquidation owing more than $2...

Beyond the quokka selfie

Most people, when they come to Rottnest Island, have one thing on their mind: find the quokkas. The second activity on the itinerary is probably hiring a bike and riding to all the beautiful swimming spots, where you really can’t believe how blue the...

Your Weekend magazine

Weather analysis Why predicting snow is so hard

It’s been so warm this past week, you’d be forgiven for forgetting it’s now winter. It’s also been incredibly wet in some places in recent days. Earlier this week, some places in the Tasman district reported 400mm to 500mm of rain across about 60...

Waimakariri first to test council merger options

Waimakariri residents are the first in Canterbury to be asked directly for their feedback on three council amalgamation options. The North Canterbury council has presented the public with three options for the district’s future: ❚ Remain a standalone...

Grudge match delivers

For a brief patch, Christchurch Boys’ High might have been eyeing a record scoreline in the annual interschool. Christchurch Boys’ made it five straight wins against Christ’s College in the traditional interschool at Straven Road yesterday, triumphing...

Illegal parking on the rise

Frustrations over inconsiderate parking have prompted sometimes violent responses as new Christchurch City Council data shows vehicle towing incidents have climbed in recent years. Recent parking wars in the city have seen neighbours fighting over...

A career of hearing others

There is something disarming about being welcomed into Sir Peter Boshier’s home, with its colourful wallpaper and two friendly dogs, before sitting down to discuss fairness, transparency and one of the country’s highest honours. The newly appointed...

Student sickness

Schools are bringing back Covid-era cleaning processes and giving fatigued students a day off as the icy grip of winter illnesses begins to take hold. One Selwyn school has already seen a surge in sickness among pupils, though not as much among staff,...

Fiscal goals v coalition reality

Business and Politics Editor All Budgets are balancing acts. This one was no different. What was different was that it is an election year and yet there were no blatant sweeteners for the median voter. Instead, this was a document designed to confer...

From 1938 to now

Today’s Budget comes with decades of political theatre and expectation attached – but all indications are that Nicola Willis is unlikely to match some of the eradefining efforts of finance ministers past. Henry Cooke looks back at the Budgets that...

A taste of Spain

PAELLA-STYLE RICE with marinated pork ribs & artichokes The word paella originates from the name of the pan used to cook rice dishes in the Valencia region. Traditional Spanish cuisine includes endless rice dishes cooked in paella pans, with new...

Tributes to a Topp Kiwi

A cultural institution, a consummate entertainer, a tireless political activist and a powerful ambassador of goodness. Dame Julie (Jules) Bethridge Topp, who died on Saturday, was all of these things and a lot more besides, say those who worked with...

Sites’ owners paint a different picture

Owners of properties on New Brighton’s “dirty half-dozen” list of problem sites say bigger issues than boarded-up sites are holding the area back. Last week Christchurch City Council issued a name-and shame list of six eyesore properties it said are...

Chch institution celebrates 50 years

As a young child in 1950s Dunedin, David Cameron would visit the children’s public library, where he “took out all sorts of books” after walking alone from his Roslyn home, aged “6 or 7”. By age 11, the avid reader was immersing himself in the likes...

Tough choices for schools

Schools have lost nearly 12% in funding in the past eight years as annual Budget adjustments have failed to keep up with inflation since 2021, a report by a peak education union has found. Analysis by the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA)...

Future-proofing

South Island’s most dangerous crossing

For the past decade, Christchurch business owner Fiona Paskell has listened to the screeching of brakes, the swearing, the collisions, and watched the ambulances come and go from the intersection in front of her shop. “You feel that they close their...

Tears as Tasker found guilty

The children and husband of Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming fought to hold back their tears as they stood together outside Christchurch High Court after her killer was found guilty of murder. Hayden Tasker deliberately rammed Fleming and her colleague,...

Oh what a night

Once in a Lifetime One New Zealand Stadium Saturday, May 15 Reviewed by Tina Law Dubbed as a Once in a Lifetime night to remember, the first ever concert at Christchurch’s One New Zealand Stadium was certainly that and for all the right reasons. A...

Panic in Pegasus

Golf course may make way for housing development

Stage set for historic stadium gig

“You won’t see this again,” predicted Six60 lead singer Matiu Walters as he surveyed the brand new stage at the One New Zealand Stadium for the first time. Walters and fellow members of the Kiwi pop favourites visited Christchurch’s $683 million...

Scaling up

Property investor and coach Ilse Wolfe bought and held more than 30 rental properties before she began helping others to do the same, using the BRRRR – buy, renovate, rent, refinance, repeat – strategy. Wolfe shares her experience and advice as part...

$15m more for cathedral

Christchurch’s Anglican cathedral is set to get $15 million of ratepayers’ money, despite receiving only 14% public support. In a proposal to spend most of Christchurch City Council’s $44m surplus, Canterbury Museum would also get $15m, plus a $28.6m...

CBD to pump up volume

Christchurch is on the brink of having the country’s most progressive rules on night life, but a city councillor says revisions to a noise limit plan could leave some venues at risk. The city council will decide tomorrow whether to progress plans to...

Culture of fear at hospital

Staff at Christchurch’s Hillmorton Hospital have revealed a disturbing picture of overworked nurses too scared to speak out about the dilapidated state of the facility and a culture of fear. Workers at the mental health hospital described an...

Back in the saddle

The Crusaders horses have made a triumphant return, in a major U-turn by the club. The cantering crew have completed their first official game-day lap of Christchurch’s new stadium, just in time for the team’s sell-out match against the...

Health staff violence rises

A nurse who was burned and stabbed while at work is calling for better support for hundreds of healthcare workers who are harmed on the job. The shocking experiences of two healthcare workers have been revealed in an article published in the New...

Airbnbs hold CBD back, residents say

It’s not just the nuisance of alarms going off in the middle of the night, or strangers filling the bins, but central Christchurch residents argue Airbnbs are threatening the central city’s true earthquake recovery. The residents of one new...

Still electric

Just over two months after “electrifying” Rolleston Avenue on a Friday night, Split Enz returned to Christchurch to astound a packed Wolfbrook Arena with an energetic and thoroughly entertaining night of nostalgia, reverie and revelry. Resplendent in...

Hot viewing for cool nights

Brace yourselves. May offers another month packed to the gunwales with new and returning television series. For free-to-air, linear TV fans, there are fresh seasons of Impossible Builds (May 15, TVNZ 1), Celebrity Race Across the World (May 13, TVNZ 1)...

Exploring Palermo

Cruising has a rhythm all of its own – slow mornings at sea, long lunches and evenings filled with entertainment. But one of its greatest strengths is the way it delivers you, almost effortlessly, into the heart of a destination. In Auckland, that...

Christchurch tree canopy dwindling on residential land, and council ‘hamstrung’

Urban trees cool our neighbourhoods, improve air quality, and support biodiversity. But data suggests big chunks of Christchurch’s canopy are being lost from private homes and gardens – and there’s only so much the council can do. In a new study,...

Two failed firms owe $13m

The collapse of two large Christchurch businesses – owing creditors a total of more than $13 million – is being blamed on Covid-19. Dry foods packaging company Wimpex Ltd has debts of $11.2m, according to a second report released by liquidators since...

Tools of a home stager

Sharn Potaka founded her own home staging company, Evoke Home Staging, in 2017. Then it was a one-woman show, but now she has a team of 15. Together they stage hundreds of homes a year, helping show them in the best light to potential buyers. The...

Power hikes

Rural patients can’t find a doctor

Darfield resident Tony Gan is among those facing problems accessing basic healthcare – with some staying enrolled with their Auckland GPS.

Interest in solar heats up

Canterbury has become New Zealand’s busiest region for new residential rooftop solar installations, with new connections nearly double those in Auckland and Wellington. Electricity Authority data suggests Canterbury’s solar market was already gaining...

Beyond the roll call Anzac stories that shaped our history MAINLANDER

Rialto View

Wastewater scheme on track

The “egregious act” of discharging treated wastewater into Akaroa Harbour will end after the city council’s decision to push ahead with its land-based irrigation plan. A cost increase of close to $100 million forced the Christchurch City Council to...

Ratepayers overcharged $4.7m

Ratepayers in Selwyn who were overcharged for their rates after a staff blunder actually paid $4.7 million in error – more than three times the original suggestion. The district council initially said “some” ratepayers had been given the wrong bills....

Govt fuel relief for schools ‘good start’

A raft of new government supports – aimed primarily for rural schools – are being hailed as “a good start” but will leave many teachers and parents struggling with the increased cost of getting to school. Yesterday, Education Minister Erica Stanford...

Crowds pack Ruapuna

Lara Mcmurray has been a fan of Supercars for years but could never afford to travel to watch a race live – until this weekend when the event landed in her backyard. The Christchurch motorsport enthusiast and 65,800 others packed Ruapuna Raceway over...

City attracts thousands from near and far this weekend

Fans from around the country and over the ditch are descending on Christchurch for a bumper weekend of events, from racing cars and sports matches to an 1980s Ocker rocker. Almost every large venue in the region is involved this weekend, with bars,...

Stadium trial run

As opening day for Christchurch’s new stadium draws closer, 10,000 Canterbury Crusaders fans arrived at the $683 million venue last night to test out its facilities. Each paid $2 for the experience, which included their team training on the pitch.