Canterbury Press Releases

Steven Joyce, Tertiary Education Minister announces that the 2011 Budget will allow for up to $42 million to cover trades training in Canterbury.

Education Minister Anne Tolley has praised Canterbury teachers and principals for their resilience and positive attitude following the recent earthquake.

CEOs of 50 leading New Zealand companies today developed a Steering Group to co-ordinate private sector support for Christchurch following this week’s devastating earthquake. The members of BusinessNZ’s Major Companies Group CEO Forum were briefed by Prime Minister John Key, Finance Minister Bill English and Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee at a meeting in Auckland this afternoon.

Prime Minister John Key is asking New Zealanders to observe two minutes of silence for the victims of the Canterbury earthquake on Tuesday, 1st March, at 12.51pm.

The Minister Responsible for the New Zealand Fire Service, Nathan Guy, has been on the ground visiting firefighters in Christchurch today to observe recovery efforts.

Christchurch company Wantedz has setup a temporary site for fellow Canterbury residents to make requests for help over the weeks following the major earthquake

If you’re a keen bus traveller in christchurch and have found that you’ve arrived at the bus stop too late or too early, now you can check when the bus is expected to arrive online. A free online service by an independent developer is now available. Accessing the expected bus times via an online google map has made this easy to achieve through metromate.coomsie.

Orienteering Day in Bottle Lake Forest, Christchurch on Sunday 20 February 2011 has courses varying from beginners to adrenalin-pumping challenges. Starting time is between 10am and noon.

Swimming pools at QEII, Pioneer and Centennial Recreation and Sport Centres will undergo repair work this year to correct damage caused by the September earthquake.

Telecom has teamed up with the Christchurch City Council, City Mission and Christchurch Cathedral to bring some festive cheer to the city centre with plans to unveil dedicated Santaline phone boxes at a public ceremony on the evening of Thursday 9 December.

Council waste water staff are urging Christchurch householders to check their properties for possible storm water and waste water pipe damage that may have been caused by the earthquake.

Visitors to next year’s Ellerslie International Flower Show (EIFS) will be able to enjoy more gardens than have ever been on display before in Christchurch. Exhibition Manager Kate Hillier says there will be a record 45 gardens at next year’s Show – the biggest turnout since the Show moved to Christchurch. At this year’s EIFS, there were 34 gardens while in 2009, the first year the Show was in Christchurch, there were 26 gardens.

The Christchurch City Council is increasing free parking in the central city in a move to attract shoppers into the area over the Christmas-New Year holiday period.

Ron Mueck has become the most popular paid-entry exhibition ever to be shown at Christchurch Art Gallery, with a total of 36,000 people visiting in its first six weeks.

Council is systematically working to clear the remaining rubble from Christchurch streets.

Confidence among consumers and accountability among builders are at the heart of moves to get more tradespeople licensed in Canterbury. Tomorrow the Department of Building and Housing will host a licensing expo at Christchurch Boys’ High School between 9am and 5pm aiming to further increase the number of licensed builders rebuilding Canterbury.

McRaeway Home’s new show home is now open! Be sure to visit www.mcraewayhomes.co.nz for photo’s and further information on the Baxter model. To view, Baxter is open Thursday – Sunday, 11am – 4pm at 2 Silver Springs Boulevard, off Wingatui Road in Mosgiel.

A new McRaeway Homes website is now online! Be sure to view www.mcraewayhomes.co.nz for comprehensive, up-to-date information on one of New Zealand’s most successful and long established housing companies.

Cup and Show week gets underway next Saturday 6 November and to ensure it’s an exciting and glamorous affair there will be a number of VIP celebrities to be spotted at the various events.

Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee has welcomed the release of the Earthquake Commission’s Stage 1 geotechnical report into land damage caused by the Canterbury earthquake.