Voting is now underway in the 2025 local elections, and all enrolled voters should expect voting papers to arrive in their letter box by 22 September.
You can post your completed voting paper into any NZ Post or DX Mail postbox (by 5pm Tuesday 7 October 2025 to guarantee delivery before the close of voting), or drop your completed voting paper into any of the orange vote bins at locations citywide.
In Papanui Ward there are orange vote bins at: Papanui Library; Redwood Library; Woolworths Northlands; and the Graham Condon Recreation and Sport Centre.
On Wednesday 10 September 2025, local resident Jason Hitchens will present a petition to the Christchurch City Council regarding the Grassmere Street Development. The petition states:
“The following people/residents are ‘OPPPOSED’ of the use of Grassmere Street as the access point for the new development. We would prefer all development traffic to use an access route off Cranford Street, though the council land.”
Mr Hitchens started the petition after learning how Grassmere Street is set to be impacted by development projects associated with housing in the Cranford Basin.
A truck enters Grassmere Street from Main North Road. Supplied.
Information provided by the Council to residents on a combination of Council- and Developer-led projects includes the expectation of significant truck movements over a six-month period. “Truck movements will occur approximately every second week – averaging four trucks per hour during active weeks and very few or no movements during quieter weeks. Truck movements take place between 7am–5pm. The Council is currently investigating an alternative temporary access point to avoid traffic accessing the site via Grassmere Street.”
A truck traveling south on Grassmere Street. Supplied.
Think Papanui understands that ‘four trucks per hour’ during active weeks means four deliveries per hour, ie four truck movements in and four truck movements out. The trucks are understood to be large truck/trailer combinations such as those as pictured above.
Think Papanui has requested further information from the Council, but has not received answers prior to publication of this article. When further information is available, especially in relation to options for a new road in the area, and investigation of an alternative temporary access point to avoid traffic accessing the site via Grassmere St, an updated article will be published.
The Waipapa Papanui-Innes-Central Community Board will meet for the last time before the upcoming elections this Thursday 11 September at 4pm in the Papanui boardroom. The agenda includes:
public participation;
briefings on the Westminster Depot and the Surface Flooding Reduction Programme;
consideration of the developed design for a community facility at Shirley Community Reserve at 10 Shirley Road;
a proposed urban forest tree planting plan for Papanui Domain (pic);
proposed no stopping restrictions for Windermere Road and for Sails Street;
33 proposed ‘Summer with your neighbours’ grants totalling just over $4,000;
proposed grants to the Shirley Rugby League Club and Casebrook Intermediate School from the Board’s Discretionary Response Fund;
and an area report on initiatives and issues within the Board area.
The meeting is open for the public to attend and will be livestreamed on the Board’s YouTube channel and Facebook page.
Detailed traffic resolutions for the first section of the Wheels to Wings Major Cycle Route will be decided by the Council on 3 September.
Construction of this section was approved earlier this year, along with installation of traffic signals at the Harewood/Gardiners/Breens intersection and at Harewood School, plus minor safety improvements. All remaining sections of the Wheels to Wings have been deferred to later years in the Long-Term Plan (LTP).
Staff were previously asked to investigate a raised safety platform at the Harewood Road signalised pedestrian/cycle crossing between Matsons Avenue and Chapel Street, and this has been included in the design.
A report to next week’s Council meeting recommends amending the District Plan, zoning for more medium density areas.
If approved, this will increase Christchurch’s future housing capacity to meet a Government requirement of a 30-year high growth projection plus 20% contingency. In turn, this will enable the Council to apply to withdraw from the remainder of proposed changes under Plan Change 14 – specifically the city-wide MDRS (Medium Density Residential Standards) which allow up to three dwellings of up to three storeys on a property without needing to apply for a resource consent.
Parts of Papanui currently zoned Residential Suburban (RS), generally on the boundary of current High Density Residential zoning (HRZ), is proposed to be rezoned to Medium Density Residential (MRZ). MRZ allows buildings up to 12m (generally 3 storey) and up to 3 residential units per site, whereas RS provides predominantly for single or two storeyed detached or semi-detached houses.
Almost eight years to the day after the Cranford Regeneration plan was approved by Gerry Brownlee, acting as the Minister supporting Greater Christchurch Regeneration, work to progress housing in the area is getting underway.
While the plan originally envisaged around 370 new houses, the figure currently quoted by the Council is around 1400 new homes. Think Papanui understands that this figure relates to part of the total area to be developed.
Information on candidates campaigning for Council and Community Board election in Papanui Ward are now available on the Council’s website. See the Council website for full details.
approved allocation of $16,500 to board projects including the Youth Development Fund and Summer with your neighbours 2025-26;
approved the concept design for the renewal of the Momorangi Reserve play space, asking staff to include a second accessible entrance and requesting advice on shading options;
approved active transport improvements for Ferry Road between Mathesons Road and Ryan Street, including four pedestrian refuge crossing points;
approved bus stop upgrades (including installation of a shelter) on Riccarton Avenue;
approved No Stopping restrictions for Browns Road near Innes Road;
approved the removal of one tree to accommodate the Flockton Street Wastewater Upgrade;
and received an Area Report on current issues and initiatives within the Board area.
The Board will next meet on Thursday 11 September 2025.
The Willows Early Learning Centre has spaces available at their upcoming Car Boot Sale, which is fundraising for a defibrillator for their centre. See the Facebook event for contact details if you’d like more information or to sign up, and mark your calendars for 13 September 10am-12 midday.
🚧Major works at Cranford St / Main North Rd from 25 August🚧
There will be no right turn from Cranford Street into Main North Road during traffic signal recabling works from Monday 25 August 2025. A pedestrian crossing will also be closed at the intersection, and there’ll be lane drops and changes throughout the works, which are expected to be completed in early October.
This work will impact traffic flows in the area – Think Papanui anticipates impacts at the QEII / Northcote / Main North intersection due to traffic detouring via QEII Drive. Take care if you’re in the area and be prepared for changed conditions.
