Buy the hill: More than $100,000 of $120,000 goal raised in half a day!
Kiwis have already put up more than half the cash needed to bring two of Christchurch’s highest peaks into public ownership and turn them into a conservation park.
The Press has teamed up with the Rod Donald Banks Peninsula Trust on its Te Ahu Pātiki project, to help raise enough money to buy a 500-hectare block between Mt Herbert and Mt Bradley.
The aim is to make sure the public will always have access to a sprawling network of popular walking tracks, and to let the whole block return to native bush.
A Givealittle page was launched this morning to help the trust overcome its last hurdle. Click the links below to read the full story and donate.
Share your thoughts in the comments below and don't forget to type NFP if you don't want your comments used by Stuff.
Poll: Is the increase in disability parking fines fair?
In October, the fine for parking in a designated mobility car park without a permit has jumped from $150 to $750—a 400% increase!
The goal is to keep these spaces open for those who truly need them. Do you think this big increase in the fine is fair? Share your thoughts below.
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89.1% Yes, it's fair
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10.3% No, it's unreasonable
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0.7% Other - I'll share below
Cyclists forced to use ‘more dangerous’ crossing if cycleway closed
Closing a Christchurch cycleway to avoid an unsafe rail crossing will lead cyclists across an even “more dangerous” crossing, cycling advocates say.
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has weighed in on the issue, calling the move to shut a 1.5km section of the Heathcote Expressway for up to two years, “illogical”. He has asked KiwiRail to explain.
KiwiRail is demanding Christchurch City Council close part of the expressway until $6.5 million worth of safety improvements can be made to the Scruttons Rd rail crossing.
It said the “unsafe” crossing posed the risk of death or serious injury once every thousand years.
What do you do think? Read the full story by reporters Sinead Gill and Tina Law here and tell us what you think in the comments. (A subscription is required, but you can see two free articles a month).
House fire causing road closures
Pages Road is closed this afternoon from Breezes Road, this is due to a house that has caught fire in the area.
Coastal Ward Community Board member, Alex Hewison, shared the closure on a local Facebook page.
Fire and Emergency are at the scene but further details have not been shared at this stage.
Avoid the area where possible.