LIVE: Council lockdown lifted
Friday, 6.10pm
The lock-down has been lifted on all Council buildings and facilities, meaning people are now able to return to their homes. Public facilities, including pools and recreation centres, will be closed for the remainder of the night.
Sport and recreation centres will be open as usual tomorrow.
Please be aware that there may be some road closures and traffic delays because of the ongoing police operation. For more information on road closures check out the Transport for Christchurch Facebook page.
Friday, 5.05pm
Mayor Lianne Dalziel has spoken on the Council's Facebook page(external link) about the unfolding incidents in the city Here is a transcript of what she had to say:
I would never believe I would be standing in front of a camera and talking to the people of Christchurch about the shocking incident that has affected us all. We still have sketchy details about what has actually happened and I will certainly be trying to get messages out to people as soon as I have more information to give. The city remains in lock-down and it is important that if people are inside, they stay inside. Don’t venture out. This is still an active situation and Police are still doing everything they can to get the situation under control.
The schools are in lockdown – the children are at school and they are safe. We have all of our facilities in lock-down – we are not letting people in and we are not letting people out.
I think it is really important that people remain absolutely calm and feel free to talk to friends and family about the feelings that you will have. It’s natural. I could never believe that something like this would happen in the city of Christchurch, but actually I would never believe that this would happen in New Zealand. It looks as if simply the worst has happened. We need to pull together and get through this situation.
I do apologise to those who are deaf. I would have somebody who signs standing beside me but because of the lock-down I cannot get anyone into the building to support me. We will get a transcript of this up as soon as we possibly can.
Please send a message to any family or friends and pass it on that we are to keep ourselves safe under the circumstances and as soon as we know any different we will let you know what is going on. There is a lot of speculation happening right now and all we can do is trust the Police to do what they do best and to support them in the directions they have given us.
Thank you for your time. I’m really sorry to be saying this to you today.
Friday, 4.50pm
Bus services in Christchurch have been in lock-down but Environment Canterbury is about to resume services. However, some services may be affected by road closures.
UPDATE 3.35pm:
The current road closures are in place:
Blenheim Rd CLOSED eastbound from Clarence St
Moorhouse Ave CLOSED westbound from Montreal St
Riccarton Rd CLOSED eastbound from Clarence St
Deans Ave CLOSED south bound from Kilmarnock St
Linwood Ave is CLOSED between Aldwins Rd and Worcester St
Blenheim Rd CLOSED eastbound from Clarence St
Moorhouse Ave CLOSED westbound from Montreal St
Christchurch Southern Motorway CLOSED eastbound from SH73 / SH75 Curletts Rd interchange
SH76 Brougham St CLOSED westbound from Waltham Rd
Motorists are advised to avoid any unnecessary travel around the city at this time.
Friday, 3.30pm
Parents who are worried about children who may be at Council facilities can be assured that Council staff are looking after them. Please do not try and get to them while the police operation is still under way. You will be advised when it is safe for you to pick them up.
Friday, 3.20pm
Police road closures are in place on Brougham St between Strickland and Durham streets. Linwood Ave is partially closed.
Deans Ave is closed between Riccarton Rd and Moorhouse Ave.
Friday, 3.10pm
All Council-owned facilities across the city are now in full lock-down.
If your child was attending the climate change protest in Cathedral Square and you want to check if they are in the Civic Offices, please call the Council Contact Centre on 941-8999. Council staff will take your details and check if your child is in the building. Please do not try and come and collect your children until police say it is safe for people to come into the central city.
Friday, 2.50pm update
All Council buildings in the central city are now in complete lock-down, with no one allowed in or out. This lock-down will remain in place until further noticce.In response to a serious ongoing incident, all Council-owned facilities across the city are now in full lock-down.
Police road closures are in place on Brougham St between Strickland and Durham streets. Linwood Ave is partially closed. Deans Ave is closed between Riccarton Rd and Moorhouse Ave.
If your child was attending the climate change protest in Cathedral Square and you want to check if they are in the Civic Offices, please call the Council Contact Centre on 941-8999. Council staff will take your details and check if your child is in the building. Please do not try and come and collect your children until police say it is safe for people to come into the central city.
For more information head to Newsline.
Kalle
"Sports and travelling run in the family, and that's kind of what's led me to come to New Zealand."
"I grew up in a small town in Finland. My dad was involved with sports all his life, he was a shot putter, discus thrower, powerlifter, we traveled quite a bit when I was a kid. He never mentioned much of the rugby days. He just said he broke both of his shin bones playing rugby, so he said, ‘never play the sport, It's crazy.’
I started playing when I was 18. I played my first cap for the Finnish national team in 2014, we won the Finnish championship with my club. Rugby is not a big thing in Finland.
I moved here to play rugby in 2017. The club that wanted me to come over was Methven Rugby Club. They got me here and they were like, ‘what do you do for work? I’d just finished chef school in Finland. ‘We'll get you a job at Mount Hutt as a chef, you can do that while you play rugby with us.’ I said, ‘Perfect. Yeah, I'm in’.
I've always loved food. My mum was an amazing cook, and still is. When I was studying tourism I worked in some hotels in Finland, and I saw how the chef's worked. I just loved the kitchen vibe and I was like, Yeah, that’d be something I'd love to do.
I've had more of a culinary journey In New Zealand than in Finland. I started at Mount Hutt, after that I worked at The Dubliner in Methven. I worked as a senior pizza chef at Sal’s for maybe six months then worked as chef de partie at Cellar Door. At Eliza's Manor, I worked myself up to a junior sous chef. Then the opportunity came to work my first head chef job at Moon Under Water.
We're privileged to have a busy atmosphere, we can try new things and get a bit creative. There are no TV’s, just come here with your family or with your mates, play board games, to socialise.
I really want to drive the local food and ingredients through the menu. We don't mind spending more for quality ingredients as long as it's supporting New Zealand businesses. We just love to use local. And it's pub food, but I feel like it's elevated.
I play club rugby here for the Christchurch Football Club, the oldest club in New Zealand and I still play regularly for the Finnish national team, whenever they can fly me over to play."
- Kalle
View more stories, or nominate someone: @humansofchch
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Poll: How do you feel about dogs being allowed indoors in cafes?
For most of us, seeing a friendly doggo while out and about instantly brings a smile to our faces. But how do you feel about cafes welcoming pups inside?
Cast a vote and share your thoughts below.
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28% I love it!
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32.3% Only in designated areas
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39.7% No, it should be outdoors only.
Happy Tuesday, neighbours, can you figure out today's riddle rush 🏃♂️
A bus driver goes the wrong way down a one-way street. He passes the cops, but they don’t stop him. Why?
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