The last of the quake rebuilds - new Kaiapoi Fire Station opens
By reporter Carly Gooch:
Kaiapoi has a new fire station, and Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) in Canterbury has finally entered a new era.
Kaiapoi’s new $8m station, at the Hilton St site of the original, officially opened on Saturday. Its predecessor was built in 1962 and suffered significant damage in the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes.
The station features three appliance bays, operational decontamination, storage and breathing apparatus filling facilities, operations, meeting, and training rooms, as well as a separate kitchen and personal decontamination facilities.
Fire and Emergency Canterbury district manager Dave Stackhouse said the reconstruction programme “ensures that Christchurch and its surrounding areas has a fit-for-purpose network of fire stations able to meet the needs of local communities”.
The Kaiapoi station marks the end of Fenz’s Canterbury rebuild programme. All up, 12 stations including Sumner, Christchurch City, Ilam, Spencerville, Darfield, Spreydon and Kaikoura, had to be rebuilt after the earthquakes.
The Kaiapoi Volunteer Fire Brigade is a medical co-response brigade. It attends about 250 incidents a year including structure and vegetation fires, medical events and motor vehicle crashes.
Stackhouse said the new station ensured the community was provided with the “best possible support”.
“The earthquakes reinforced that our fire stations are more than just bricks and mortar. They support our volunteers to do what they do best - serve their community - and they will always answer the call."
Poll: Should all neighbours have to contribute to improvements?
An Auckland court has ruled a woman doesn’t have to contribute towards the cost of fixing a driveway she shares with 10 neighbours.
When thinking about fences, driveways or tree felling, for example, do you think all neighbours should have to pay if the improvements directly benefit them?
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83.3% Yes
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14.3% No
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2.4% Other - I'll share below
Live Q&A: Garden maintenance with Crewcut
This Wednesday, we're having another Neighbourly Q&A session. This time with John Bracewell from Crewcut.
John Bracewell, former Black Caps coach turned Franchisee Development Manager and currently the face of Crewcut’s #Movember campaign, knows a thing or two about keeping the grass looking sharp—whether it’s on a cricket pitch or in your backyard!
As a seasoned Crewcut franchisee, John is excited to answer your lawn and gardening questions. After years of perfecting the greens on the field, he's ready to share tips on how to knock your garden out of the park. Let's just say he’s as passionate about lush lawns as he is about a good game of cricket!
John is happy to answer questions about lawn mowing, tree/hedge trimming, tidying your garden, ride on mowing, you name it! He'll be online on Wednesday, 27th of November to answer them all.
Share your question below now ⬇️
What's your favourite tomato recipe?
Kia ora neighbours. We know your tomato plants are still growing, but we're looking ahead to the harvest already! If you've got a family recipe for tomatoes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine to share with our readers. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our February 2025 issue.
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