Shaping the future of the Ōtākaro Avon River Corridor

Image of part of the Ōtākaro Avon River Corridor

Regeneration is about people, place and prosperity.

For Christchurch, it’s about creating a vibrant city that has opportunities for people to grow, connect and thrive.

When you look back on the history of Christchurch, some key decisions have helped shape the very nature of our city. Creating Hagley Park was one of those decisions – as was choosing the location for Cathedral Square, and the airport.

The future of the Ōtākaro Avon River Corridor Regeneration Area is a decision of the same magnitude and importance. It’s a decision that will shape the future of the east of our city for hundreds of years, and will influence how people experience life in Christchurch for generations to come.

Regenerate Christchurch has been tasked with identifying how the Ōtākaro Avon River Corridor Regeneration Area can make the biggest contribution to Christchurch and New Zealand’s future and achieve the vision and objectives of social wellbeing, ecological restoration and economic activity.

The process so far

The regeneration planning process is a complex one with many steps.

We started with a research phase. We’ve received more than 5,000 ideas, suggestions and proposals for the future use of the Ōtākaro Avon River Corridor Regeneration Area. We’ve analysed those ideas, and grouped them into themes and land uses. We’ve also collated information from existing sources and commissioned surveys, technical reports and studies to create a solid base of information.

And we’ve been working with communities, the Crown, Christchurch City Council, Ngāi Tahu and Environment Canterbury to understand their needs, responsibilities and aspirations.

We then had a visioning phase. We developed a draft vision and objectives through a series of public engagement activities, including a Community Day on 25 March 2017, a roadshow, and a postcard initiative with schools. There were online activities and information too. We also held a series of 19 targeted stakeholder workshops, conducted a Community Needs Survey and developed community profiles. The vision and objectives play a crucial role in identifying, assessing and evaluating land use options.

Our next phase – the one we’re in at the moment – is the design phase. The ideas, suggestions and proposals received, together with the information gathered during the research phase, have been used to identify a range of broad uses for the area. Combinations of these uses have been considered and assessed against the vision, objectives and land use assessment criteria to develop 10 possible combinations of land uses.

Acknowledging current and past owners of land in the Ōtākaro Avon River Corridor Regeneration Area

Today, there are 30 privately owned properties in the area. Regenerate Christchurch acknowledges that the draft Regeneration Plan will need to consider the views of all people including private property owners.

The 5,442 former owners of properties that were acquired by the Crown are also acknowledged, along with the strong connection that many former owners have with the area, and their interest in decisions about how it may be used in the future.