Report card
The annual report card on the health of our river has been released by the Christchurch City Council and while there is a glimmer of improvement, its pretty much the same as previously – poor.
OHRN News
The Other Whitebaiting Rules
The rules for whitebaiting have changed a little, but there are some other whitebaiting rules which have never changed.
Litter Boom
Reducing the amount of plastic rubbish and litter entering the estuary and the sea is important for the health of many foodchains, including our own.
Extinction of Experience
Ōtautahi Christchurch is dominated by exotic trees that perpetuate the “extinction of experience” – we need to start reversing this.
2024 Annual Report
Read the 2024 Annual Report of the organisation.
Protecting Te Mana o Te Wai
The coalition government is embarking on changes to the Resource Management Act including proposed changes to Te Mana o Te Wai.
Headwater Springs
Understanding the health of springs – what we learnt from an ecological survey of a headwater spring.
Research Results
The Cawthron Institute has been leading a research project looking at the effectiveness of environmental collectives, one of which has been the Ōpāwaho Heathcote River Network. The research report is now available to read.
Portlink Decisions
Compromise has been the winner in the Portlink development battle…but while the battle is far from over, it appears that the river has lost some of its setback.
Wheelie Bin Latches
When strong winds coincide with rubbish collection day, litter carnage on the streets occurs. If every bin had a latch to keep the lid on, much of the carnage would be prevented.
Bin Behaviour
Removing bins from Christchurch parks has caused controversy but also highlighted the opportunity for bin behaviour change to conquer litter.
Portlink Win
The environment and the residents of Woolston/Ferrymead have scored a first minor win against the developer of the Portlink Industrial Park.
Water Woes
Suddenly, it feels like water is continually at the centre of the news cycle. Why are there so many water woes and are they related ?
Toxic Algae
What is happening to the river and is the visible floating algae toxic to humans or dogs?
Biodiversity Issues
What can be done in the face of the creeping spread of new plant species?
2024 Positive
A look forward past the Christmas celebrations to 2024 positive about the good things that will make the year feel worthwhile.
Stormwater Health
Awards recently presented to businesses for excellent stormwater treatment reinforced the importance of community responsibility for stormwater health.
Portlink Setbacks
Where does a riverbank start? It’s really important that we all agree on the answer to that apparently simple question.
Portlink Games
The Portlink resource consent was recommended to be publicly notified. Is there a win for anyone in these continuing Portlink Games?
Port Hills Plan
Sediment in the Ōpāwaho Heathcote River is a problem. The CCC is responding to this continuing issue by producing a Port Hills Plan. What should it contain?
PickUp5
Pick Up 5 is an on-going invitation and a motivator for us all to pick up litter in our neighbourhoods.
Decline of Tuna
Peter Bishop, 11 years old from Heaton Normal Intermediate School tells us how it is and asks, “Can you do your bit?”
Too Brown for So Long
It seems as if the Ōpāwaho Heathcote River has been flowing too brown for so long that there must be something wrong somewhere. What is happening to the river?
Spatial Plan
What the Greater Christchurch Spatial Plan means for the future of the river and what we think of the plan itself.