Podcast appearances and mentions of Banks Peninsula

In case you missed it... Dom talks with George Masefield from Goughs Bay on Banks Peninsula about the aftermath of the recent heavy rain event, the damage to the area and whether high prices for red meat will continue. Tune in daily for the latest and greatest REX rural content on your favourite streaming platform, visit rexonline.co.nz and follow us on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn for more.

The clean up is under way in parts of flood-ravaged Banks Peninsula after a severe storm battered the region. A local state of emergency remains in place for the peninsula, although State Highway 75 has reopened and telecommunications have been restored. Some properties remain cut off with multiple local roads still blocked. One community has taken it upon themselves to keep communication flowing through the crisis. Adam Burns reports.

A massive clean-up is underway on Canterbury's Banks Peninsula, which remains in a state of emergency after a wild storm. The main highway from Christchurch to Akaroa has reopened, but people are still dealing with power and telecommunications outages. Anna Sargent reports from Little River.

Residents of the Banks Peninsula town Little River are counting the cost of flooding for the second time in less than a year. Timothy Brown has more.

On today's REX Daily Podcast, Dom talks with George Masefield from Goughs Bay on Banks Peninsula about the aftermath of the recent heavy rain event, the damage to the area and whether high prices for red meat will continue... And he talks with Tristan Vincent, Farm Manager at Riverside Community Farm near Motueka, about the WWll-era pacifist origins of the farm, how it's evolved over time and how the farm operates. Tune in daily for the latest and greatest REX rural content on your favourite streaming platform, visit rexonline.co.nz and follow us on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn for more.

Dom talks with George Masefield from Goughs Bay on Banks Peninsula about the aftermath of the recent heavy rain event, the damage to the area and whether high prices for red meat will continue. Tune in daily for the latest and greatest REX rural content on your favourite streaming platform, visit rexonline.co.nz and follow us on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn for more.

A local state emergency is in place for Banks Peninsula. The town of Akaroa is completely cut off. Most of the Christchurch Akaroa Road is closed due to flooding and slips. A Boil Water Notice is now in place for Wainui and Little River on Banks Peninsula due to flood damage. Residents across the area are being asked to conserve water. Little River just outside of Christchurch has been hit hard, reporter Anna Sargent was there and spoke to Lisa Owen.

Canterbury has been hammered by heavy rain as the storm that caused havoc in the north swept along the South Island's east coast today, with more than 300 millimetres falling in some areas. A local state of emergency has now been declared for Banks Peninsula and State Highway 75 between Christchurch and Akaroa is still closed. People have been asked to conserve water on the peninsula and boil water notices are in place for Little River and Wainui. Samantha Gee reports.

Residents in the coastal settlement of Wainui on Banks Peninsula are completely cut off after floodwaters, debris and fallen trees tore through roads - with locals calling it the worst flooding they've seen. Linda Hennessy, who has lived in Wainui for almost a decade spoke to Corin Dann.

The wild weather that caused chaos in the North Island has turned its attention South and Banks Peninsula seems to be bearing the brunt. A Local State of Emergency has been declared there but widespread flooding and gusts over 100km/h have been reported in Canterbury. We go to Wainui, a small settlement in Banks Peninsula where local resident Lawrence Smith is locate

We catch up with a former Minister of Agriculture and Speaker of the House, who these days farms on Banks Peninsula, in the worst flooding event in over 40 years (more than 250 mms in the last 24 hours). See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Much of Banks Peninsula has been cut off this morning after flooding and slips closed State Highway 75.

Weather update for Banks Peninsula.

Efforts are underway to salvage a damaged catamaran that ran aground in Canterbury's Banks Peninsula at the weekend. The Black Cat Cruises vessel got into trouble during a return journey on Akaroa Harbour, prompting the rescue of dozens of people on board. The Transport Accident Investigation Commission has begun an investigation while local authorities try to quell the impact of thousands of litres of spilt diesel on the harbour. Adam Burns reports.

A world class museum on Canterbury's Banks Peninsula will mark 50 years of hosting the South Island's biggest and longest-running Waitangi Day commemorations on Friday. Keiller MacDuff reports.

In my Gum trees I have a good colony of Aussie Silk Moths, aka gum emperor moth caterpillars – they live and feed on gum trees (but also on liquidambar). Now's the time to look for them in the “wild” – in the South Island they occur all the way down to Canterbury (Lincoln and Banks Peninsula is as far south as they get). The smallest caterpillars are quite dark in colour – almost blackish and about 8mm long. As they grow (and shed their skins) they change their colours and cause distinct chewing marks on the lower gum leaves. In a few weeks they'll grow bigger and bigger until they end up being 12 centimetres long and absolutely gorgeous. If you think that daddy longlegs are fascinating, show the kids these caterpillars! The growing caterpillars move further and further upwards in the tree, often preferring the freshest leaves. In the meantime, caterpillar colours have become green and blue with stunning legs, feet, tubercles and nodes in orange and red, pretending to be “poisonous”. After about three weeks they'll spin a cocoon, brown and rather hard. Ironically this moth belongs to the silk moth family, but this Aussie silk is of rather inferior quality – not soft enough to make clothes from. The moths will spend most of their time in chrysalis/pupa/cocoon overwintering. What happens inside the cocoon is that remarkable phenomenon of “metamorphosis” – think of it as totally re-arranging the molecules (which made a caterpillar) and forming those into the shape of a moth. In November/December/January, the chrysalis opens and out comes this amazing brown and pink moth with eye spots. It's a big moth, with a 15 cm wingspan! These moths mate and the females lay whole strings of relatively large, creamy-white eggs on gum leaves – the eggs hatch in summer and that's where we are now! LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While Spotify has revolutionised the way we listen to music, online shopping has done the same for retail, not to mention books. More and more people are buying online, so what's it like running a bookstore in a tiny community? Leigh Hickey runs The Good Story bookstore in Akaroa, on Banks Peninsula, which opened in April 2024. She joins Bryan to share more of her story.

A couple of advisors at the Christchurch City Council have ripped into the Government's plan for regional councils and have said to councillors that they reckon there's a better way. Or more correctly, two better potential ways. Instead of having local mayors run regional councils for two years and, during that time, work out how they're going to get by without a regional council. At a briefing meeting yesterday, two principal policy advisors put two options on the table for councillors to think about. Option 1: Amalgamate the Christchurch, Selwyn, and Waimakariri councils to create a new super city. Which I've been a fan of for quite some time now. And Option 2: Keep all three councils and have the city council take over ECAN's regional council functions. The reason these two council advisors have put these two options up for discussion is that they think having local mayors run ECAN for two years and work out a new structure for local government is a “weak” idea, which wouldn't do any favours for Christchurch ratepayers. And I get what they're saying, because as soon as you get three mayors around the table, they're just going to be interested in what's in it for them, aren't they? Which is the same approach these policy advisors are taking. They're on the city council pay roll and so they have to think about what's best for Christchurch city. And I like their idea of a supercity. But every time a supercity is mentioned, some people are quick to point to Auckland as an argument against it. The Auckland supercity brought together seven city and district councils and the regional council back in 2010. But a supercity in the greater Christchurch area would be nowhere near the same scale. We're talking here about just three councils: Christchurch, Selwyn and Waimakariri. We've done amalgamation before on a much smaller scale. Back in 2006, Banks Peninsula Council amalgamated with Christchurch city. The issue then was that Banks Peninsula didn't have a big enough population to get the rates it needed to operate properly. Selwyn and Waimakariri don't have that problem – they've grown massively since the earthquakes. Selwyn, especially. But half of the people living in Selwyn come into Christchurch every day for work and school, and they contribute nothing towards the cost of the running of the city. They're using the city's roads and so many of the other facilities that they pay nothing for. Add to that the relatively small distance between Selwyn, Christchurch and Waimakariri, and amalgamation is a no-brainer. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dom talks with internationally renowned gardener Jill Simpson about her property and garden on Banks Peninsula, the current 'naturalism' trend within gardening circles and her keynote speech at the upcoming Garden Marlborough event in November. Tune in daily for the latest and greatest REX rural content on your favourite streaming platform, visit rexonline.co.nz and follow us on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn for more.

On today's REX Daily Podcast, Dom talks with Richard Burdon from Glen Dene Station about winning the Lumina Supplier/Finisher of the Year alongside Longridge Deer Park near Balclutha, producing wool for Breen Construction's eco-friendly wool bats and the recent hunting trade shows he's attended in the US... He talks with Michael Tayler, United Wheat Growers Chair, about the vote to renew the Commodity Levies (Wheat Grain) Order, the upcoming launch of the new NZ Grown grains logo and the challenges facing wheat growers in NZ... And he talks with internationally renowned gardener Jill Simpson about her property and garden on Banks Peninsula, the current 'naturalism' trend within gardening circles and her keynote speech at the upcoming Garden Marlborough event in November. Tune in daily for the latest and greatest REX rural content on your favourite streaming platform, visit rexonline.co.nz and follow us on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn for more.

Phil Mauger is back on board the climate change bandwagon today – just like he was before the last election. I remember asking him three years ago what he thought the most pressing issue facing Christchurch was and he said climate change. And he's at it again today. So is current city councillor Sara Templeton, who also wants to be the city's next mayor. It won't be any surprise to anyone that Sara rates climate change as a top issue or a top priority. And good on her for saying so, because I agree. I think we've had our heads in the sand for too long. So she's talking today about the need for the city to get on with solid planning for dealing with climate adaptation. Which is easier said than done, of course. Especially with all this talk coming from Wellington about central government washing its hands in terms of helping local communities dealing with things like sea level rise. As for Phil Mauger, I'll believe his commitment to climate change when I see it. He's talking today about wanting to reduce greenhouse gases and is saying that converting trucks and other vehicles to hydrogen will make a difference. But, no disrespect to Phil, anyone can bang-on about that and it probably sounds good. But like I say, the proof's in the pudding. My message is the same for Sara Templeton. But thank goodness they're talking about it because I agree that climate change needs to be a top priority. But it does raise the question as to whether you agree with these two that addressing climate change has to be top of mind. Whether you think addressing climate change is a top priority for Christchurch. We can bang-on about getting the basics done well, but what good is that going to be if we have city leaders who are quite happy to kick the climate change can down the road? So it's full marks from me to both of them for at least putting it out there as a top priority for the city. Especially Sara Templeton, with her view that we need to get on with deciding how Christchurch is going to adapt. But she is bang on because the council already knows that $14 billion worth of property in Christchurch and Banks Peninsula could be at-risk from sea-level rise. That's the figure that came out a couple of years ago when the council made a submission to Parliament's environment select committee. And since then, what's happened? What's been done about it? Next to nothing. The only person around that council table who has said anything of substance since is Sara Templeton herself who, in February last year, floated the idea of a new ratepayer levy to help with the cost of adapting to climate change. Her argument was simple. How can we say it's fair to expect future generations to not only live with the consequences of climate change, but to pay for it as well? To carry the financial burden? As you might expect, that didn't go down too well with a lot of people. Because a lot of us are focused on the here and now and don't give two hoots about what might be on the way. Not to mention the people who don't believe climate change and sea-level rise even exist. What's more, climate change doesn't win elections, does it? Which is why you get people wanting to be mayors and councillors only talking about rates and rubbish and sticking to the basics. Whereas what we really need are city leaders who will get out of the weeds and not worry about the minutiae of every little thing and actually get on with the job of ensuring we are ready. Ready for the day —whenever that day might be— when $14 billion worth of property in Christchurch and Banks Peninsula is more than just at-risk from sea-level rise. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The chairman of Ruralco, and Banks Peninsula farmer, on the history of the co-operative. Carter is also the former Speaker of the House and former Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, so he discusses the state of today’s politics and agriculture. He also says he’s not a fan of carbon credits.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hopes Canterbury's aerospace sector will continue going from strength to strength, with a permanent test flight space confirmed at Tawhaki. The National Aerospace centre, west of Banks Peninsula, can now hold tests without continual re-permits. Tāwhaki executive director John Holt told Heather du Plessis-Allan this helps remove red tape and paperwork, adding that it's difficult in the early construction stages, to find a safe aircraft testing place. The sector now aims to boost its economic value from 250 million in 2023, to one billion dollars a year. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In case you missed it, one of Dom's picks of the week is this chat with brothers Jack and Max Anderson about their luxury cabin business, Repose, making the move from Taranaki to Banks Peninsula and turning an ex-forestry block into pasture. Tune in daily for the latest and greatest REX rural content on your favourite streaming platform, visit rexonline.co.nz and follow us on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn for more.

Dom talks with brothers Jack and Max Anderson about their luxury cabin business, Repose, making the move from Taranaki to Banks Peninsula and turning an ex-forestry block into pasture. Tune in daily for the latest and greatest REX rural content on your favourite streaming platform, visit rexonline.co.nz and follow us on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn for more.

Banks Peninsula is still under a State of Emergency almost a week after heavy rain triggered widespread flooding and slips including an active slip on Lighthouse Road in Akaroa. Christchurch City Council controller Anne Colombus spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

While the state of emergency in Christchurch was lifted yesterday it remains in place for Banks Peninsula. Banks Peninsula MP Vanessa Weenink spoke to Alexa Cook.

The Canterbury communities of Little River and Akaroa are both still cut off from the rest of the country after yesterday's torrential rain flooded their areas. A state of emergency is still in place for Christchurch and Banks Peninsula with teams assessing the extent of slips and damage after the area had its fourth wettest day on record yesterday. While in Wellington, the blustery wind and driving rain has mostly died down. But power cuts and rubber neckers are causing the biggest nuisance as people there mop up from yesterday's storm. Lauren Crimp has more from the capital.

The State of Emergency in Selwyn has been lifted, but it will continue in Christchurch and Banks Peninsula until at least tomorrow, as the region starts the clean up process after being inundated in rain over the last 48 hours. There is still extensive surface flooding particularly in the Selwyn district and Banks Peninsula, and Little River in Banks Peninsula remain cuts off. Reporter Rachel Graham spoke to Lisa Owen.

Torrential rain and strong winds have hammered Canterbury, with states of emergency being declared in Christchurch, Banks Peninsula and the Selwyn District. Surface flooding has closed roads and schools across the region, and rivers have burst their banks. An orange heavy rain warning is in place until Thursday evening. Anna Sargent reports.

Canterbury's civil defence and emergency management team leader Phill Mackay spoke to Paddy Gower.

The city is under a state of emergency along with Banks Peninsula, and the Selwyn District. Christchurch Mayor Phil Mauger spoke to Morning Report.

Stell dir vor, du hast die Gelegenheit, Neuseelands atemberaubende Südinsel zu erkunden - und dann wirst du krank. Leider ist es uns genau so gegangen, und wir konnten uns nur in kleinen Kreisen um Christchurch herum bewegen. Irgendwas Anstrengendes war nicht drin! Zum Glück ist eine gemütliche Fahrt zur Ostküste und die Banks Peninsula schon ein Erlebnis an sich. Auf unseren Ausflügen über Serpentinen und steile Straßen haben wir unsere Augen auf Reisen geschickt und die unbeschreiblich schöne und gleichzeitig schroffe Natur und den Pazifik auf uns wirken lassen. Und schließlich konnten wir noch die kleinsten Delfine der Welt, nasty Pinguine in Schuhgröße 39 und das Babybecken von Seelöwen sehen. Sogar ein fast echter Schneesturm hat und gebeutelt! Aber alles in allem müssen wir wiederkommen... Nachrichten kannst du uns sehr gerne hier draufquatschen (next Stop: Singapur!): [https://www.speakpipe.com/happytogo](https://www.speakpipe.com/happytogo) Unsere neue Sendung "Psychologie to do! - Dein nächster Schritt" ist hier verlinkt: [https://www.ardmediathek.de/sendung/psychologie-to-do-der-naechste-schritt/Y3JpZDovL3dkci5kZS9wc3ljaG9sb2dpZXRvZG8](https://www.ardmediathek.de/sendung/psychologie-to-do-der-naechste-schritt/Y3JpZDovL3dkci5kZS9wc3ljaG9sb2dpZXRvZG8)

An investigation has found a fishing boat which ran aground on Canterbury's Banks Peninsula in 2023 when it turned towards land and nobody was in the wheelhouse to stop it.

A few weeks ago, I came across one of my favourite Native trees: the Tree Fuchsia. Most people in the world that grow house plants know Fuchsia as an elegant producer of flowers. I took my Dutch Cousin to Banks Peninsula, and he simply thought I was taking the micky: how can you have a Fuchsia species that grows up to 12 meters? The flowers are beautiful and the bark is outstanding – literally. But the seeds are something else again, dark purple, soft and edible. Instead of eating these seeds raw or cooking them into a jam, I felt they were miniature purple plums that could be planted to become new Fuchsia seedlings, and that's what became my new harvesting project. These seeds are tricky to germinate, simply because they are so tiny. Soak them in water as soon as they are soft and ripe, try to remove the flesh or pulp, and spread the seeds on a good, wet seed-raising mix in a shady spot. When they germinate, put them into a lighter, warm, moist place and keep your fingers crossed. And just a few days ago I noticed our Damson Plums were ripening quickly (despite Canterbury's awful weather this “summer”). The plums were falling off the tree, so I reported this feature to my Gardener Supreme, and decided to harvest them right-away. Now, the “normal” way to harvest these beautiful plums is by going up a ladder and grabbing the fruits within reach, chucking them in a bag before going down the ladder and tossing them in a large bucket on the orchard floor, before climbing back up. The “Straight shoots” at the top often do not bear fruit – they are a waste of time climbing. After grabbing all the plums, way up high, you can start the process of creating one of the best Jams in the World (see recipe at the end). As many people know by now, it's best to prune stonefruit trees soon after harvest – it keeps the tree shorter and easier to manage next year and it opens the damson tree up to wind and space on the inside. I thought: “maybe it's a good idea to prune at the same time as harvesting!” Two birds with one stone and not too long on the ladder with arthritis, etc. So far, it's worked pretty well. Heaps of fruit and much quicker retrieval of the ripe fruits. Of course, when consulting Lynda Hallinan's book on Damsons, I discovered that I was certainly not the first one to come up with that idea. And you know what? The Jam that Julie chucked into the jars is absolutely amazing! Jam Recipe – a Mix of Lynda Hallinan's recommendations and Julie's moderations For a kilo of Damson plums: Boil them up in half a cup of water. Bring to a gentle simmer, until it's “red and pulpy”. Add 750 grams of sugar. Stir until dissolved. Boil for 10 to 15 minutes… keep an eye on it so it doesn't get burnt. Take out all the stones with a slotted spoon or tongs (the reason is simple: those stones can break your teeth!!). Test the mixture for “setting” – not too tough, please! Chuck them into the sterilised jars. Now think about some croissants from Le Panier filled with damson plum jam! LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Prime Minister's revealed he'll be spending this year's Waitangi Day in the South Island. Chris Luxon is not visiting the Treaty Grounds this week - he's instead sending a Ministerial delegation including Erica Stanford, Tama Potaka, Paul Goldsmith and Mark Mitchell. Luxon's office has this morning revealed he'll celebrate the public holiday with Ngāi Tahu, at Banks Peninsula's Onuku Marae. Luxon's previously said not all Prime Ministers commemorate the day at the Waitangi grounds - and he plans to go to different marae across the country over the course of his tenure in office. Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says it would be a better look if Luxon fronted up. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our holiday on the West Coast of the South Island (Punakaiki) was just what we needed – weather in Christchurch was cold and wet, but on the West Coast sunny and warm. I re-discovered a tree I have missed since leaving Auckland 14 years ago: Rhopalostylis sapida is its name. Gardeners know it as the Nikau Palm. There are two species in the New Zealand Territories: R sapida is the common Nikau in North Island and South Island, occurring mostly on the coast from Okarito in the West and Banks Peninsula in the East. It also occurs on Chatham Island and Pitt Island and the variety that grow there is a lot more elegant, especially in the younger form: the fronds (leaves) have a more drooping attitude, a bit like the traditional palms in the tropics. I reckon we should have a taxonomic discussion about its identity (a different species?). The Nikau on the offshore Islands of the Hauraki Gulf show a similar elegance (Little Barrier, Great Barrier etc etc). I must say: I prefer those drooping forms over the tightly growing leaves pointing towards the sky. Flowering takes place in Spring and Summer and the colours are wonderful. The seeds that are formed a year later are one of the Kereru's favourite snacks. These birds' ecosystem service is to disperse the seeds through the forests – a lovely job! So… if you find Nikau seeds and want to have a go at germinating them: chuck them in water for a few days and take out the seeds; the flesh is easy to remove. Plant the seeds in good seed-raising mix (or even in a plastic bag!) until they germinate. Plant them in tall pots – keep them in shade. When they start to grow (My goodness… they are slow!) ensure that you give the palm's roots some space. When transplanting be careful not to damage the roots, especially the tap root! The second Native species in New Zealand occurs in Raoul Island (Kermadec Islands group). Its scientific name is Rhopalostylis baueri. This is a gorgeous form with large leaves and beautiful drooping habits. They are great to grow in large containers. I found some of these baueri (often called Rhopalostylis baueri var cheesemanii) as Christmas present for my local gardener at home. It's one of those finds that fills a space in my heart too and it gives us a few years of “advantage” to get that beauty growing. Plant in shade, out of frost sites and be very careful with the roots. In Punakaiki I learned exactly how much that time advantage is: Nikau take about 40 years to start forming a trunk They can grow to 15 meters tall Have “rings” around their trunk where old leaves were attached, so you can more-or-less guess how old the tree is: two or three rings per year Do the Maths! Too slow? Sorry to hear that. LEAVE YOUR LEGACY! IT'S WORTH IT LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The summer science series continues with an episode from RNZ podcast Country Life. From a block of gorse-infected scrubland on Banks Peninsula, renowned botanist Hugh Wilson has spent half a lifetime growing Hinewai Reserve into a 1600-hectare paradise of regenerated native forest by leaving nature to it. Cosmo Kentish-Barnes visits to learn more.The Country Life podcast takes you all over the motu to hear the extraordinary stories of every day rural New Zealand. Hosted and produced by Sally Round, Cosmo Kentish-Barnes, Duncan Smith and Gianina SchwaneckeListen to more Country Life episodes.Guest:Hugh Wilson, botanistSign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

The Christchurch City Council is defending its decision to press ahead with long awaited sewage plant upgrades for the Banks Peninsula township of Akaroa. Adam Burns has more.

Forget the Southern Alps in winter. A new book from Banks Peninsula-based author, writer and filmmaker Matt Vance focuses on New Zealand's everyday - or perhaps less interesting - landscapes.

Is a California-based professor who grew up on a Banks Peninsula sheep and beef farm. Today he shares his thoughts on the controversial topic of the proposed changes to gene technology regulation.  He has an interesting outsider's perspective on GMO's which has not currently been presented in the media. So, we give him the chance. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cup and Show Week gets underway today with the NZ Trotting Cup at Addington, there's the Free for All Friday, Riccarton Saturday, and the A&P Show on Thursday to Saturday. Plus, what does the former Minister of Agriculture and Speaker of the House make of the political world today? And how is he faring on his Banks Peninsula sheep and beef farm?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We head to beautiful Le Bons Bay, just north of Akaroa in Banks Peninsula, where a fundraising effort is underway to purchase a large piece of land which is on the market, to create a public reserve. The Le Bons Bay Conservation Trust has a vision to buy the property, protect native flora and fauna, and allow walking access to the public. Jesse talks to Matthew MacDonald from the trust to find out more.

Country Life looks at a farming system known as agrivoltaics where traditional agriculture runs alongside solar farming and Cosmo's at a sheep breeders field day on Banks Peninsula, to find out how genetic gains can boost farm profits.

From a block of gorse-infected scrubland on Banks Peninsula, renowned botanist Hugh Wilson has spent half a lifetime growing Hinewai Reserve into a 1600-hectare paradise of regenerated native forest by leaving nature to it.

This week Country Life meets a young woman who lost her job in the tech industry and turned things around by getting her hands in the soil and starting up a market garden. The team also heads to Banks Peninsula where unwanted gear in farm sheds has been turned into cold hard cash for the benefit of the community.

Commentary there of New Zealand's crew winning the Sail GP regatta yesterday after the first day of racing was abandoned on Saturday when a dolphin was sighted on the course. And a Lyttelton councillor says it would be a pity if the race did not return to Christchurch next year - given the benefits to businesses and the community. Sir Russel Coutts suggested Sail GP would not return to the city, as he called the dolphin policy "extreme" and said minority interests were holding up the event. Coutts did not respond to Morning Report's invitation to come on the show and Sail GP managing director Andrew Thompson declined. Banks Peninsula councillor Tyrone Fields spoke to Corin Dann.

Every Thursday afternoon, Banks Peninsula farmers head to the beach in Hickory Bay and ride waves to forget about work. Farmer and surfing coach, Kristin Savage, runs the Surfing for Farmers initiative, which doubles up as an apres surf catch-up and BBQ in the farmyard.

A new aerospace centre in Canterbury is expected to lift the local economy by up to a billion dollars and secure the local sector's talent in New Zealand. The Tawhaki National Aerospace Centre at Kaitorete Spit in Banks Peninsula officially opened today, following a five and a half million dollar boost from the government. Project leaders say it clears a path for both local and international companies within the sector to take flight and gain access to space. Reporter Adam Burns was at the opening. [embed] https://players.brightcove.net/6093072280001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6346526744112

Country Life is at an asparagus harvest near Mangaweka and meets some of the harvesters from Vanuatu. The team checks out some rare horse breeds at the Canterbury show and meets a Banks Peninsula farming couple.