Podcasts about Hagley Park

Seeing as it's now autumn, a number of bulbs can be planted in the garden. Here's a few of them: Tulip A fabulous early spring colour. There's some historical stuff with the Dutch making heaps of money out of often virus-ridden “varieties” (early 1600-s AD) selling them for Fl 3000.00 per bulb (while the average yearly wage of a skilled craftsman was around Fl 300.00) – the bulb bubble burst in 1637 AD. These days they are a bit cheaper and more reliable. They grow well in South Island with very cool winters – up north they need winter chilling (taking out of the soil and put in fridge for 8 weeks). In mild climates it pays to plant later in the year, in May or June. But in South Island, planting the bulbs can start in a few weeks; order them now! Great bulb outlets: Bulbs direct Garden Post NZBulbs Fiesta Bulbs Hadstock Farm in Springston Work the soil to 20 cm deep in sunny to semi-shade positions(bulbs prefer well-drained soils). Plant 15 cm spaced and 15 cm deep – in warmer climates, plant them a bit deeper (20 cm deep). A bit of mulch over the planting site will keep weeds down. Bulb fertiliser is recommended and after flowering, some blood and bone will feed the green leaves. Do NOT cut those green leaves after flowering: they gather sunlight (photosynthesis) for re-stocking the food reserves inside the bulbs underground. Narcissus Daffodils Prep the soil to 40 cm or so – daffodils' roots go way down! Plant them 10 cm deep and spaced to 10 cm apart. Well-drained soils work best – perhaps under deciduous trees. Hagley Park is a great example. Planting them in full sun is okay too. Mass planting works well, and the bulbs will come up year after year. They are not as fussy as tulips in terms of cool winter soils. Apart from the far north, the whole of New Zealand is daffodil country. Bulbs will multiply. Crocus: the lovely smelling spring flowers Plant the corms in autumn a couple of centimetres deep and closely-spaced for best effect – they are best lifted after the foliage dies down. Of course, Saffron is a crocus, but it flowers in Autumn (March). Leucojum, also known as snowflake It has a special place in my heart: we used to have a rare and endangered native species in the wetlands where I used to roam as a nature nerd in the Netherlands. Many different varieties now – flowering in early spring, planting in early April. Bulbs in containers Most of these bulbs do well in containers. Picture a terracotta pot with these plants massed together – you can shift them inside when they flower to enjoy, or put them on the patio so you see them through the ranch-slider. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A proposed pedestrian crossing's become a bit of a joke - after differing views were shared from two Christchurch community boards. The southbound lane of Deans Avenue, near Al Noor Mosque, has been approved for speed bumps - but not the lane heading north. It's the boundary between the Riccarton and Central City wards. Central City Councillor Jake McLellan's side will have a bump. He says it will look kooky - but it's better than nothing. "When you add a crossing but you don't actually do anything to make people safe while they're crossing, it can become quite dangerous." Riccarton Councillor Tyla Harrison-Hunt agrees it's better than the status quo. "At the end of the day, it's actually a massive, massive win for the Deans Ave residents - and a massive win for the everyday users of Hagley Park." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tens-of-thousands of music fans packed into Christchurch's Hagley Park over the weekend for the Electric Avenue festival. Reporter Adam Burns went along.

Christchurch's Electric Avenue has wrapped up - and it's sparked discussion about what it could mean for the future of the city. More than 35,000 people attended the music festival at Hagley Park over Friday and Saturday. Flicks.co.nz editor Steve Newall wasn't on the ground - but he was suitably impressed by the lineup. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thousands of music fans have flocked to Christchurch's Hagley Park for this year's Electric Avenue festival. The tenth edition of the drawcard music event goes for two days so many patrons are set to do it all again tomorrow. The first handful of performances got under way earlier this aftenoon with the party set to continue into the night. Reporter Adam Burns joined the fanfare and filed this report.

Hagley Park plays host now to the biggest two-day festival in all of Australasia, Electric Ave, and entertainment reporter Chris Schultz is there live. "It really is something, the city is maxed out - you can't get accommodation, there's queues for food places all over town. Its that busy down here." LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today on the show 0.00 - Around The World 3.41 - 'Straya Day 7.43 - DYK DIY 18.05 - Quick Cashie 22.04 - Ripped Rog - Day 1 27.25 - Quick to Quit 32.44 - Beerfest Re-Cap 37.03 - Quick Cashie 41.16 - What Did You Want To Be 50.51 - Rumble Rev Up

Can you believe the audacity of the Christchurch Cathedral Reinstatement Project asking the Government for another $60 million? Quite rightly Finance Minister Nicola Willis has said no and the Anglican Cathedral is now likely to be mothballed. Which leaves us with the question: what do we do now with Cathedral Square? There are two options, as I see it. We could leave it to linger as it has since the earthquakes. And keep tip-toeing around waiting for the cathedral to be finished. Which, let's face it, could be another 20 years away. Or we could forget about what might or might not happen with the cathedral and just get on with redeveloping it. Fixing it up. Bringing the Square back to life. And that's the option that gets my vote. Because I think we should stop being hamstrung by the cathedral and get on with the job of making the Square somewhere people go again. And top of my list, is getting a road going through there. Re-connecting Colombo Street and getting the area back to what it used to be in terms of vibe and energy. I know that flies completely in the face of what all the urban development people say we should be doing in places like the Square. But what we need in the Square is people. And, in some respects, for the next wee while, anyway - we're going to have to pretty much force people to go back there. And the best way of doing that, in my opinion, is sticking a road back in. So we'd have Colombo Street going through the Square, and we'd have bus stops there. I know we've already got the new-ish Bus Interchange but I reckon buses going into the Square and having bus stops there would bring people into the area. Because, if I think about how I want the Square to be in 10 or 20 years time, I want there to be restaurants; I want it to be the place for the kinds of events and activities that don't need all the space of Hagley Park. But we are dreaming if we expect hospitality operators to set-up shop in the Square the way it is at the moment. They're the ones who have skin in the game, who take the risk, who put it on the line. So the city needs to do its bit, and make the Square a place full of people again. One of the barriers, at the moment, to having decent-sized events there is the way the Square sits at different levels in some parts - with little stairs. So, as well as bringing traffic back-in, I want to see it levelled-out and I want to see a lot more greenery there. I'm not just talking trees - I'm talking about grass. Because people don't stop and put a blanket down and have lunch on grey tiles, do they? People are attracted to green spaces. Something the Square hasn't been for years. Putting a road back in, levelling it out and making it greener wouldn't necessarily come cheap. It would still be a decent amount of money. But the time for waiting for the cathedral to be finished is over. I had a look at the weekend. And, if we wanted to keep the door open for the cathedral to be worked on over the next 20 years or whatever - the road couldn't just run straight to link up Colombo Street, from where it stops on either side of the Square. In fact, back in the day when there was traffic in the Square, the road curved around the front of the cathedral anyway. So I reckon we should do the same - but curve it out even wider to leave enough space for the footprint of the reinstatement work. That way, the option would always be there for the work to crank up again. If that ever happens. And by doing all this, not only would we have people going into the Square again, the cathedral would also become more of a curiosity than an impediment. Because I know people bang-on about finishing the cathedral being important because it would be symbolic of a city's recovery from a terrible natural disaster. But I think that, now things have dragged-on for so long with nothing else happening in the Square, it has become just a big advertisement for lack of progress. It doesn't say that we have triumphed over adversity - as much of the rest of the central city does. It just says that adversity has been the winner. And that won't change, until we get over this idea that nothing can happen until the cathedral is finished. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For six months in the early 20th century, a magnificent palace was built in Hagley Park for the largest event held in the city, Christchurch's international fair.  The International Exhibition of 1906, held in Christchurch, was scarcely believable in scale and ambition. Need more great podcasts? Check out Stuff's full catalogue here. GET IN TOUCH Feedback? We're listening! Email us at thelongread@stuff.co.nz  CREDITS Written and read by Charlie Mitchell Produced by Jen Black Audio editing by Connor Scott Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More than 20 schools are getting up for Canterbury Polyfest on Saturday at Hagley Park. Te Aratai College has teamed up with Mairehau High School for their performance bringing about 80 students to the event. Caleb Fotheringham visited Te Aratai College on one of their last practices before the big event

The Black Caps might be on a winning streak at the world cup. But things aren't quite the same for the Canterbury Cricket Trust, which is struggling to re-pay a $1.5 million loan to the Christchurch City Council for the lighting towers at Hagley Oval. Originally, the council was charging a 2 percent interest rate. But that's gone up to 5.4 percent. Which means the cricket people are really struggling just to pay the interest - let alone the rest of the loan. And the Council is being really tight about it. You'll remember this - the big stoush over the lighting towers at Hagley Oval. Which, by the way, would have to be the best - if not one of the best - sporting facilities in the country. So there was the big stoush in the first place over the Oval development. But then things went next-level when the cricket people started talking about putting in the big lighting towers. Six of them. Just under 50-metres high. It was all pretty much connected with getting the Women's Cricket World Cup here. We'd already had games here for the men's world cup. But to get the women's world cup here - particularly the final - we needed lighting that was up to international broadcast standard. In the time between the men's world cup in 2015 and the women's world cup, technology had improved and so the TV companies had different quality expectations and demands. So all the people who thought the world was going to end back when the Hagley Oval development at Hagley Park was first brought-up, they got all fired-up again because those lighting towers were going to be absolute armageddon. They were going to be like flames from the mouth of some giant dragon casting a giant shadow over Hagley Park. Spitting fire and scorching our beautiful pristine park, which dates back to 1855. That wasn't quite how the crowd opposed to the idea described them. But you get the gist. Never mind the fact that Hagley Park is 164 hectares - bigger than Hyde Park in London, which is 140 hectares. Despite all that space, the anti-cricket oval people were all antsy that the lighting towers would be the end of Hagley Park, as we know it. Thankfully, the pro-cricket people had the post-earthquake regeneration legislation on their side which meant that, if it could be shown that the lighting would be good for Christchurch's recovery, then they'd get the go-ahead. And that's exactly what happened. Which meant that, by the time the women's world cup was happening in March and April last year, Christchurch had the set-up to be able to host the night-time final between Australia and England. Which Australia won, by the way. So the outfit that led the charge on the lights was the Canterbury Cricket Trust, which needed a loan from the council to pay kits share of the cost for the lighting towers. But because of the increased interest being charged by the Council, it asked for an extra five years to pay the loan off and that the loan be made interest-free loan from here on. The council agreed to extend the loan but refused to make the loan interest-free. Which is nuts when you consider how the city has already benefited and stands to benefit because of the Cricket Trust's fortitude to make the lights happen. Anywhere else, the local council would pay for facilities that benefit the wider community. Especially when you can show there is an economic benefit. And $5 million is what they reckon the women's world cup was worth to the city. And it wouldn't have happened without the lights. But that means nothing to our council. Which is treating the loan to the Canterbury Cricket Trust the same way it treats other loans it's got going. A recent example would be the loan given to finish a new bar in that heritage building on Manchester Street. There is interest being charged on that loan. But there is a commercial operation happening there. So there's revenue - money coming in the door. Unlike the Canterbury Cricket Trust, which is saying today that the interest payments are “crippling”. And we're being warned that the way things are going, the cricket clubs around Canterbury might have to stump up. Which is absolutely crazy, when Sydenham Rugby Club - for example - isn't paying for the lights at our new stadium, Te Kaha. So why should cricket have to pay?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

David looks at national air quality standards, how to improve them and how Christchurch is shaping up. Also the community safety intiatives have been implemented following the Royal Commission into the Christchurch terror attack, have all the recommendations come to pass?. And he has an update on the controversial temporary cycleway near Hagley Park. David Williams is a South Island reporter for Newsroom

I first realised it this week, running through the city and around Hagley Park on one of those beautiful, still, cold South Island evenings.   For me, it was a long time coming. Twelve years and three months, all up.  Maybe others felt it earlier. Maybe others haven't reached the point yet. I know those who've lived in Christchurch right throughout, who never left the city, might have a completely different perspective, and that's ok.   But as a Cantab at heart, for the first time I feel I can say it with absolute confidence. It's emphatic. Christchurch has crossed the threshold. For the first time since 2010 I reckon the city today is better than it was before the quakes.  There's no one thing. There's one project or development that's pushed it past that point. It's a collection of little things that make Ōtautahi so good.  For starters, the city. Finally the Cathedral isn't just lying in ruin. The remote-controlled digger cleaning up the masonry and bird crap finished its job in record time. The build's progressing, and fast.  Te Pae, Christchurch's glorious new convention centre, is a stupendous venue. Across the road, Tūranga, the new library is surely the best of any big city in New Zealand. The art gallery is amazing. The Margaret Mahy playground is the stuff dreams are madeof for kids and adults alike.  The food in Christchurch is so good. Christchurch's old strip was seedy as, but Riverside Market, The Terrace, and New Regent Street have energy and life.   The central city's new shape works with Ōtakaro, the Avon River. The water's clear and clean and meanders from the gleaming new buildings down near the splendid historic Arts Centre, and into the World-class Botanic Gardens.  I bristle with envy when I think of all the things on Christchurch's doorstep. Taylors Mistake, New Brighton, and Sumner have surf. Mt Hutt has snow. Lyttelton has perhaps the most interesting music and arts community in New Zealand. Hagley Oval has a gorgeous cricket ground and the Christchurch Adventure Park is the gateway to World-class mountain biking.   There are young people in the city and they want to be there. At a time when many New Zealand universities are being forced to cut jobs, Canterbury University is hiring. This year, they tell me the university is on track for a record number of students. Domestic enrolments are up. International enrolments are up. There are students from 100 countries studying at Canterbury, from Mozambique to Myanmar to Mongolia. The number of people enrolled is up 7% at the end of March compared to the same time last year. It's the University's 150th birthday this year, and the halls of residence are at absolute capacity.   The cost of housing in Christchurch is so much cheaper than Auckland, and the quality is so much less depressing than in Wellington. It's younger than Tauranga, more coastal than Hamilton and warmer than Dunedin.   I know it's not perfect. I know how much pain and stress it's taken to get things to this point. I'm under no illusions that places out East – Bromley, in particular – have a hell of a long way to go. The sprawl North and West means the traffic can be a total pain.  But with good leadership and planning, the city should only get better. Maybe it's too big. Maybe it's too expensive. But just imagine the atmosphere in town for that first All Blacks test in Te Kaha.   Years ago when I was living in New York, I asked the city's chief urban designer about lessons from Manhattan's recovery after the 9/11 attacks. He had a tear in his eye when he spoke to me about the transformation he'd experienced.   “Instead of asking yourself what happens if you get it wrong, ask yourself the opposite,” he said.   “What happens if Christchurch is too good? What happens if you remake your city and it's so good that everyone wants to live there?”  I don't reckon we're far off. Christchurch has energy. Christchurch has mojo. Christchurch is better than ever.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you wander down to Christchurch's Hagley Park on a Wednesday, chances are you'll see dozens of white sails at Lake Victoria. Christchurch's model yacht club is about to celebrate 125 years by holding holding a regatta next week.

Because it's Friday - I'm going to be kind. I was going to say that the Christchurch City Council is a disaster. But, just because it's Friday, I'm not going to say that. But I am going to say that it's a shambles. And I'm not just plucking words out of nowhere or saying it for the sake of saying it. I'm saying it because of what's come through in the council's latest residents satisfaction survey. Let's start with the good news. 99 percent of people are happy with the Botanic Gardens. 97 percent of people think the council does a good job running the cemeteries around the place. 97 percent of people are happy with Hagley Park. The libraries get a 96 percent approval rating and, as for customer service, people are pretty happy with that too. Face-to-face service gets 98 percent approval; service on the phone has 90 percent of people satisfied. Email service not so great, but it's still pretty good. And I'll agree with all of those. When I've had to call up the council about something, the people on the end of the line have always been great. Sometimes the follow-up has been a bit slow - like that time we had a leak just after there'd been some pretty major roadworks outside. But then, another time, the water toby at the end of the driveway packed a sad on a Saturday and they had someone out to replace within just a few hours. So yeah, the parks, the libraries, the people on the phone - I agree that they should be rated pretty highly. And that's because, generally, places like the Christchurch City Council are full of people like you and me who don't go out of their way to be difficult and who go to work everyday to do the best they can. Even those transport people who installed that ridiculous cycleway set-up near the Museum and the Arts Centre the other week. Yes, it's daft - but I'm sure, in their hearts, they had the best intentions. But where things really go pear-shaped in the survey results - is when we get to the sort of stuff the politicians - the elected members - told us they were going into council to fix. And these are the numbers that show they are failing big time. 15 percent - that's how many of the people who took part in the survey think the council makes good financial decisions. Which means 85 percent of people think they make hopeless financial decisions. It goes on. Only 28 percent of people in Christchurch are happy with the state of the roads. Which actually surprises me - because I'd like to meet these people who are happy with the roads. They obviously don't get out much. But again, that result says 72 percent of us aren't happy with the roads in Christchurch. Is the Council really going to be satisfied with that? I hope not. And then we get to the trust issue. And who was the guy who was going to get in there and turn the place upside down and get more people trusting the council? Well, the results out today tell us that only 29 percent of people actually trust it. Which means more than two-thirds of people don't trust the Christchurch City Council. Last year, 31 percent said they trusted it. This year 29 percent, so they're going backwards on that front. And I think we can safely say that - on the basis of these survey results - the Council is going backwards full stop. Yes, the botanic gardens and the libraries are great. Yes, the council staff that we deal with on a daily basis are great. And yes, even people like the transport staff who do some weird things - I'm confident that they're good people too. But as an organisation - or, more specifically, as an elected council, it's a shambles.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Christchurch mayor Phil Mauger has come out firing today. He's accusing his council's staff of “running amok” and says they need to be “reined in”. They're his actual words. “They're running amok and they need to be reined in”. But wait, there's more. He's also describing his transport staff as "the anti-car brigade". He's not alone either. Some of the other usual suspects have weighed-in. Councillor Aaron Keown and Councillor James Gough also condemning their transport staff for making changes to the road near Hagley Park. Specifically, Rolleston Ave and Park Terrace from the Antigua Boat Sheds to Salisbury Street. The bit that runs alongside Hagley Park, past Christ's College and the George Hotel. The changes to the road they're brassed-off about is the creation of a new cycleway. What the council transport people have done, is they've blocked off one of the lanes heading north and turned it into a two-way cycle lane. It's marked-off with bollard-type things and means that stretch of road is now one-lane, instead of two. And Phil Mauger claims he didn't know a thing about it. And he and Aaron Keown and James Gough are demanding that the road be reinstated to how it's always been - with two lanes. And they're accusing council staff of being sneaky. What seems to have happened, is the council transport people got a bit concerned about cyclists and pedestrians being put at risk by the development work going on at Canterbury Museum. And they thought closing a lane of traffic and turning it into a cycleway was the answer. And so they went to councillors with this idea for a temporary traffic management plan. And, according to James Gough, councillors were led to believe that they would have a say on this. But that didn't happen. And a traffic lane on Park Terrace has disappeared and it's now a cycleway. Councillor Aaron Keown says in all the time he's been a councillor, he's never seen this sort of “temporary” work happen and he says it's just unacceptable that council staff have gone and done this. Which reeks of that idea that council staff tried to push last year, which would allow them to make a major change to a piece of road without any consultation or discussion first -  because it would be a trial. And then, two years down the track, they'd ask us what we thought about it. It's also very similar to that daft idea they came up with earlier this year of spending more than $1 million upgrading a stretch of Gloucester Street, in central Christchurch; trialling it for 10 weeks; and then undoing all the work after 10 weeks if they thought it wasn't working. At least with this pop-up cycleway on Park Terrace, it doesn't look like a million-dollar project. But I do think it's completely unnecessary. And what we now have, is city councillors fighting publicly with their own transport staff. Phil Mauger's calling them “the anti-car brigade” and he and other councillors are making public demands that the changes be reversed. Which raises the age-old question about local government. Which is just as pertinent today, as it ever was. And that is: who's running the place - the councillors elected by us? Or the staff who, apparently, work for them? I know for a fact that staff at Environment Canterbury loved it when there were commissioners running the place instead of elected councillors. Much easier for them. And I also know that city council staff often see councillors as a real pain in the backside. Because, if they're any good, they ask questions. But often - from my observations over the years - councillors aren't any good and they don't ask the challenging questions and the council staff get away with what they want to get away with. That's because they spend hours trying to anticipate the sorts of questions they might get from the elected members of the council which means, by the time they're sitting in the council chamber, they can trot out the well-rehearsed lines to bat away any unhelpful questions from councillors. Which is why, for a long time now, I've been of the belief that while mayors and councillors might like to think they're running the place - they're not. And it's the council staff who really run the place.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are claims that Christchurch City Council is anti-car, following concerns over carpark access at Christchurch Hospital. Figures released to Newstalk ZB reveal that the biggest money-makers for parking fines are all around the hospital. The Hagley Oval carpark —one of the biggest earners— provided more than 108-thousand dollars in fines in the last financial year. Councillor Aaron Keown says that the council pushed back on an idea which would've seen 100 temporary parks added to Hagley Park. He says a hospital is needed by people in cars, that people don't give birth while riding the bus or bike. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode Pastor Omar ZD says the greatest asset that one can lose is time.

We are joined on the phone by Jackson Lynskey-Reid who is going to run for 24 hours around Hagley Park raising money for I AM HOPE.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The owner of a section that's become a makeshift camp for homeless people in Christchurch has defended letting them stay. About six homeless men have taken over the vacant plot opposite the luxurious George Hotel and iconic Hagley Park. The property is owned by renowned Christchurch surgeon Frank Frizelle, who is letting the homeless men remain. He says he didn't invite them, but he has no problem with it. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Around 50 brewers from across the country will descend on Christchurch's Hagley Park this weekend, for the annual Great Kiwi Beer Festival.  Up to 12,000 people are expected through the gates to sample around 300 beers.  But amid a carbon dioxide shortage, needed to push liquid through pipes and give a brew fizz, some stall-holders have had to call on locals for help. Niva Chittock reports.   

There's a surgeon in Christchurch who owns a prime piece of real estate in the central city, right across the road from the five-star George Hotel. The section is worth about $4 million and the surgeon and his partner had planned to build on it at some point but they changed their minds. And so the section is vacant. Well, vacant in terms of a permanent structure but not completely vacant - because the surgeon and his partner have allowed a group of about six homeless guys to move in and set-up a makeshift camp. They cook on a small fire. They get water through a hose connected to a tap next door. They've got a vege garden going and they sleep in shelters made from security fences and other bits and pieces. As for going to the toilet, they use the public loos over in Hagley Park. This is all going on right across the road from the George Hotel and not far from a couple of private schools. It's being reported today that the surgeon is allowing this to happen on his piece of land because he feels sorry for these guys. He says he goes there about a couple of times a week to check on things and has told them to keep their heads down and stay out of trouble. He says these guys haven't had easy lives and, at least by doing what he's doing, they've got somewhere to go and relax. Because places like homeless shelters aren't an option for people with drug and alcohol addictions or for people who generally struggle with authority. Which, on the face of it, is a very admirable and charitable approach, isn't it? Here you've got one of the city's top surgeons, who can afford to own a $4 million section and do nothing with it, whose life is a million miles away from the life these homeless guys live - and he is actually doing something to help. He's doing far more than I've ever done to help the homeless. Probably far more than you've ever done too. So, if you just consider it from that aspect, he is certainly doing the right thing. The problem is, he doesn't live there and so he doesn't have to put up with some of the activity that's apparently going on around the area where this makeshift camp is. People living nearby say that at nights and on weekends things go pear-shaped, with people off their heads on drugs, urinating in the streets and spraying graffiti. They say the camp itself is one thing, but everything that goes on around the place is something else altogether. And they're not happy that the surgeon is allowing these guys to stay there. As for the guys living on the site in the makeshift shelters and things, they think the property owner is a great guy and say the main rule is to respect the place and respect others. What's more, one of them has said that more people are welcome to move onto the site but they'd have to build their own huts. So even though there are apparently about six people camped there at the moment, it could get bigger. Which is the last thing the residents in the area will be wanting to hear. It seems the city council is looking into it but, you know, this is the same council that did a very good job of turning a blind eye to the anti-mandate Cranmer Square occupation early last year. So I don't think the people who are upset about this should hold their breath on that front. But is the owner of this land doing the right thing or the wrong thing allowing these people to live in this makeshift camp? On one hand, what he's doing is actually very charitable. He could be doing all sorts of things with a $4 million plot of land. But he's not - not now anyway - and so he's made it available to people with nowhere else to live. So, in that regard, I think he's doing the right thing. But he's not living there, and he's not having to put up with the people off their nuts on drugs yelling and screaming and scaring people. He's not having his place graffitied. And he's not going into this weekend wondering what the people living there and all the others who show up day and night are going to get up to. So, in that respect, I think he's doing the wrong thing. Which means I'm torn - I think he's doing the right thing and the wrong thing.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Indian cricket team's tour of New Zealand ends tomorrow at Hagley Park. Hopefully it'll end with the third ODI in the series against the Black Caps, but it could just as easily end with the match being rained out! Black Caps bowler Matt Henry spoke to D'Arcy Waldegrave on Sportstalk about playing India at his home ground. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Christchurch mayor Phil Mauger has some answering to do. The first question he has to answer, is how does he think he's going to get away with his statement over the weekend that keeping rates increases to four percent or less next year is going to be a challenge? Because this is the guy who said before the local body elections last month that he would be the man to keep rates increases down. At various times during the election campaign he talked about rates increases no higher than three percent, four percent, or something in line with the rate of inflation. None of these are looking likely, with Phil Mauger saying - now that he's mayor - that it's going to be very difficult to deliver what he promised voters, which was to keep rates increases to an absolute minimum. Which some people believed. Or probably, more correctly, wanted to believe. While everyone else knew he was either dreaming or talking absolute nonsense. And so now, with the city council beginning work on next year's budget, we've got the new mayor saying: 'er, actually, about that four percent rates increase…ah, no can do, sorry'. A report over the weekend said city councillors have been given an “indicative range” for next year's rate increase, understood to be between 12 percent and 14 percent. And so here's what the mayor had to say about his promise to keep rates down: “It is going to be challenging, that's going to be very challenging because of what's happening globally.” I mean, do me a favour. Because what he's talking about there are all the problems caused by COVID and the war in Ukraine. The old “supply chain issues”. But hello, these supply chain issues were a thing well before Phil Mauger became mayor. The war in Ukraine was happening well before the election last month. It was all happening when he was running around town promising to keep rates increases at between three and four percent. Running around town, when he knew full well that what he was promising was impossible. So that's the first thing he's going to front up on. The second thing, is this U-turn he's doing on the $33 million being spent on roads around the site of the new stadium, Te Kaha. Over the weekend, we had some of the biggest names behind the revival of Christchurch's central city coming out and condemning the city council for this ludicrous piece of work. Property developers who have poured truckloads into new developments in town. The Central City Business Association is involved, as well. Now previously, the mayor said he opposed it and claimed that he'd stopped it. Not the case, and the council plans to press on. Granted, Phil was probably blind-sided by this one a bit given the council launched its consultation process on day one of his mayoralty. But it seems he's been talked around by the council planners. So what does he have to say to the central city business people and the developers who have come out fighting against this nutbar idea of the council's? Then there are some of his other election promises. The temporary hospital car park in Hagley Park. That was going to be done before Christmas. And what about the roving pothole maintenance crew? They were going to have carte blanche permission to just fix things when they saw things that needed fixing. No permission required. Because they were going to be all about getting stuff done. You may be one of the 53,000 people who voted for Phil Mauger, and you may have done so on the basis of his commitment to keep rates increases as low as three or four percent. So how do you feel about him saying over the weekend that that's unlikely, and that double-digit rates increases are actually more likely next year? And, more broadly - whether you're a Christchurch resident or not - how would you rate your trust in politicians full-stop? Because it's not just the mayor of Christchurch saying one thing and doing another. Also over the weekend, we learned that the Labour Party and the Green Party used last week's urgency in Parliament to tweak the Three Waters legislation to make it as difficult as possible for any future government to pull the plug on it. This was all done on-the-fly and without any public announcements or discussion. Despite all the talk and reassurances from the Government that it is the most open and transparent government we've ever had. Again, do me a favour. LISTEN TO THE FULL INTERVIEW ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It wouldn't be a local body election without hospital car parking coming up for discussion. And that's what's happened today, with mayoral candidate Phil Mauger announcing that he wants to use part of Hagley Park for a hospital car park in Christchurch. As you probably know, there's a new 450-space car park being built but that isn't expected to be finished until the end of next year. The original plan was to build an 800-space hospital car park. The plans were in place and things set to go. But in 2017, the Government said ‘no' to funding it. So they went back to the drawing board and, in 2020, the Government agreed to build the smaller 450-space building and add another two floors to an existing staff car park to create another 230 spaces. But there have been the inevitable delays and it's going to be the end of next year before the new car park is ready. So Phil Mauger is saying today that, if he becomes mayor, he'll put cobblestones on a grass verge on Riccarton Avenue where he reckons there'd be space for 100 cars. If you park there you'll get the first two hours free and Mauger says he'd want it done by Christmas. So this would be a stop-gap measure until the new one is finished and ready. He's saying that the area he's got in mind is a strip of grass that used to be used “unofficially” for parking. These days it's a no-stopping zone and Phil thinks what used to be the unofficial parking area should be turned into an official one. He's teamed-up on this one with fellow city councillor Aaron Keown who also used to be a member of the Canterbury District Health Board before the Government got rid of health boards and did its centralisation thing. So Aaron Keown is very familiar with this issue. Mauger says he's no stranger to it either. He's saying today that his wife was in hospital earlier this year and he saw first-hand how terrible the parking situation is there. Not to mention how expensive it is in that tiny little car park out the front of the new Waipapa hospital building. Not surprisingly, the advocates for keeping Hagley Park as it is aren't fussed with this idea. I see their spokesperson is likening Phil to Bob the Builder. Can we do it? Yes we can. You may recall when the Hagley Cricket Oval development was happening, the “Hands Off Hagley” group were up in arms. They were the same about the proposal to put floodlights in at the Oval. That was to ensure the ground could be used for international TV broadcasts and I don't think we can say that the Oval development and the lights have been the downfall of Christchurch. Nevertheless, the “Hands off Hagley” people have a job to do - which is making sure Hagley Park as we know it isn't lost. So good on them for that. As for Mauger's idea, I think he's dreaming if he thinks he could have it done by Christmas. I also think we need to consider what would happen in other places where they have beautiful green spaces right in the middle of a city. Do you think they'd do this kind of thing with Hyde Park in London? Do you think they'd do it with Central Park in New York? Of course they wouldn't. And that's good enough a reason for me to think it shouldn't happen here. What's more, how would you know who was parking there because they were at the hospital and who was parking there while they nipped into Ballantynes and had a coffee at Riverside? It's shortsighted and only being suggested because of the elections. Fellow mayoral candidate, David Meates - who knows a thing or two about the hospital - is describing Mauger's idea as “a desperate solution”. He says randomly creating 100 car parks does not fix the problem. Which, of course, it doesn't. But then I don't think Phil Mauger is claiming that. He's just putting it out there as a stop-gap measure. And he's not planning on any drawn-out consultation process. If he becomes mayor, he'll do an online survey to get a mandate to go ahead with it. As he puts it: “We don't need to consult this to death, let's just ask the people and then get on with it.” If it gets to that point, I'll be saying thanks but no thanks.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The month-long women's Cricket World Cup will come to an end on Sunday, when Australia play England in the final at Christchurch's Hagley Park. It is the first of three world cups New Zealand is hosting in an 18 month period. Local fans will be disappointed the White Ferns didn't make the play-offs, but as far as organisers are concerned, it's been a very succesful tournament. Barry Guy has been following the tournament

When Christchurch's Hagley Park was created in the late 19th century native plants such as ferns, cabbage trees and flax were replaced by English plants like beech, elm and oak. As part of the Scape Public Art Season 2021, Dunedin artist Aroha Novak is presenting The Native Section, nine hand-embroidered billboards surrounding the park.

Mental health and Gardening exerciseI have often wondered what it is like to live on the 16th floor.As a child, my parents always had a garden – that's where I learned the “Manual of Outside Life”.As students in the Netherlands we lived (with a baby!) in an old city house without a garden, literally in the centre of Wageningen. The remedy: a jungle of pot plants and vines (Hoya, Stephanotis, Monstera) climbing through all rooms.Of course, my study topics and work were mostly outside in forests and parks, along river habitats and in national parks...and we had an allotment!What are your options on the 16th floor?Grow on balcony – many different ways to surround yourself with nature, flowers and even vegetables and fruit. Large container culture is becoming quite manageable.Do we still have allotments?Contact with the soil, plants, trees and shrubs has been shown to be great for mental and physical health. Listening to bird sounds and insect-buzzing adds to that and the smell of flowers and foliage nicely complements the whole experience.Other Options?Walk in local park – go to nearby forests such as the Waitakeres, Hunuas, town belt, dunes, beach.For gardeners with a small piece to grow stuff, ask yourself what would work there - how do you find out?The mere fact that you do research on that issue helps you to get outside too.Visit your local garden centre to see what works well. Better still, your local botanic garden is likely to have some great displays of local horticultural opportunities.Auckland botanic gardens have fabulous rows of hedges, endemic rarities, possible colour combinations that work in your area – it's all about INSPIRATION. There is Hagley Park, Wellington Botanic Gardens, Dunedin, Pukekura Park - there are so many great parks in Aotearoa cities and towns!If you are interested in planting some native specimens that will work in your area, make a day trip to your regional or national park. The reason I live in Christchurch is not because of the concrete and glass city, but because within an hour you're somewhere really interesting.There's a continuous park from Kahurangi to south Fiordland – just saying – with plenty of inspiration around what to plant and what comes feeding in your garden.For beginning gardeners, who really want to start their own little paradise, this is the best advice I can give: Go for a walk around the block and see other people's gardens. See what grows well, see what you like.You might not know all the names of plants but here's even a suggestion of how to find out - knock on the door or ring the bell and ask the owner.More often than not you'll strike a garden-proud owner who will tell you what it is and chances will be pretty good that you end up meeting new local gardeners and walking away with some cuttings…You don't have to be Dutch to appreciate that (but that helps too!). LISTEN ABOVE

When Christchurch's Hagley Park was created in the late 19th century native plants such as ferns, cabbage trees and flax were replaced by English plants like beech, elm and oak. As part of the Scape Public Art Season 2021, Dunedin artist Aroha Novak is presenting The Native Section, nine hand-embroidered billboards surrounding the park.

In this episode Pastor Omar ZD says the greatest asset that one can lose is time.

Firstly today my respects to Christchurch.  10 long years. I was at the first memorial in March of 2011, one month after the event.  Prince William was there and spoke.  He told tens of thousands of Cantabrians this: "My grandmother once said, that grief is the price we pay for love. Here today, we love and we grieve." I saw a young lad who had lost his Mum uncontrollably sobbing.   Towards the end of the service we looked towards the Port Hills and saw hundreds of first responders who walked right across Hagley Park to join us and they were given a standing ovation. It was a blue sky day and a kite was in the air saying “Rise Up Christchurch”. I’m sure all these sentiments will be present today.  10 years is no time at all really. But today will also see the Australian cricket side play against the Blackcaps in Hagley Park. Our best venue that was born out of the quake which also shows you how far we’ve come. On the Covid front we have a possible change from Level 2 to 1 for Auckland.  I think this is on the cards.  Chief smarty pants and scaredy cat Professor Michael Baker thinks it can happen so that’s a good sign.No one wants this more than Joseph Parker and Junior Fa who have their living on the line this Friday at Spark Arena.  No Level 1, no fight. Meanwhile, National’s Covid spokesman Chris Bishop has launched the biggest back of an envelope reckon of an idea when he suggested we construct a dedicated MIQ facility. He’s proposed land near the airport. Well, Ihumātao shows you how difficult that is and how expensive.  Cabins with individual air con filtration to be built.  Basing the costs on you basic prison build, you’re talking a billion. All to stop leaks out of MIQ, of which there have been none.  We’ve had returnees return to their homes after MIQ and then the virus flare up again and that’s affected Auckland the most because, newflash, more people live in Auckland.   This is not an Auckland problem.  May I remind you that our biggest outbreaks are the Bluff Wedding Cluster and the greatest death toll was in Christchurch. And this all as we commence a vaccination regime for MIQ workers that will further reduce the risk. We’ve come too far and learnt to much to be subjected to half thought out reckons.  

"Electric Sea View" Well, it’s hard for us to think of a more charming, beguiling and altogether mysterious band than The Bats. The New Zealand outfit got their start in 1982 in Christchurch and their By Night EP in '84 was one of the first releases for the now legendary Flying Nun label. Flying Nun aren’t the only legendary ones in this conversation—The Bats fall into that category as well. With ten album under their belts, including classics like Silverbeet, The Law of Things and Free All The Monsters, The Bats remain one of the most consistently brilliant bands around. Although they’re based in NZ, over the course of their career they’ve toured the U.S. and Europe, including a stint opening for Radiohead. Their CV also includes playing SXSW, garnering rave reviews from magazines ranging from Mojo to Uncut, being shortlisted for the prestigious Taite Music prize and playing in front of nearly 150,00 people for the free relief concert in Hagley Park after the 2010 Canterbury earthquake. The Bats sometimes take a year between records and other times they take ten. But no matter how long they take, their work just keeps shining with that unique Bats sound. Their new album Foothills might even be their best yet. Filled with sneaky rhythms, wistful melodies and poetic lyrics, the fact is The Bats have never sounded better. In this conversation with bassist and New Zealand Hall of Fame inductee Paul Kean, the subjects range from what’s kept the Bats lineup unchanged for 40 years, their admiration of Nirvana and editorial honesty within the ranks of the band.

As many of you may already know, Christchurch City is known as The Garden City and Hagley Park has a lot to do with that! Today we're going to explore what this fabulous green-space has to offer and how we locals like to make the most of it. There'll also be a special mention of its particular charms now that winter is turning to spring.

John Milne stands on the South East corner of Colombo and Brougham Streets.It’s a noisy part of Christchurch on the main route between the port at Lyttelton Harbour and the shipping container parks in the West of Christchurch. Truck after truck after truck rumbles by. The ground shakes. It’s dusty and loud. And John Milne stands there. High-viz jacket and wide-brimmed hat. He holds a simple hand-written sign with two words.‘Love Everyone.’ It’s very easy in life to judge someone in a moment. I think for some of us – and I’ll put myself at the top of the list – you see someone standing on the side of the road with a sign like that, and you dismiss them, right? It’s easy to. You don’t pause and ask yourself, who is this person? What’s their story? Why are they standing on the side of the road for hours and hours every day, waving at the traffic with a sign that says ‘Love Everyone’?John was at Eastgate Mall waiting for a bus when he first heard the sirens. Police cars heaving through an intersection. Someone said there had been a shooting at the mosque near Hagley Park... and John knew it. In that moment, he knew it. He just knew his son Sayyad, was dead. What does it do to a father when he loses a 14-year-old son? John went to a dark place. Yeah, he went to a dark place. It’s more than losing a loved one... losing a child. Losing a child. I don’t know that anyone can articulate the darkness that brings on a person, or a parent. Can you be happy? Can you be truly, properly, wholly joyful, even just for a bit?John thinks you can. That’s why he chooses, day after day, to stand on the side of the road with a sign saying ‘Love Everyone.’ Take nothing for granted. Life is short. To stand on the corner of Brougham and Colombo Streets is to believe those words. I called him up last night, just for a couple of minutes, and asked him how he is, and how he’s doing with everything.“I know where my boy is,” said John.“He speaks to me.”John’s going to go to the Christchurch High Court for the sentencing this week. He’s already checked out the security. He feels safe. He thinks they’re all doing a great job.I asked him what he wants? What will help him? What will soothe him? A life sentence? No parole?“Well,” said John.“I’d really like to see him get sent back to Australia.”“Most importantly, it’s essential he’s never allowed out of prison.”John Milne is used to standing at busy intersections by the trucks and the muck, holding his sign.‘Love Everyone.’But his week he has a message to deliver in a very different setting.For this occasion, John Milne has considered his words carefully. He’s not really supposed to say what’s in his Victim Impact Statement, but he told me I could share with you this much:“I’m not gonnna’ call him ‘terrorist.’ I’m not gonna’ call him ‘Tarrant.’” Said John.“I’m gonna’ look him in the eye and say ‘Brenton, you are unconditionally forgiven.”

National leader Judith Collins is not surprised by the findings of an investigation into the Covid-19 patient leaks, that involved disgraced National MP and former Party President Michelle Boag.The report found security of personal information in the Ministry of Heath should have been tighter, and it should have been reviewed by the agency earlier.Ms Collins told Chris Lynch the report was what she expected."What we expect is the Ministry of Health will tighten its procedures, but also Miss Boag and Mr Walker have been shown to have done exactly what we believed they'd done and they've been dealt wit appropriately."Medical details are something that people take extremely seriously as they should, I think those are the sorts of things where you start going down that track then you actually start opening up the most appalling behaviour."Meanwhile, Ms Collins has described the Government's quarantine charges scheme as a "total cop-out"."The sort of policy you announce when don't actually want to have a policy."The current quarantining is going to cost New Zealanders, by the Government's own reckoning, well around $300 million up until December."Ms Collins has also promised to fix the car park problem at Christchurch Hospital if elected.Car parks are in short supply around the hospital and visitors often have to find a park and then bus into the hospital to visit patients.Collins says not everyone can walk, bike or take a bus to hospital.She says a site next to the hospital at Hagley Park will be made into a car park.Collins says it's outrageous visitors and some patients have to park on the other side of Hagley Park, and it is a sign the Government doesn't like cars.

We caught up with Christchurch runner and musician Barrett Hocking. Wild banter ensued. Topics included Barrett's experiences playing trumpet for The Black Seeds, life on the road, running on the pipe, coming down from the pipe, a hill in Christchurch, Andrew's Hagley Park success, Andy McDowall, Crush the Cargill and Mt Difficulty. http://www.theblackseeds.com/

In this episode, we discuss the Christchurch suburb of Addington and whether we believe it is a good place to invest. Addington has had the 3rd fastest house price growth of any Christchurch suburbs since the turn of the century. The only two suburbs that grew at a faster rate were the wealthier suburbs of Strowan and Fendalton. These suburbs wouldn't be appropriate for investors to necessarily park their money in. Addington is also the 9th most affordable suburb out of all 59 Christchurch suburbs – meaning that there is a lot of room for gentrification, especially given its close proximity to Hagley Park. Throughout the episode, we made reference to our Epic Guide to Mortgages, which is a 9,500-word guide which is freely available on the Opes Partners website. It is well worth a read if you are either looking to get a mortgage or hoping to pay one off.

When I was doing some reading about Elliott before going to chat to him, I discovered that, not only is he from Christchurch, but he went to school in the same part of town as me, albeit years after me…! I mention age, only because Elliott might be young in years, but he has had quite the trajectory, starting off his career cooking in one of New Zealand’s best restaurants, Pescatore, in the George Hotel overlooking Hagley Park in Christchurch. He moved to Sydney after the earthquakes and worked at Flying Fish Restaurant, and then Sepia, before moving to Melbourne to the head chef role at Doot Doot Doot at Jackalope on the Mornington Peninsula. From a park view, to a view over the water and then of vineyards, at his latest venture, Rascal, the Sydney Road view might not be quite the same, but Elliott and his team look set to change the Brunswick dining landscape all the same.

Tom Hickman is a race director with a big heart and strong social conscience. Founder of the Bali Hope Ultra who has raised over $250,000 for charity in Bali is now in New Zealand joining forces with Kyron Gosse a runner who did the Bali Hope Ultra but whose Aunty was killed in teh Christchurch Mosque Attacks. Both men were moved to action, wanting to do something, to make a difference in the face of what was New Zealands' blackest day. They decided to use running as a way to unite people together, to comemorate the victims and their lives and raise money for the Red Cross.   The Unity Ultra is a 51 mile (one mile for every victim) event from Akaroa to Hagley Park in Christchurch and will take place on the 21st of March.  If you would like to know how you can get involved with this wonderful event either as a runner, a sponsor or fundraiser please visit  www.theunityultra.com   We would like to thank our sponsors Running Hot - By Lisa Tamati & Neil Wagstaff If you want to run faster, longer and be stronger without burnout and injuries then check out and TRY our Running Club for FREE on a 7 day FREE TRIAL Complete holistic running programmes for distances from 5km to ultramarathon and for beginners to advanced runners.   All include Run training sessions, mobility workouts daily, strength workouts specific for runners, nutrition guidance and mindset help Plus injury prevention series, foundational plans, running drill series and a huge library of videos, articles, podcasts, clean eating recipes and more.   www.runninghotcoaching.com/info and don't forget to subscribe to our youtube channel at Lisa's Youtube channel  www.yotube.com/user/lisatamat and come visit us on our facebook group   www.facebook.com/groups/lisatamati Epigenetics Testing Program by Lisa Tamati & Neil Wagstaff. Wouldn’t it be great if your body came with a user manual? Which foods should you eat, and which ones should you avoid? When, and how often should you be eating? What type of exercise does your body respond best to, and when is it best to exercise? These are just some of the questions you’ll uncover the answers to in the Epigenetics Testing Program along with many others. There’s a good reason why epigenetics is being hailed as the “future of personalised health”, as it unlocks the user manual you’ll wish you’d been born with! No more guess work. The program, developed by an international team of independent doctors, researchers, and technology programmers for over 15 years, uses a powerful epigenetics analysis platform informed by 100% evidenced-based medical research. The platform uses over 500 algorithms and 10,000 data points per user, to analyse body measurement and lifestyle stress data, that can all be captured from the comfort of your own home Find out more about our  Epigenetics Program and how it can change your life and help you reach optimal health, happiness and potential at: https://runninghotcoaching.com/epigenetics You can find all our programs, courses, live seminars and more at www.lisatamati.com 

Jumayah Jones, women’s coordinator at Al-Noor Mosque in Christchurch, talks about the day of the tragedy as witness and victim of the attack, and why she feels intensely motivated to serve the Muslim women in her community. Henry Jaiswal, manager of the former Christchurch Migrants Centre, discusses his role in running the operations for the Muslim Recovery Centre at the Horticulture Centre in Hagley Park.

Spoken and sung words of unity and hope, have resounded throughout Christchurch's Hagley Park. Event organisers estimate 20 to 25 thousand people attended the National Remembrance service in the city today, two weeks to the day since the March 15 mosque shootings, where 50 people were killed.Another tribute service was then held in Auckland this afternoon. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern received a standing ovation when she declared racism was unwelcome in her country, and suggested New Zealand could become the cure for hatred. Also today, racism has been in part blamed for preventable deaths among some NZ communities, the City of Sails becomes the City of Cranes, and an Auckland village is outraged after thieves stole a much-loved cafe identity - Bozo the clown. Hosted by Juliette Sivertsen. twitter.com/j_sivertsenSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Muslim leader is confident with security measures for today's remembrance ceremony in Christchurch.Federation of Islamic Associations president Mustafa Farouk says Muslims were safe practising their faith in New Zealand, until two weeks ago.The 10am service, remembering victims of the mosque shootings two weeks ago, is being broadcast simultaneously at events in Auckland, Wellington, Dunedin, and regional towns.Mustafa Farouk told Kate Hawkesby it's a chance to come together."We can show not only New Zealand but the Prime Minister as well that we remember the victims who died and to make sure their lives lost were not for nothing."Mr Farouk says he is confident they'll remain safe today and in the weeks and months ahead."We are confident in the security measures in place for today's service. We are not thinking that anything will happen to us."Today we are going to go to the mosque as normal, and that is how we will continue into the future."Delegates from nearly 60 countries will join thousands for the service at Hagley Park this morning.It marks two weeks since a gunman claimed 50 lives in a mass shooting at two mosques in Christchurch. 

Al Noor Mosque Imam Gamal Fouda leads a Friday prayer at Hagley Park outside Al-Noor mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand March 22, 2019.

COMMENTNumbers. They're such a blunt way to measure tragedy, don't you think?A number doesn't tell you anything about a person. A number doesn't have a cheeky smile. It's not a mum or a dad. A number is not a kid, who loves playing football on the weekend with her big brother. A number doesn't like being read stories before bed.Last night, I lay wide awake just imagining all the people in my home city doing exactly the same thing, people who wouldn't be sleeping a wink.All of those families, overcome with shock and grief...49 people, in my city, my home.I've lived two-thirds of my life in Christchurch, born and bred.When I was in my last year of high school, I remember I made this short and very amateur documentary about racism in Christchurch.This was 2004. There had recently been a few racially motivated attacks in the city.Me and my buddies went to a park in Linwood, it was actually very close to one of the mosques where people were murdered yesterday, and we interviewed the former leader of the National Front in Christchurch.H told us quite plainly that he didn't like other races and religions in the city. I remember, as a 17-year-old, just a kid, being shocked. Honestly just shocked that someone from my home, someone in my home, could have such a different take on the world.He was a big man, why is he so scared?As I lay in bed last night, I thought of a man, a man I never knew but who I have never forgotten.He was 39 years old and a refugee from Afghanistan. He fled the Taliban and clung to his family in the wild Indian Ocean before his family were rescued.After defying the odds in the pursuit of a better life, he brought his family and his five kids to a beacon of peace on the South Pacific.He studied English, he drove a taxi at night to support his family, I don't know when he actually slept. It was the relentless pursuit of a better life.Then two young men climbed in his cab and stabbed him in the heart.I watched as Muslim men turned to Mecca to pray and then bury him in the Canterbury earth.I know the mosques, I know both of them. As a kid dad would park near the Deans ave mosque on Saturday mornings when I had cricket or rugby or when we would walk across Hagley park to watch my sisters play netball.As an adult, I used to run around Hagley park all the time. In fact, every day for weeks, covering the Christchurch earthquake, I would run around the park with my cameraman colleague, kind of as a way to clear our heads.We would go and film our earthquake stories then we would run around Hagley Park. I was sure, at the time, that this was the worst thing that would ever happen to Christchurch.Can you compare a massive natural disaster with human evil? No, of course not, but why, of all cities, why Christchurch?There were two other little moments I was reminded of last night, the first was of the agonised faces outside Sandy Hook, the elementary school.I remember looking away from peoples' faces. It was only a week or two before Christmas and I was threr on the other side of the world. I remember looking away and thinking at least I get to go home, at least I get to go to Christchurch next week.The other was police cordons, sobbing people, three years ago, Orlando Florida, the Pulse nightclub that had been shot up in a heinous massacre, an act of terrorism.Most of the victims were from the rainbow community, the shooter apparently didn't like people that were different to him. He was scared.The death toll came through, 49 people killed in a terror attack. 49 people, I remember the gravity of that number. The same number of Kiwis who died yesterday.I remember in Florida standing there, kind of dumbfounded, awash with this feeling. I felt very lonely, half a world away.This is madness, I thought, 49 people...It's time to move home, it's time to go home.

Christchurch Symphony Orchestra returns to Sparks at Hagley Park on Saturday! Chris Lynch spoke to CEO and artistic director Gretchen Laroche about what to expect on the night.

Christchurch Symphony Orchestra returns to Sparks at Hagley Park on Saturday! Chris Lynch spoke to CEO and artistic director Gretchen Laroche about what to expect on the night.

Also we had the absolute pleasure of having Christchurch ex-pat Lindon Puffin in studio this morning for a chat and a song. He has come down to play the Band Together concert in Hagley Park tomorrow arvo so it made sense to get the wee gem in. Have a listen to Lindon give us the latest in conspiracies, or has he softened during his time in Auckland?