Te Tira Kāhikuhiku, the Christchurch Red Zones transformative land use consultative group, will help transform the city’s red zones.

Te Tira Kāhikuhiku consultative group

The group provides advice and recommendations to the Council and Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) on initiatives, ideas and activities to transform the city’s red zone land in Brooklands, the Ōtākaro Avon River Corridor, Southshore, South New Brighton and the Port Hills until the red zoned land transfers to the Council.

Te Tira Kāhikuhiku will also make decisions on grant funding for some of these short-term, transitional opportunities, which could be one-off events or projects that last up to five years. Find out more or apply to have a project funded by the Red Zone Transitional Use Fund.

View an interactive map of all the transitional land uses in the regeneration areas(external link).

Have an idea you want the group to consider? Submit your project or idea to LINZ.(external link)

24 August 2020
School students from throughout Christchurch are joining forces to help green the red-zone. Read more on Newsline(external link).

8 July 2020
The Christchurch City Council has opened a $282,000 fund that enables people to activate community projects and events in the city’s former residential red zones. Read more on Newsline(external link).

4 May 2020
Five members of the community have been selected to be part of a new group that is going to help transform the city’s red zones.

The five – Ashley Campbell, Adam Parker, Hannah Watkinson, Jazmynn Hodder-Swain and Bill Simpson – were selected by the already-appointed members. Read more on Newsline.(external link)

31 January 2020
Chrissie Williams, an experienced community leader with a passion for Christchurch and the environment, will serve as the independent chair of the new group that will help transform the city’s red zones. Read more on Newsline.(external link)

The name Te Tira Kāhikuhiku is a reflection of the potential for new growth in the red zones, building on the regeneration work already done – Tira refers to a mast or main tree trunk, with Kāhikuhiku the upper stem where new growth emerges.

Te Tira Kāhikuhiku is a result of the 2019 Global Settlement Agreement which sets out how the Crown and Council will work together on transitional land use arrangements for the red zones.

The agreement requires the Crown and Council to set up a consultative group to provide community input and advice to them on applications for land uses that are for fewer than five years. Long-term governance and permanent uses of the red zones will be considered by the Council once all, or most of, the land transfer process is completed.

The role of the group is to:

  • Review applications for temporary land use leases, licences and access authorities to determine their appropriateness for the proposed location, the benefits they offer for the environment, adjacent communities and all residents, and their support for any regeneration plans or more permanent use.
  • Make decisions (within delegations of authority) to recommend leases, licences and access authorities.
  • Review applications for grant funding of projects that support temporary, transformative land uses.
  • Make decisions (within delegations of authority) to fund projects, and recommend funding from the Red Zones Transformative Fund, for projects that support temporary land uses.
  • Have oversight of current and proposed future land uses (as per the Regeneration Plan for the Ōtākaro Avon River Corridor) across all red zone land, to ensure good decisions are made.

The draft mandate and delegations of Te Tira Kāhikuhiku are set out in the Terms of Reference [PDF, 282 KB]. You can also read the Guiding Principles [PDF, 182 KB].

The group is in place until June 2021. The function, membership and period of appointment of Te Tira Kāhikuhiku will be reviewed in the second year of operation.

View the minutes from the July 2020 meeting(external link).

Independent Chair

Chrissie Williams
For nine years Chrissie has been a strategic advisor in earthquake recovery, including on the Ōtākaro Avon River Corridor Regeneration Plan. She was previously a Councillor in east Christchurch, and has held governance roles in many public companies and community organisations. She is now retired from full-time work.

Chrissie is familiar with all the red zones, recognising their similarities and differences – their opportunities and constraints – and the importance of the land to those who lived there, continue to live there or live in neighbouring communities. Her priorities are to facilitate collaboration in the group, to maintain relationships and networks across greater Christchurch, and to stay up-to-date with the relevant plans and legislation.

Iwi representatives

Shayne Te Aika, Ngāi Tūāhuriri
Appointed as the Ngāi Tūāhuriri representative to Te Tira Kāhikuhiku, Shayne brings to the table the hapū cultural narrative across the city, particularly the Ōtakaro / Avon River corridor, and through direct descendancy to Aperehama Te Aika, a Ngāi Tahu Chief who laid claim in 1868 to Waikākāriki (Horseshoe Lake) and surrounding area inclusive of important urupā (cemetery).

Gail Gordon, Ngāti Wheke
Gail lives in Spreydon, was born in Lyttelton, and raised on marae at Rapaki – her early life was focused on Banks Peninsula, local Iwi and communities. Currently the representative for Rapaki on Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, she also sits on a number of representative committees both within the Iwi and the wider community. Her experience includes business ownership, charitable organization work, and project management. She brings analytical skills, local knowledge, environmental focus and an ability to work with a team to achieve shared outcomes.

Te Pātaka o Rākaihautū/Banks Peninsula Community Board

Tyrone Fields
Tyrone was raised alongside Whakaraupō/Lyttelton Harbour and represents the Banks Peninsula Community Board. He spent most of his career as a financial analyst but decided to become a social worker, believing in positive social outcomes while knowing the numbers. In his many years overseas he has seen creative placemaking all around the world, and sees the transformation of the Red Zone as an unprecedented chance to create special places for people in Christchurch.

Waiti/Coastal-Burwood Community Board representatives

Bebe Frayle
Bebe is a long-time resident of Dallington and a project manager with 15 years' experience. She also represents Burwood on the Coastal-Burwood Community Board, and is the current chair of the Dallington Residents’ Association. Bebe has experience working with local Burwood groups, running community events, and organising workshops to gather ideas about the future of the Red Zone. Bebe wants to take the ideas and inspiration she's heard from the community and make them reality.

Jo Zervos
Jo lives in New Brighton with her husband and two young adult sons, and serves on the Coastal-Burwood Community Board. She loves walking her dog through the many different red zoned areas, enjoying – and respecting – what used to belong to those who once lived there. Jo would love to see a balance of outcomes that would cater for all sectors of our community.

Waikura/Linwood-Central-Heathcote Community Board

Tim Lindley
Tim is a business development professional with a doctorate in science and a passion for the environment, healthy cities, and effective democracy. As board member of the Coastal Pathway Group and the Ihutai Estuary Trust, he has worked within the community to help create recreational opportunities and protect our natural environment. Tim is now in his second term as a community board member for Linwood-Central-Heathcote and has been a strong supporter of the Heathcote River recovery plan. He believes that managing red zone land wisely is a critically important opportunity for the city.

Waihoro/Spreydon-Cashmere Community Board representative

Keir Leslie
Keir lives in Somerfield and serves on the Spreydon-Cashmere Community Board. He is focused on protecting our community's amenities, and ecological restoration.

Avon Ōtākaro River Corridor representatives

Ashley Campbell
Ashley lives in Linwood, and is a founding member of the Avon Otakaro River Network, Avon Otakaro Inc and Greening the Red Zone. She's also the creator of the Greening the Red Zone Facebook page. Ashley is a passionate advocate for her own ideas, but also supports and collaborates well with others to create vision and goals.

Adam Parker
Adam lives in South Brighton, and is currently a Community Advisor for the Department of Internal Affairs, which involves working with marae from Kaikoura to South Canterbury. A father of five with strong connections in the community through his work as Rugby Manager for the Linwood Rugby Club, Adam has used his local knowledge to help set up local projects and with strategic planning for community groups.

Hannah Watkinson
Hannah was born and raised in Burwood, and is the project coordinator for the Life in Vacant Spaces project ‘East x East’. Previously she was campaign coordinator for Narrative Campaigns and has worked in business development in Vodafone’s XOne – a start-up accelerator programme. She is a Trustee for the Green Effect and Watch This Space trusts, and has a certificate in Tikanga Māori. She is currently undertaking a Masters of Fine Arts at Canterbury University. Hannah understands the community’s aspirations and concerns, and is committed to bringing them along on the journey to regeneration.

Community representative

Bill Simpson
Bill lives in Southshore, and is the former Chair of the Southshore Residents Association, and the former Chair and current Trustee of the Avon-Heathcote Estuary Trust. With experience at ECan as their Communications and Marketing Manager and then Community Resilience Manager, with a secondment to Civil Defence Emergency management following the earthquakes, Bill is an expert communicator and well-known community advocate.

Youth representative

Jazmynn Hodder-Swain
Jazmynn lives in Brooklands, and is currently studying Environmental Policy and Planning at Lincoln University. She’s a member of the Environment Canterbury Youth Rōpū and is an executive member of SPACE at Lincoln University. Jazmynn has a strong sense of place, and a passion for the wellbeing of her community and environment – which features a lot of red zoned area.

The following projects are currently receiving funding from the Transitional Project Fund.

Project Details
Avon Ōtākaro Inc. $55,120 for child-led projects and the 'Meet in the Middle' event.
Avon Ōtākaro Forest Park $32,500 for natural restoration projects.
Food Resilience Network $32,500 for food resilience initiatives.
Avebury House $34,000 for the development of heritage and arts trails.
Riverlution Tiny House Village $13,000 for Tiny House Village initiatives.
Richmond Community Garden $5000 for 'Matariki in the Red Zone' event.
Riverside Community Network $5000 for 'Duck Down the River' event.
Life in Vacant Spaces $5000 for 'East by East' summer event.

Have an idea you want the group to formally consider? Submit your event or project(external link).

If you want to get in touch with the group directly please contact:

Contact Phone Email
Anna Langley

03 941 5584

027 298 2103

 anna.langley@ccc.govt.nz
Jacqui Miller

03 941 5333

027 637 7927

 Jacqui.miller@ccc.govt.nz

Finalised in October 2019, the Global Settlement sees a number of central city public realm assets transferred to the Council by the Crown. These include the Bus Interchange, the Metro Sports Facility, the Te Papa Ōtākaro / Avon River Precinct, the Margaret Mahy Family Playground, roading assets, and land for the Performing Arts Precinct.

Residential red zone land in the Ōtākaro Avon River Corridor, the Port Hills, Brooklands and Southshore will be progressively transferred from the Crown to the Council over the next two years.

The Crown, through Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) and in conjunction with the Council, will now begin the work of reconfiguring approximately 6700 land titles in the red zones, 5500 of these are within the Ōtākaro Avon River Corridor — a 345-hectare green spine which runs from Central Christchurch to New Brighton.

The Global Settlement requires the Council and Crown to set up a consultative group to consider and advise on applications for land uses which are for less than five years, and applications for grant funding for some of these uses. A co-governance group could be established once ownership of all, or most of, the land has been transferred to the Council.

Read more about the Global Settlement.

Transformative land use involves a range of possible uses for red zone land – from one-off events to longer-lasting activities of up to five years.

All of these should create vibrancy and support regeneration by improving the environment, experience and activity in the red zones, or address sustainability or ecological issues.

Transformative land use in the city’s red zones provides a range of benefits to the community and the environment by:

  • Strengthening the connection between the red zone land and adjacent communities.
  • Providing a range of recreational and other opportunities for Christchurch residents.
  • Improving the environmental health of red zone land.
  • Enabling the testing of new and innovative ideas.
  • Supporting any regeneration plans or planning for more permanent uses of red zone land.