We asked for your feedback on your communities and neighbourhoods. More than 3,500 of you gave us feedback in 2019, here is a summary of what you told us.

2019 Results

Sense of place

While 88% of respondents think it's important to feel a sense of community in their neighbourhood, 59% actually feel a sense of community with others in their neighbourhood.

Over 80% said they enjoy living in their neighbourhood, with the top reasons being:

  • The natural environment (48%)
  • Feeling at home in their neighbourhood (34%)
  • Having easy access to venues, facilities and services (33%)

72% feel proud to be a resident of their neighbourhood.
 

What you told us

"I love my house and large garden, looking out the back one would never realise I live 8 minutes from the Central City and within 15 minutes of the outer suburbs and beach..."

"So much rubbish being dumped in our street and shopping trolleys"

"Community hubs are so vital. We have a local church but most people don't go there. Connecting families happens in community centres and spaces. It should be a priority for suburbs to have a local space."

Volunteering

Respondents are more inclined to volunteer for groups or organisations in their Wider community (62%) than their Local community (50%).

The top three organisations/groups that respondents volunteer for are:

  • Environmental / conservation (26%)
  • Education, schools or research (23%)
  • Sports clubs (21%)

Respondents who had not volunteered in the last 12 months would be encouraged to if they had more time (51%) or if there was work that interested them (34%).

What you told us

"Its a great way to give people a sense of meaning and purpose outside themselves and build confidence at the same time."

"I could probably volunteer and attend community events more if there was more information available about those. If you don't know where to look for the events, it's very hard to participate."

"People do what they can when they can with some individuals possessing a higher propensity towards assisting in the community."

Community

26% of respondents agree or strongly agree that if they share their opinions with community leaders they will listen, while 32% neither agree nor disagree. 

The majority of respondents (77%) are happy to work with others when they see a need in their neighbourhood. 

58% agree or strongly agree that their neighbourhood has a positive future, and 23% neither agree nor disagree.

12% agree or strongly agree that young people are encouraged to take on leadership roles in their neighbourhood, with a further 33% who neither agree nor disagree and 35% who don't know.

What you told us

"Facebook for our area is a good way of knowing what is going on and a local group that operates in the area and delivers a newsletter I find these very informative and helpful"

"There are some extremely talented people in my neighbourhood but they are often very busy people and don't want to be involved in community organisations or with city affairs."

"We do need to encourage more youth participation, currently we have an abundance of retirees and while their contribution is valuable a diverse range of ages would give a wider perspective."

Facilities

71% of respondents are satisfied or very satisfied with the range of recreation, shopping and socialising opportunities in their neighbourhood.
 

What you told us

"Would really like to have more services, such as local post office, nearby like we did before the earthquakes. Also, greater variety than just restaurants, cafes & bars in the new buildings. However, I still love living here."

"The parks are wonderful, both because being in them lifts my spirits, but also because they are the main places where I see and smile at or sometimes even talk to neighbours."

"I am very pleased I joined the CCC gym. Although I haven't made friends I feel part of the community."

"Distance to bus stops very difficult for elderly to utilise resulting in reduced opportunities to get out and about."

Discrimination

15% of respondents had been discriminated against in the past 12 months.

  • 37% said the discrimination happened on the street or a public place.
  • Age (35%) and gender (34%) were the main reasons respondents thought they were discriminated against.

31% had seen or heard someone else being discriminated against in the past 12 months. Their race or ethnic group (63%) or their skin colour (42%) were the main reasons thought to be why they were discriminated against. 

What you told us

"I always stand up for someone being discriminated against and then I always get abuse too. We need people to not be afraid to stand up and say this is wrong and to defend and help those being discriminated against."

"As a country, we must come together to stamp out all forms of discrimination, it should never become the norm or acceptable in our society"

"I do not witness so much out-right, confrontational discrimination, it is more backhanded or flippant comments about others that are discriminatory."

Safety

92% feel safe or very safe walking in their neighbourhood during the day and 87% feel safe or very safe in their homes after dark.

55% feel safe walking alone in their neighbourhood after dark, while 22% feel unsafe or very unsafe.
 

What you told us

"Great to [see] police walking around the area!"

"When a crime/s happen in your neighbourhood it instantly installs a sense of unease and caution in your neighbourhood which makes it extremely hard to relax and feel comfortable in your neighbourhood."

"The biggest issue is petty crime, burglary, theft. Drug manufacture and use. Boy racers."

"There's been a surge in crime in surrounding areas, robberies, crime, arson, etc there should be more neighbourhood watches and security in place or a greater police presence."

Monitoring and Research Team Leader Kath Jamieson said the survey feedback will help inform decision making and ensure the Council is providing the right kind of support to communities.

“We are committed to making Christchurch an inclusive city where everyone feels welcome. In order to achieve that, we first need to have a good understanding of the barriers and issues that people in our communities are facing.

This survey will help us build that picture so we can then begin work on removing the barriers that are stopping people from feeling valued members of our community,’’ she says.

More information about the results can be found in the full summary of the results report [PDF, 183 KB].

Community Board summaries

Below are the Community Board summaries for the 2019 Life in Christchurch Neighbourhoods and Communities survey.

Banks Peninsula residents love where they live.

95% of Banks Peninsula residents who responded said they enjoy living in their neighbourhood.

Residents were asked at the end of last year to fill out a short online survey about what they like and dislike about where they live, as part of the Christchurch City Council’s ongoing Life in Christchurch survey programme.

The main reasons given for why they like their neighbourhoods were because of the natural environment (77%), sense of community (68%) and feeling at home (43%).

96% of Banks Peninsula residents feel safe walking in their neighbourhood during the day, while 86% feel safe walking alone in their neighbourhood after dark.

The survey did highlight some areas for improvement, with 68% of respondents satisfied or very satisfied with the range of recreation, shopping and socialising opportunities in their neighbourhoods – lower than the 71% for all respondents city-wide.

In addition to asking people questions about their neighbourhood and their connections to their community, the survey also delved into accessibility issues and whether people have experienced, or witnessed discrimination.

10% of Banks Peninsula respondents said they had been discriminated against in the last 12 months – half of these saying it happened at work and a quarter said it was because of their race or ethnic group.

Full results for Banks Peninsula Community Board [PDF, 209 KB].

Most residents living in the Papanui-Innes Community Board area like their neighbourhood.

79% of Papanui-Innes residents who responded to a recent survey asking them to share their views on their community said they enjoy living in their neighbourhood.

Residents were asked at the end of last year to fill out a short online survey about what they like and dislike about where they live, as part of the Christchurch City Council’s ongoing Life in Christchurch survey programme.

The main reasons given for why they like their neighbourhoods were because of the easy access to venues, facilities and services (42%), easy access to a range of transport options (42%) and feeling safe in their neighbourhoods (34%).

The majority of respondents feel safe in their neighbourhoods during the day, at 92%, while 87% of people feel safe in their home after dark.

The survey did highlight some areas for improvement.

Only 52% of people felt safe or very safe walking alone in their neighbourhood after dark, and a further 24% feel unsafe or very unsafe.

In addition to asking people questions about their neighbourhood and their connections to their community, the survey also delved into accessibility issues and whether people have experienced, or witnessed discrimination.

14% of respondents said they had been discriminated against in the last 12 months – with almost half of those saying this occurred on the street or in a public place.

Full results for Papanui-Innes Community Board [PDF, 200 KB].

Most residents living in the Linwood-Central-Heathcote Community Board area like their neighbourhood.

84% of Linwood-Central-Heathcote residents who responded to a recent survey asking them to share their views on their community said they enjoy living in their neighbourhood.

Residents were asked at the end of last year to fill out a short online survey about what they like and dislike about where they live, as part of the Christchurch City Council’s ongoing Life in Christchurch survey programme.

The main reasons given for why they like their neighbourhoods were because of the natural environment and open spaces (49%), easy access to venues, facilities and services (42%) and easy access to transport options (32%).

More than half of respondents had volunteered in the last 12 months for groups or organisations in their local community, with the number jumping to 62% having given their time volunteering in the wider community.

In addition to asking people questions about their neighbourhood and their connections to their community, the survey also delved into accessibility issues and whether people have experienced, or witnessed discrimination.

20% of respondents said they had been discriminated against in the last 12 months – 43% of these saying it happened on the street or in a public place. This is higher than the overall results for the survey, where 15% of respondents saying they had experienced discrimination.

Full results for Linwood-Central-Heathcote Community Board [PDF, 201 KB].

Most residents living in the Coastal-Burwood Community Board area like their neighbourhood.

83% of Coastal-Burwood residents who responded to a recent survey asking them to share their views on their community said they enjoy living in their neighbourhood.

Residents were asked at the end of last year to fill out a short online survey about what they like and dislike about where they live, as part of the Christchurch City Council’s ongoing Life in Christchurch survey programme.

The main reasons given for why they like their neighbourhoods were because of the natural environment and open spaces (76%), sense of community (42%) and feeling at home in their neighbourhoods (32%).

Half of the respondents had volunteered in the last 12 months for groups or organisations in their local community, with the number jumping to 60% having given their time volunteering in the wider community.

The survey did highlight some areas for improvement.

A lower proportion of respondents in Coastal-Burwood feel safe walking alone in their neighbourhood after dark – at just 38% compared to respondents for the survey overall, sitting at 55%.

In addition to asking people questions about their neighbourhood and their connections to their community, the survey also delved into accessibility issues and whether people have experienced, or witnessed discrimination.

16% of respondents said they had been discriminated against in the last 12 months – 36% reported this occurred at work.

Full results for Coastal-Burwood Community Board [PDF, 203 KB].

Residents living in the Spreydon-Cashmere Community Board area love where they live.

92% of Spreydon-Cashmere residents who responded to a recent survey asking them to share their views on their community said they enjoy living in their neighbourhood.

Residents were asked at the end of last year to fill out a short online survey about what they like and dislike about where they live, as part of the Christchurch City Council’s ongoing Life in Christchurch survey programme.

The main reasons given for why they like their neighbourhoods were because of the natural environment (50%), easy access to venues, facilities and services (36%) and easy access to transport options (35%).

90% of Spreydon-Cashmere residents feel safe in their homes after dark, and 95% also feel safe when walking in their neighbourhood during the day.

The survey did highlight some areas for improvement, with only 56% of respondents feeling safe walking alone in their neighbourhood after dark.

In addition to asking people questions about their neighbourhood and their connections to their community, the survey also delved into accessibility issues and whether people have experienced, or witnessed discrimination.

15% of respondents said they had been discriminated against in the last 12 months – with almost half of these saying they think it occurred because of their gender.

Full results for Spreydon-Cashmere Community Board [PDF, 177 KB].

Most residents living in the Halswell-Hornby-Riccarton Community Board area like their neighbourhoods

87% of Halswell-Hornby-Riccarton residents who responded to a recent survey asking them to share their views on their community said they enjoy living in their neighbourhood.

Residents were asked at the end of last year to fill out a short online survey about what they like and dislike about where they live, as part of the Christchurch City Council’s ongoing Life in Christchurch survey programme.

The main reasons given for why they like their neighbourhoods were because of the easy access to venues, facilities and services (36%), feeling at home in their neighbourhoods (36%) and the natural environment and open spaces (34%).

The majority of respondents feel safe in their neighbourhoods during the day, at 93%, while 88% of people feel safe in their home after dark.

The survey did highlight some areas for improvement.

Only 43% of respondents had volunteered in their local community in the last 12 months, which is lower than the overall results – of 50% – for all respondents city-wide.

In addition to asking people questions about their neighbourhood and their connections to their community, the survey also delved into accessibility issues and whether people have experienced, or witnessed discrimination.

12% of respondents said they had been discriminated against in the last 12 months – with a large number saying this occurred on the street or in a public place.

Full results for Halswell-Hornby-Riccarton Community Board [PDF, 180 KB].

Most residents living in the Fendalton-Waimairi-Harewood Community Board area like their neighbourhood.

89% of Fendalton-Waimairi-Harewood residents who responded to a recent survey asking them to share their views on their community said they enjoy living in their neighbourhood.

Residents were asked at the end of last year to fill out a short online survey about what they like and dislike about where they live, as part of the Christchurch City Council’s ongoing Life in Christchurch survey programme.

The main reasons given for why they like their neighbourhoods were because of easy access to facilities, venues and services (39%), feeling safe in their neighbourhood (39%) and feeling at home in their neighbourhood.

The majority of respondents felt safe when walking alone in their neighbourhood during the day, at 94%, and in their home after dark, at 86%.

The survey did highlight some areas for improvement, with only 56% of respondents feeling safe or very safe when walking alone in their neighbourhood after dark.

In addition to asking people questions about their neighbourhood and their connections to their community, the survey also delved into accessibility issues and whether people have experienced, or witnessed discrimination.

15% of respondents said they had been discriminated against in the last 12 months – 36% reported this occurred at work.

Full results for Fendalton-Waimairi-HarewoodCommunity Board [PDF, 201 KB].

Past results

Around 2500 people responded to the survey. Although there are still some areas where improvements are required, overall people enjoy their neighbourhood and community. The main issues identified by respondents include the range of affordable houses, the maintenance of neighbourhoods, crime and safety issues, and ongoing issues from the earthquakes.

2017 Life in Christchurch Neighbourhoods and Communities summary report [PDF, 878 KB].