Learn more about your community, be active in the outdoors and meet new people. There are many events throughout the year. Activities vary but may involve general clean-ups, planting, weeding and mulching.
Some of our planting events are family-friendly and eligible for Children's University (CU) credits.
Find an event for you, your family and friends to join. Please read the volunteer guidelines, then contact the listed organiser.
Community volunteer days
| Event | Date | Contact | Children's University credits |
| Bridle Path Road 'return to work' rescue | Wednesday 15 January 4pm | Sarah.Mankelow@ccc.govt.nz | Yes |
| Amelia Rogers working bee | Thursday 16 January 9.30am | Register at CVNZ(external link) | Yes |
| Waikākāriki / Horseshoe Lake working bee | Thursday 23 January 9.30am | Register at CVNZ(external link) | Yes |
| Cedarwood Reserve working bee | Thursday 30 January 9.30am | Register at CVNZ(external link) | Yes |
| Spade-dating at Waikākāriki / Horseshoe Lake | Friday 14 February 6pm | Register at CVNZ(external link) | No |
| Bridle Path Road tree rescue | Tuesday 25 February 10am | Sarah.Mankelow@ccc.govt.nz | Yes |
Regular working bees
| Event | Next event date | Ranger contact |
| Akaroa Cemetery(external link) | Once a fortnight |
Linda Sunderland |
| Addington Park(external link) |
First Saturday of the month, 10am to 11am. |
Friends of Addington Park Facebook(external link) |
| Bottle Lake and Spencer Park | To suit | Park Rangers 03 941 8999 |
| Brooker Reserve(external link) |
Second Sunday of the month:
|
avonotakaroforestpark@gmail.com |
| Charlesworth Reserve(external link) (Ferrymead) |
Every Sunday:
|
info@estuary.org.nz |
| Coronation Reserve(external link) | Every Friday from 9am to 10.30am |
Andrew Craig |
| CVNZ(external link) | Every Wednesday from 9.30am to 12.30pm | Donna Lusby dlusby@cvnz.org.nz |
| Diamond Harbour(external link) | Last Sunday of the month through to August from 10am to 1pm | To be confirmed |
| Donkey Track(external link) | First Sunday of the month from 10am to midday |
Te Ringatini Group via Rowena Potter or James Beck |
| Drayton Reserve(external link) |
Middle Sunday and last Saturday of the month
|
Dave Bryce |
| Duncan Park(external link) | Every Friday through to August at midday |
John Marsh |
| Ernle Clark(external link) | Last Saturday of the month from 3pm to 4pm | Alice Shanks alice@caverock.net.nz |
| Farnley Reserve | Every third Sunday from 9am to 10.30am | friendsoffarnley@gmail.com |
| Laura Kent (external link) | First Saturday of every month from 9am to 11am | Dugald Wilson dugaldwil@gmail.com(external link) |
| McCormacks Bay(external link) | Third Sunday of the month from 2pm to 4pm | info@estuary.org.nz |
| Papanui Bush | Second Tuesday of the month from 8.30am to 12.30pm | Denis McMurtrie, 021 125 1920 |
| South New Brighton Domain | Third Saturday of every month from 2pm to 4pm | Pieter Borcherds, 027 611 8655 |
| Styx bird monitoring(external link) | First Saturday of the month |
Antony Shadbolt |
| Styx water quality monitoring(external link) | Third Saturday of the month | styxwq@gmail.com |
| Thistledown Reserve(external link) | Last Saturday of the month at 10am | info@estuary.org.nz |
| Travis Wetland | Third Saturday of the month from 9am to 12.30pm | John Skilton, 027 4968 935 |
More opportunities
| Event | Details |
|
Volunteer track projects |
Get involved with the development and maintenance of walking and biking tracks with the Port Hills recreation team. Contact Rodney.Chambers@ccc.govt.nz or Nick.Singleton@ccc.govt.nz |
| Drayton Reserve Volunteer(external link) (external link) |
Regular working bees, sign up for their newsletters to find out when the next one is. |
| Styx Field Volunteers(external link)(external link) | Gain field skills, learn about conservation and help restore native forests to the Pūharakekenu-Styx. |
| We run regular working bees maintaining our 10 sites in the OARC. Follow us on Facebook for event details.(external link) | |
| Eco Canterbury Calendar | The Eco Canterbury Calendar lists environment-themed events in the region. |
| Forest and Bird Youth Christchurch(external link) | Forest and Bird Youth Christchurch is an environmental advocacy group for 14 to 25-year-olds. If you're interested in conservation projects, campaigns and volunteering, contact Alex, Christy or Amelia at forestandbirdyouthchch@gmail.com. |
| Community gardens(external link) | If you're keen to learn more about gardening or want to share your expertise, a community garden might be right for you. |
| Graffiti removal | Get involved with graffiti removal around Christchurch. |
| Volcan(external link) (external link) |
Volunteer Canterbury offers a wide range of projects for individuals and groups. |
| Conservation Volunteers New Zealand(external link) | Conservation projects. |
| iNaturalist(external link) | Join the online community and record your nature observations on iNaturalist. You can also explore observations made around New Zealand, and learn more about our native species. |
Map of volunteering locations