Ōtākaro Avon River Corridor volunteer days

Want to help create a living legacy for our city?

Our planting season takes place over Autumn through winter (May-August).

Feel free to come along to a maintenance event instead! Look for a date that suits you under the maintenance tab.  

Contact RRZRangers@ccc.govt.nz.

Autumn and spring maintenance

This is a critical step in any restoration project – releasing the plants by weeding the long grass around each one and adding mulch. This allows each plant to access the sunlight and water they need to thrive and grow.

We are working with Conservation Volunteers New Zealand to support this important work.

Contact:

•  RRZRangers@ccc.govt.nz 
• christchurch@cvnz.org.nz

Cedarwood Reserve

When:

• Wednesday 22 November, 9.30am to 12.00pm
• Saturday 25 November, 9.30am to 12.00pm
• Tuesday 12 December, 9.30am to 12.00pm
• Thursday 11 January, 9.30am to 12.00pm
• Saturday 27 January 2024, 9.30am to 12.00pm
• Thursday 1 February, 9.30am to 12.00pm

Register:

• Register with CVNZ (conservationvolunteers.co.nz)(external link)

Contact:

• christchurch@cvnz.org.nz

Amelia Rogers Reserve

When:

• Tuesday 19 December, 9.30am to 12.00pm
• Thursday 18 January, 9.30am to 12.00pm

Register:

• Register with CVNZ (conservationvolunteers.co.nz)(external link)

Contact:

• christchurch@cvnz.org.nz

Banks Avenue

This planting site has been developed by Avon-Ōtakaro Network. 

• Thursday 14 December, 9.30am - 12pm

Register:

• • Register with CVNZ (conservationvolunteers.co.nz)(external link)

Contact:

• christchurch@cvnz.org.nz

5000 trees at Deville Place

This is the perfect site for any schools looking to fulfil their community service hours and October | w to December is a great time to come together and do some spring maintenance. 

• Contact the red zone team if you are interested in bringing your class or group to this site to make a real contribution to the restoration of this culturally significant site – Waikakariki/Horseshoe Lake. 
• RRZRangers@ccc.govt.nz

Dallington Landing working bees with CVNZ

Conservation Volunteers New Zealand are creating a forest in the Dallington Landing area, as part of the Rotary Forests of Peace and Remembrance project. They hold regular maintenance events here. 

When:

• Stay tuned for the next date

Access:

• Between Dallington Terrace and Gayhurst Road

Contact:

• christchurch@cvnz.org.nz

Please wear long sleeves and pants and bring:

• Appropriate clothing for any weather: sunhat, warm jacket and raincoat.  
• Sturdy footwear or gumboots.
• Work gloves.
• Water bottle and sunscreen.

Tools are supplied.

For further information contact parks.volunteers@ccc.govt.nz

At 602 hectares, the Ōtākaro Avon River Corridor regeneration area is three-and-a-half times larger than Hagley Park. 

Although this will be a generational project that’s likely to take between 30 and 50 years to fully develop, we encourage people to visit and connect with the land that once held more than 5,000 homes.

The Green Spine will form the core of the regeneration area. At 11km long, it will follow the Ōtākaro Avon River and feature swathes of restored native habitat, trails, paths, footbridges, community spaces, and riverside landings that provide access to the water and local information about the area.

Over the past few years, Council staff, organisations and volunteers have planted tens of thousands of native trees throughout the Green Spine, as we begin bringing the vision of an ecologically-restored river corridor to life. 

Some of the larger ecological planting projects you can get involved in include:

• The Rotary Peace, Remembrance and Community Forests Trust(external link) is a centennial initiative – marking the founding of Rotary in Aotearoa New Zealand in 1921. This forest planting is located within the Ōtakaro Avon River Corridor regeneration project, known as the Green Spine, beside one of the key riverside landing areas.  
• Environmental charity Trees That Count pledged 10,000 native trees in support of The Press-backed campaign for Christchurch to be recognised as a National Park City(external link) – a greener, healthier, and wilder place to live. Half of these were planted into a 1.4-hectare space bordering Waikākāriki-Horseshoe Lake(external link).
• Avon-Otakaro Forest Park(external link) has a vision to transform the Avon River Red Zone into a vibrant, city-to-sea native forest park along the Ōtākaro Avon River. They have a number of small pocket parks but Brooker Ave is their key site.