David Hill

A Canterbury district council adopted its annual report on Tuesday but questioned the need for the "massive document" following on from its audited Long Term Plan.

"We are on the same waka" was the message from ECan's new chairperson Craig Pauling who was elected to the role today after Peter Scott resigned last month under a cloud of controversy.

After a challenging last few years for ratepayers, Waimakariri Mayor Dan Gordon has "committed to" delivering a rates rise of under 5 per cent in the upcoming Long Term Plan.

Waimakariri District Council has agreed to loan $200,000 so the Oxford Health and Fitness Centre Trust can start a 153sq m expansion of its facility at Pearson Park.

A dog attack on a Canterbury penguin colony has caused distress for the locals who found the severely mauled little birds covered in blood.

A Canterbury community leader fears a toll on the proposed new motorway extension could leave Woodend residents worse off as commuters face an extra $43 a week in travel costs.

A four-wheel-drive ban along the upper Ashley Rakahuri River would be difficult to enforce, Waimakariri district councillors have been told.

A planned commercial hot pools complex or similar venture remains a possibility for the Kaikōura waterfront.

Census "anomalies" are creating a headache for a Canterbury district which has not seen its recent building boom reflected in the latest data.

Peter Scott has resigned as Environment Canterbury chairperson after facing mounting pressure over his behaviour.