Council updates, History & heritage, Rubbish & recycling, Water  |  20 Aug 2025

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A potential location for an Erebus National Memorial, water services delivery, an extension to operations at Burwood Landfill and bus detectors on Manchester Street - here are the key decisions made at today's Christchurch City Council meeting.

Erebus National Memorial location offer

The Council has agreed to formally offer two Christchurch locations as a potential site for a planned National Erebus Memorial – Cracroft reserve in Cashmere and the bank of the Ōtākaro Avon River in the central city.

The offer is being made to Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage, which is planning a memorial to honour the 257 people who lost their lives when Flight TE901 crashed into the slopes of Mt Erebus in Antarctica on 28 November 1979.

The Ministry has considered potential sites across New Zealand. Although most of the people on Flight TE901called Auckland home, the tragedy had a profound national impact, and Christchurch offers a rich Antarctic heritage and an understanding of tragedy, remembrance and caring for those affected.

The offer will remain open for 12 months to allow the Ministry to engage further with family members and members of the Operation Overdue, the recovery and investigation team.

Local Water Done Well - Water Services Delivery Plan adoption

Adoption of the Water Services Delivery Plan was approved by Council today. The plan sets out how the city will sustainably deliver and fund water services over the next decade, including the following key elements:

  • The Council will continue to deliver water supply, wastewater, stormwater, and flood protection services in-house, retaining full control of water services.
  • The proposed investment programme is fully funded and financially sustainable.
  • Water services revenue will be clearly separated from other Council funds.
  • A staged implementation plan will strengthen service delivery and ensure compliance, including new asset management and maintenance strategies, financial monitoring, governance improvements, and alignment with upcoming legislative requirements.
  • The Council can consider alternative structures – such as a Council-Controlled Organisation – in the future.

The plan, a requirement under the Government’s Local Water Done Well reforms, will now be submitted to the Department of Internal Affairs for review and acceptance.   

Burwood Landfill extension

The Council agreed to look at extending the operations at Burwood Landfill. The Site C landfill serves an important role for the city by receiving soils from the construction sector, and has additional capacity that would allow it to operate beyond the current scheduled closing date of 30 June 2026.

The next step is for the Council to prepare a resource consent for the extension, with the possibility of extending it further if there’s still capacity. The Council will consult with the local community and mana whenua during this process.

Bus detectors to be added at Manchester Street bus gate

Detectors will be installed at the Manchester Street bus gates while staff take a broader look at the Manchester Street corridor.

The bus gates are a set of traffic signals on Manchester Street, between Hereford Street and Gloucester Street. They require general traffic to stop on a red signal, giving priority to buses exiting the super stops. The gates currently operate continuously during public transport hours (between 5:30am and 12:30am). Installing detectors will mean the signals will only turn red when a bus is present.

Alongside installing detectors, staff will carry out a corridor investigation of Manchester Street, between Bealey Avenue and Moorhouse Avenue. This will assess public transport performance, including potential priority measures. A report will come back to the elected Council for a decision.

This follows a four-week trial in May and June 2025, which assessed the impact of removing the bus gates.