Canterbury Mornings

Christchurch mayor Lianne Dalziel has been cleared of any misconduct around election campaign donations.Mayoral candidate John Minto complained Lianne Dalziel did not disclose the identity of those who donated to her election campaigns in 2016 and 2019.However the Serious Fraud Office says they have found no evidence of criminal conduct and have closed the investigation.Minto told Chris Lynch the outcome makes a mockery of election laws.He says it was clear the mayor's election return was not correct, with her explanation lacking credibility.LISTEN ABOVE

Canterbury Employers Chamber of Commerce CEO Leeann Watson joined Chris Lynch for the final business update of the year to look back on 2020 and forward to 2021.Listen above.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern discusses the year that's been while in Christchurch on Tuesday.She Joined Canterbury mornings with Chris Lynch on NewstalkZB.Asked if she was ready for a break, the PM laughed. "I think everybody is ready for a break," she said.Addressing Covid-19, she acknowledged the worsening situation in other countries and encouraged Kiwis not to be complacent."The risk is growing," she said."It means more people are coming home and..it means the risk is higher."Ardern said a lot of New Zealanders from overseas and particularly from places where Covid-19 is rife would be looking to come home - so people here need to continue to carry out the precautions we are all familiar with now.That included washing hands and signing in on the Covid-19 tracer app.She reflected on 2020, saying: "Nothing for me has demonstrated what the power of the collective than this year."It's been the year of the team of 5 million. We've truly had a collective effort - and that's what I put our success down to."The P

Every Friday Chris Lynch is joined by Mike Yardley to wrap the week that was.Listen above.

Piles of socks, underwear, leggings, and even a bikini have been mysteriously going missing in the seaside suburb of Sumner in Christchurch.But one resident has identified the thief – her cat.Mette Kristiansen says her one-and-half-year-old cat, Jasper, has been caught red-pawed with ill-gotten gains clutched in his claws.It's now so bad this week Kristiansen has been busy dropping off flyers to her neighbours in a two-block radius around her home."We got him when he was a kitten and started doing this burglarising about Christmas last year," she said.Jasper's main target seems to be socks, but he had also claimed gardening and working gloves, leggings, and shoes.A pair of gardening gloves taken by Jasper. Photo / SuppliedOne neighbour reported him stealing a bikini."I have heard that he definitely does gets into people's homes, he walks down their hallway and into their bedrooms. I've heard tales of him going upstairs...even houses with dogs. He makes friends with the dogs."Kristiansen said Jasper seemed to

The grief is still raw for survivors of the Christchurch terror attacks.The inquiry into the March 15 attacks found agencies concentrated too much on the threat of Islamist extremist terrorism.Survivor Temel Atacocugu who was shot nine times in the attack told Chris Lynch he puts on a brave face.But he says his mind is a thunderstorm and his soul is tired as his recovery continues.Listen above.

Important questions 10 years on from Canterbury's earthquakes.The Red Cross has released a survey for Cantabrians to look at how people are coping.Disaster recovery manager, Michael Donoghue told Chris Lynch they want to understand more about people's expectations and experience of the recovery.He says these are questions that are going to help the Red Cross shape how they support communities in future.Listen above.

Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel joined Chris Lynch on the show for the weekly catch up on council issues.Listen above.

A plan to build homes on a Crown site in central Christchurch to encourage community-led development has collapsed after being loaned money by the city council.The Madras Square housing village was intended as a non-profit project opposite Latimer Square.The land was bought by the Crown for an alternative housing scheme, an anchor project known as the demonstration village, as part of the Government’s post-earthquake blueprint for the city.It received a $450,000 loan from the city council for the project on crown-owned land - but withdrew its recent application to borrow another $2.8 millionCrown-owned company Ōtākaro was holding the land for the guild - while it explored the market and sought fundingChief Executive John Bridgman told Chris Lynch they're now quickly looking to sell the site.LISTEN ABOVE

After a year of talks, the Christchurch site for an inner city housing village will go back on the market.Ōtautahi Urban Guild failed to get funding to develop the Madras Square housing village, blaming the current financing climate.It received a $450,000 loan from the city council for the project on crown-owned land - but withdrew its recent application to borrow another $2.8 million.Christchurch City Councillor Aaron Keown, who originally voted against the proposal, joined Chris Lynch to talk about the housing village.LISTEN ABOVE

The countdown to Christmas is on and things are looking good for retailers in Christchurch.Canterbury Employers Chamber of Commerce CEO Leeann Watson told Chris Lynch that in October Christchurch shoppers spent over half a billion dollars in the city.She says spending is up 12% on last year which shows people really are supporting local.Listen above.  

A reactive approach to abandoned buildings in Christchurch.An abandoned villa on Hereford Street went up in smoke early this morning forcing the evacuation of at least 20 nearby apartments.Council head of regulatory compliance Tracey Weston told Chris Lynch no complaints had been made to the Council about the abandoned home.She says an engineer assesses the building when a complaint is laid and if it's deemed to be unsafe, the Council works with the homeowner to bring the property up to scratch or demolish it.Listen above.

Ratepayer funds could be used to preserve Christchurch's iconic buildings.Mayor Lianne Dalziel has proposed increasing the uniform general charges residents pay on their rates, with that money focused on preserving heritage buildings.She told Chris Lynch that money could also be used to save another of the city's icons the Arts Centre.Dalziel said while the Council isn't responsible for the centre as it is with other heritage buildings that doesn't mean it would let the centre fall.Listen above.

Netsafe is warning against vigilante behaviour after a self-proclaimed “paedophile catcher” posted online videos of himself meeting alleged offenders in Christchurch.The man calls himself a ‘pastor’ and poses as an underage girl online, arranging meetings before luring alleged paedophiles into public places. He then films the confrontation on his cell phone and posts identifying information online.Netsafe chief executive Martin Cocker told Chris Lynch this kind of well-intentioned behaviour almost always leads to unintended harm and can prevent people from being prosecuted.He says if you find someone online who you believe is grooming or being inappropriate to children report it to the police. Listen above.   

Every Friday Chris Lynch is joined by Mike Yardley wrap the week that was.Listen above.

Minister for Police Poto Williams and National MP Gerry Brownlee joined Chris Lynch to discuss the week in politics. Listen above.

The new Health Minister is not ruling out cutting fat at Canterbury District Health Board to better use the taxpayer's health dollar.Andrew Little will today tour the new Waipapa hospital facilities and meet with the District Health Board's executive team.He told Chris Lynch there's always going to a level of administration required but he's heard the health sector's criticisms about adding more and more managers.Minister Little says it's important to ensure the health dollar is going where it needs to go but he says people are the priority. Listen above.

The National Bowel Screening Programme is rolling out in Canterbury, aiming to detect bowel cancer in people before symptoms show.Clinical lead for the Canterbury District Health Board National Bowel Screening Programme, Dr Teresa Chalmers-Watson, spoke to Chris Lynch about the programme and who is eligible. Listen above. 

Every Friday Chris Lynch is joined by Mike Yardley wrap the week that was.Listen above.

Minister Megan Woods and National MP Gerry Brownlee joined Chris Lynch to discuss the week in politics. Listen above.