Latest news with #EnvironmentCanterbury
1News
11 hours ago
- 1News
Dogs allowed on Canterbury buses – but is it workable?
A last-minute rule change to allow small dogs on buses has left Environment Canterbury staff scrambling to make workable. Councillors adopted the Canterbury Regional Transport Plan 2025/35 at a council meeting on Wednesday after a late amendment from councillor David East to allow passengers to take a small dog on the bus with a lead and a muzzle. East's motion passed by 8-7, and followed an earlier amendment proposed by councillor Joe Davies, which would have allowed small dogs to travel in their owner's lap, which lost 9-6. This was despite staff advice that dogs are not permitted in the Christchurch bus interchange, administered by the Christchurch City Council, unless they are in a secure carrier. It could mean passengers are able to board a bus with their dog but are unable to get off with their dog at the interchange. ADVERTISEMENT Davies has been lobbying for pets on buses for the last two years, following lobbying by resident JJ Smith. He said the plan is a good example of how policy takes time. "This is about dogs on buses. When people think about taking a pet on the bus, a dog is different because people take them to the park or to visit people. "Dogs are companions in ways that cats and guinea pigs aren't." Environment Canterbury has adopted the Canterbury Regional Transport Plan 2025/35. (Source: David Hill / North Canterbury News) But councillor Claire McKay said she felt allowing dogs was a risk to public safety, as "we can never be certain what a dog is going to do". Environment Canterbury (ECan) staff have been working on the regional transport plan since 2021 with the Canterbury Regional Transport Committee, which comprised the region's mayors and Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency, and the Greater Christchurch Partnership Committee. ADVERTISEMENT The proposed plan had a clause allowing pets to travel on buses, as long as they were in a secure carrier. Councillor Grant Edge, who chaired the Greater Christchurch Partnership Committee's hearing panel, said he was disappointed to see the amendment pass. "It is incredibly naive for us not to have simply adopted the plan. "As staff have told us, leashing and muzzling has issues with the Christchurch City Council's rules and we have no definition of a small dog." Chairperson Craig Pauling questioned how bus drivers would "determine what is a small dog?" There was still work to be one before dogs could ride on buses. ECan staff would now engage with the Christchurch City Council, bus drivers and other stakeholders to come up with a revised code of conduct for pets on buses to present to a future council meeting. The Greater Christchurch Partnership Committee comprised the Christchurch, Selwyn and Waimakariri councils, ECan, Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu and government agencies. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
RNZ News
a day ago
- General
- RNZ News
Dogs allowed on Canterbury buses – but is it workable?
Environment Canterbury councillor Joe Davies is advocating for dogs to be allowed to ride on buses. Photo: Supplied/Environment Canterbury A last minute rule change to allow small dogs on buses has left Environment Canterbury (ECan) staff scrambling to make workable. Councillors adopted the Canterbury Regional Transport Plan 2025/35 at a council meeting on Wednesday [July 30] after a late amendment from councillor David East to allow passengers to take a small dog on the bus with a lead and a muzzle. Cr East's motion passed by 8-7, and followed an earlier amendment proposed by Cr Joe Davies, which would have allowed small dogs to travel in their owner's lap, which lost 9-6. This was despite staff advice that dogs are not permitted in the Christchurch bus interchange, administered by the Christchurch City Council, unless they are in a secure carrier. It could mean passengers are able to board a bus with their dog but are unable to get off with their dog at the interchange. Cr Davies has been lobbying for pets on buses for the last two years, following lobbying by resident JJ Smith. He said the plan is a good example of how policy takes time. ''This is about dogs on buses. When people think about taking a pet on the bus, a dog is different because people take them to the park or to visit people. ''Dogs are companions in ways that cats and guinea pigs aren't.'' Environment Canterbury councillor Joe Davies is advocating for dogs to be allowed to ride on buses. Photo: Supplied/Environment Canterbury But Cr Claire McKay said she felt allowing dogs was a risk to public safety, as ''we can never be certain what a dog is going to do''. ECan staff have been working on the regional transport plan since 2021 with the Canterbury Regional Transport Committee, which comprises the region's mayors and Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency, and the Greater Christchurch Partnership Committee. The proposed plan had a clause allowing pets to travel on buses, as long as they were in a secure carrier. Cr Grant Edge, who chaired the Greater Christchurch Partnership Committee's hearing panel, said he was disappointed to see the amendment pass. ''It is incredibly naive for us not to have simply adopted the plan. ''As staff have told us, leashing and muzzling has issues with the Christchurch City Council's rules and we have no definition of a small dog.'' Chairperson Craig Pauling questioned how bus drivers will ''determine what is a small dog?'' Dogs may soon be riding on Canterbury buses. Photo: RNZ/Dom Thomas There is still work to do before dogs can ride on buses. ECan staff will now engage with the Christchurch City Council, bus drivers and other stakeholders to come up with a revised code of conduct for pets on buses to present to a future council meeting. The Greater Christchurch Partnership Committee comprises the Christchurch, Selwyn and Waimakariri councils, ECan, Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu and government agencies. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Otago Daily Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Cruise visits expected to halve this summer
Economic uncertainty and rising costs have been cited as reasons for fewer cruise ships planning to visit Kaikōura this summer. Just five cruise ships are scheduled to visit Kaikōura during December, January and February, down from 11 last summer and 16 in summer 2023/24. ''There's lots of reasons. Global uncertainty, Government changes and it has led to less cruise ships planning to come this season,'' Destination Kaikōura manager Lisa Bond said. ''But everything has a cycle. This year we are down to five, but in two years we might be back to 13.'' She said cruise ship companies planned their schedules 18 months or two years ahead, so the global uncertainty was big a factor. But she noted cruise ship schedules are subject to change, depending on weather and other factors. Destination Kaikōura deputy chairperson Lynette Buurman said the ability to attract cruise ships has not been helped by Environment Canterbury increasing its berthage fees. As Kaikōura has small wharves, cruise ships anchor off the coast and bring tourists into the wharf by tender boats. An Environment Canterbury spokesperson said berthage fees depend on the size of the ship, ranging from $7666 for ships less than 100 metres to $16,866 for ships 200 metres or more. Cancellation fees also apply. It covers the costs of chart updates, operation and maintenance of navigation aids, and operation and maintenance of safety management systems. The berthage fees have not changed in the last 12 months, the spokesperson said. Other tourist hot spots are also experiencing sharp declines in cruise ship bookings. Bay of Islands' cruise ship bookings for the 2025/26 season have almost halved from their peak two years ago, from 92 to 47. A cruise ship representative told Local Democracy that cost increases had contributed to the drop. Ms Bond said Kaikōura enjoyed a busy summer and autumn, while King's Birthday weekend, Matariki weekend and the July school holidays brought strong numbers of visitors to the town. April was a particularly strong month, with the spend from domestic visitors up 15 percent compared to last year, while accommodation bookings were up 7%. Strong domestic support continued in May, with the spend up 13% and guest nights up 14% compared to May 2024. Ms Bond said the bulk of domestic visitors come from Canterbury, with visitor numbers from Auckland and Wellington also up. There has also been growth in international visitors, according to visitor data. International visitor spend, excluding accommodation (which is now pre-paid), is up 13%, which suggests either a higher average spend or an increase in day visits. A busy few months are expected, with the Kaikōura Whale Run and the Kaikōura Hop in September, followed by the school holidays, the Mountains to Sea Marathon and Labour Weekend in October, and the Kaikōura Trotting Cup in November, before summer gets into full swing. Destination Kaikōura is a partnership between the Kaikōura District Council and local tourism operators. By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter ■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
1News
4 days ago
- Business
- 1News
Kaikōura cruise visits expected to halve this summer
Economic uncertainty and rising costs have been cited as reasons for fewer cruise ships planning to visit Kaikōura this summer. Just five cruise ships were scheduled to visit Kaikōura during December, January and February, down from 11 last summer and 16 in summer 2023/24. "There's lots of reasons. Global uncertainty, government changes and it has led to less cruise ships planning to come this season," Destination Kaikōura manager Lisa Bond said. "But everything has a cycle. This year we are down to five but, in two years, we might be back to 13." She said cruise ship companies planned their schedules 18 months or two years ahead, so global uncertainty was big a factor. ADVERTISEMENT But she noted cruise ship schedules were subject to change, depending on weather and other factors. Destination Kaikōura deputy chairperson Lynette Buurman said the ability to attract cruise ships has not been helped by Environment Canterbury increasing its berthage fees. As Kaikōura has small wharves, cruise ships anchored off the coast and brought tourists into the wharf by tender boats. An Environment Canterbury spokesperson said berthage fees depended on the size of the ship, ranging from $7666 for ships less than 100m to $16,866 for ships 200m or more. Cancellation fees also applied. It covered the costs of chart updates, operation and maintenance of navigation aids, and operation and maintenance of safety management systems. The berthage fees hadn't changed in the last 12 months, the spokesperson said. More centres feeling the pinch ADVERTISEMENT Other tourist hot spots were also experiencing sharp declines in cruise ship bookings. Bay of Islands' cruise ship bookings for the 2025/26 season had almost halved from their peak two years ago, from 92 to 47. Kaikōura's coastline. (Source: Local Democracy Reporting) A cruise ship representative told Local Democracy that cost increases had contributed to the drop. Bond said Kaikōura enjoyed a busy summer and autumn, while King's Birthday weekend, Matariki weekend and the July school holidays brought strong numbers of visitors to the town. April was a particularly strong month, with the spend from domestic visitors up 15% compared to last year, while accommodation bookings were up 7%. Strong domestic support continued in May, with the spend up 13% and guest nights up 14% compared to May 2024. ADVERTISEMENT Bond said the bulk of domestic visitors came from Canterbury, with visitor numbers from Auckland and Wellington also up. There had also been growth in international visitors, according to visitor data. International visitor spend, excluding accommodation (which was now pre-paid), was up 13%, which suggested either a higher average spend or an increase in day visits. A busy few months were expected, with the Kaikōura Whale Run and the Kaikōura Hop in September, followed by the school holidays, the Mountains to Sea Marathon and Labour Weekend in October, and the Kaikōura Trotting Cup in November, before summer got into full swing. Destination Kaikōura was a partnership between the Kaikōura District Council and local tourism operators. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
RNZ News
4 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
Kaikōura cruise visits expected to halve this summer
A cruise ship berthed off the coastline at Kaikōura. Photo: LDR / David Hill / North Canterbury News Economic uncertainty and rising costs have been cited as reasons for fewer cruise ships planning to visit Kaikōura this summer. Just five cruise ships are scheduled to visit Kaikōura during December, January and February, down from 11 last summer and 16 in summer 2023/24. "There's lots of reasons. Global uncertainty, Government changes and it has led to less cruise ships planning to come this season," Destination Kaikōura manager Lisa Bond said. "But everything has a cycle. This year we are down to five, but in two years we might be back to 13." She said cruise ship companies planned their schedules 18 months or two years ahead, so the global uncertainty was big a factor. But she noted cruise ship schedules are subject to change, depending on weather and other factors. Destination Kaikōura deputy chairperson Lynette Buurman said the ability to attract cruise ships has not been helped by Environment Canterbury increasing its berthage fees. As Kaikōura has small wharves, cruise ships anchor off the coast and bring tourists into the wharf by tender boats. An Environment Canterbury spokesperson said berthage fees depend on the size of the ship, ranging from $7666 for ships less than 100 metres to $16,866 for ships 200 metres or more. Cancellation fees also apply. Kaikōura's pristine coastline. Photo: LDR / David Hill / North Canterbury News It covers the costs of chart updates, operation and maintenance of navigation aids, and operation and maintenance of safety management systems. The berthage fees have not changed in the last 12 months, the spokesperson said. Other tourist hot spots are also experiencing sharp declines in cruise ship bookings. Bay of Islands' cruise ship bookings for the 2025/26 season have almost halved from their peak two years ago, from 92 to 47. A cruise ship representative told Local Democracy that cost increases had contributed to the drop. Bond said Kaikōura enjoyed a busy summer and autumn, while King's Birthday weekend, Matariki weekend and the July school holidays brought strong numbers of visitors to the town. April was a particularly strong month, with the spend from domestic visitors up 15 percent compared to last year, while accommodation bookings were up 7 percent. Strong domestic support continued in May, with the spend up 13 percent and guest nights up 14 percent compared to May 2024. Bond said the bulk of domestic visitors come from Canterbury, with visitor numbers from Auckland and Wellington also up. There has also been growth in international visitors, according to visitor data. International visitor spend, excluding accommodation (which is now pre-paid), is up 13 percent, which suggests either a higher average spend or an increase in day visits. A busy few months are expected, with the Kaikōura Whale Run and the Kaikōura Hop in September, followed by the school holidays, the Mountains to Sea Marathon and Labour Weekend in October, and the Kaikōura Trotting Cup in November, before summer gets into full swing. Destination Kaikōura is a partnership between the Kaikōura District Council and local tourism operators.
