1 May 2020

Christchurch City Council is implementing a far-reaching response to keep essential services going and to lessen the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic on its residents and the city’s businesses.

 Council COVID-19 Incident Management Team Leader Mary Richardson outlined actions taken to date and those planned for the future at an extraordinary Council meeting on Thursday 30 April.

“We’ve been responding in so many different ways since we set up our Incident Management Team in January. From day one every action we’ve taken has been in response to our residents’ or businesses' needs,” she says.

“As a Council we have been totally focussed on keeping our essential services going, as well as providing many other services remotely through Alert Level 4 and now Alert Level 3.

“We are ensuring we are ready to quickly move between COVID 19 Alert Levels so we can quickly restart services and accelerate projects. Planning is underway for a move to Level 2 and reopening our facilities as soon as possible because we know just how much our residents are missing them. Staff in these facilities have continued to deliver services in innovative ways.

“Our response has been all encompassing. So many of our staff have worked tirelessly around the clock, some of them in isolated pods, to keep our essential services going. We really have pulled out all stops to support our city, knowing that our city needs us more than ever at this time.”

Ms Richardson says the Council quickly recognised that many of its residents and businesses were suffering financially. To reduce the financial burden on residents and businesses, thereby increasing their disposable income, the Council is offering rates deferrals, rent holidays for commercial tenants, rent waivers for community groups operating from Council facilities, and fee relief and refunds.

It has also accelerated the pipeline of work to support local businesses recovery and keep people in jobs. It has submitted more than $1 billion worth of infrastructure projects to the Government in response to its call for shovel-ready projects that can quickly stimulate the economy and create jobs. The Council is also planning to accelerate work on many of its capital projects.

Ms Richardson says the Council also knows that the supplier sector is going through difficult times and is supporting it by ensuring timely payments to all suppliers to help with their immediate cash flow needs. The Council is also going to support a “Buy local” programme to encourage Cantabrians to buy from and support local businesses.

“Our response is about implementing strategies that support the wellbeing of the communities in Christchurch and Bank Peninsula and lessen the economic hardship faced by residents and local businesses,” she says

“Our people are facing extraordinary challenges during this time and are increasingly looking to us for support. Our Response demonstrates the important role we play in assisting our residents and businesses, not just now, but as we recover,’’ Ms Richardson says.

Find out more about the Council's COVID-19 response.