What's On
Nau mai, haere mai, tauti mai.
Welcome to our winter guide of family-friendly activities.
Whether you want quiet time or have energy to burn, there’s loads of (mostly) free stuff to do at our Ashburton District Council facilities.
Check out our Matariki viewing platform near the Rakaia Gorge or discover what other exciting things Mid Canterbury has to offer this winter.
For more inspiration of what to do across the Ashburton District, head to Mid Canterbury NZ website.
You can grab a hardcopy of the booklet from all our facilities (Library, EANC, Art Gallary and Museum, etc), or check out the digital version here 👉
New Zealand Sign Language Class
Ashburton Library
16th Jul 2025 06:00 pm - 07:30 pm
Are you curious about New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL)?Would you like to learn NZSL?Term 3 Beginner classes start Wednesday...
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School Holidays | Penguin Parade Collage
Ashburton Art Gallery
5th Jul 2025 - 13th Jul 2025
Inspired by our foyer wall artwork Negativland: Erebus by Will Hadwen, learn about Antarctic wildlife and create a fun, textured artwork using collage techniques.
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School Holidays | Be a 1975 News Reporter
Ashburton Art Gallery
5th Jul 2025 - 13th Jul 2025
Explore life in Ashburton in 1975 through historical newspaper photographs and create a personal news story inspired by real moments from the past. This activity...
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Ashburton Society of Arts 61st Annual Exhibition
Ashburton Art Gallery
8th Jul 2025 - 1st Aug 2025
The Ashburton Society of Arts (ASA) Annual Exhibition returns to the Gallery this July for its 61st incarnation. This exhibition is a visual...
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ASA | 61st Annual Exhibition Opening
Ashburton Art Gallery
7th Jul 2025 07:00 pm
Join us for the opening of the Ashburton Society of Arts Annual Exhibition on Monday 07 July at 7pm. Tickets for the ASA Opening Night...
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Artist Talk | Nadia Curnow
Ashburton Art Gallery
20th Jul 2025 02:00 pm
At this special artist talk, Nadia Curnow will discuss her new exhibition Small Paintings Dedicated to Big Names. In this exhibition, Nadia draws inspiration from...
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Judge's Tour | Ashburton Society of Arts
Ashburton Art Gallery
9th Jul 2025 12:30 pm
Join us at 12.30pm on Wednesday 09 July for a Judge’s Tour of the Ashburton Society of Arts exhibition!At this special event, the ASA 2025...
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Laser Cut Spirographs
Ashburton Library
9th Jul 2025 10:30 am - 11:30 am
Pick up your own laser cut spirograph and learn how to make some awesome designs.Booking required.
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String Games and Elastics
Ashburton Library
2nd Jul 2025 10:30 am - 11:30 am
Come and learn some fun string games or get active and play Elastics.Booking required
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The Snow - Family Theatre Production
Ashburton Library
6th Jul 2025 01:45 pm - 03:45 pm
When an epic snowfall imprisons the residents of the tiny village of Kishka, young Theodore Sutton proposes the villagers...
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Crafting Magic with Paper: Zine making
Ashburton Library
1st Jul 2025 - 13th Jul 2025
Have something to share, a poem, song lyrics, etc.? come along and learn how to create a physical or...
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Crafting Magic with Paper: Hanging Star
Ashburton Library
4th Jul 2025 - 10th Jul 2025
Come along to this FREE event...
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Citizens Advice Bureau Drop In
Ashburton Library
1st Jun 2025 - 25th Jun 2025
05:15 pm - 05:15 pmDo you have a problem or a question about your rights or obligations? Then drop in to the CAB session at Ashburton Library on Wednesday...
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Social sewing/quilting group
Ashburton Library
21st Jun 2025 10:00 am - 04:00 pm
Bring your sewing machine, quilt, or other sewing project along to this group.With some experienced seamstresses in the group, you will be supported...
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Brain Injury Support Group
Ashburton Library
25th Jun 2025 10:30 am - 11:30 am
Are you or someone you know living with or supporting someone with a head injury? Facilitated by the Brain Injury Association, this monthly group...
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Active Adventures
EA Networks Centre
1st Jun 2025 - 25th Jun 2025
10:30 am - 12:30 pmA child led, parent supervised session for toddlers age 1-5 to play and explore their gross motor skills using a range of soft play equipment...
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EANC Holiday Programme - July
EA Networks Centre
30th Jun 2025 - 11th Jul 2025
08:30 am - 05:00 pmNeed fully-supervised childcare for your under-13 school-aged child?Book in for games, sports, field trips, crafts, swimming and more!Tamariki/children aged 5 - 13 years.Day $40, Full...
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Enmeshed: Feminist modes of information sharing
Ashburton Art Gallery
1st Jun 2025 - 22nd Jun 2025
In Enmeshed, artists Julia Holderness, Areez Katki, Erica van Zon, Ana Iti, and Claudia Kogachi each reframe narratives. Stories are rewritten from new...
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Inventory | Marie Le Lievre
Ashburton Art Gallery
1st Jun 2025 - 22nd Jun 2025
Relinquishing of complete control is the wellspring of discovery for Marie Le Lievre. Her singular paintings require the ground as a starting point...
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Paintings of Ruined Mythic Phantasies
Ashburton Art Gallery
1st Jun 2025 - 22nd Jun 2025
Timaru-based painter Michael Armstrong’s exhibition Paintings of Ruined Mythic Phantasies addresses themes that have preoccupied him throughout his career – social justice, politics, the environment...
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Women’s Swim Night
EA Networks Centre
11th Jun 2025 - 10th Dec 2025
07:00 pm - 08:30 pmWhether you want to come for a soak, do some lengths or spend time with your children, we have something for you.$5 per adult (special...
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Little Splashers
EA Networks Centre
1st Jun 2025 - 25th Jun 2025
09:50 am - 10:20 amJoin us for Little Splashers- a session where you and your Little Splasher have the opportunity to explore the world of water in a parent...
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Puaka Matariki: I Tō Mātou Wāhi, In Our Place
Ashburton Museum
1st Jun 2025 - 27th Jul 2025
Puaka and Matariki hold great significance for Māori, marking the beginning of the Māori New Year as these special whetū first appear in the midwinter...
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Caught in the Moment: Guardian Photographs of 1975
Ashburton Museum
1st Jun 2025 - 14th Sep 2025
What moments in time did the Ashburton Guardian photographers capture around Whakatere Ashburton throughout 1975? In this exhibition, photographs from our large collection of Guardian...
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Supporting Social Connections for Autistic and Neurodivergent kids
Ashburton Library
26th Jun 2025 04:00 pm
Supporting Social Connections for Autistic and Neurodivergent Kids – things that work!Are you a parent or teacher of a neurodivergent child (0-18 years old)? Join...
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Photography Exhibition
Ashburton Library
16th Jun 2025 - 21st Jun 2025
Celebrating World Refugee Weekfrom 16 to 22 of June Over the last 6 months the Afghan former refugee youth of Ashburton...
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School Holidays | Erebus Explorer: Landscape in a jar
Ashburton Art Gallery
30th Jun 2025 - 11th Jul 2025
Inspired by artist Will Hadwen’s immersive canvases and his time in Antarctica, this activity invites children to learn about Mt Erebus and sculpt their own...
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School Holidays | Snowlace Wonders
Ashburton Art Gallery
28th Jun 2025 - 13th Jul 2025
Create a fun and colorful snowflake using cardboard, yarn, and basic weaving techniques. This activity helps kids develop fine motor skills, practice pattern-making, and explore...
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School Holidays | Twinkle with Mā Puaka
Ashburton Art Gallery
28th Jun 2025 - 5th Jul 2025
Design your very own star inspired by Matariki. Try to include something from one of our exhibitions in your star design - It could be...
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Small Paintings Dedicated to Big Names | Nadia Curnow
Ashburton Art Gallery
29th Jun 2025 - 3rd Aug 2025
In this exhibition, Nadia Curnow draws inspiration from an international canon of art history, combining artistic influences from a wide range of ‘big...
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Opening | Small Paintings Dedicated to Big Names, Nadia Curnow
Ashburton Art Gallery
28th Jun 2025 06:00 pm
Join us for the opening of Nadia Curnow's exhibition Small Paintings Dedicated to Big Names.In this exhibition, Nadia Curnow draws inspiration from an international canon...
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Pyjama Party Movie Day
Ashburton Library
30th Jun 2025 10:30 am - 12:30 pm
Roll out the PJ's and join us for a fun family film! Come hungry because we'll be serving up...
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Matariki Escape Room
Ashburton Library
28th Jun 2025 - 13th Jul 2025
Book in your chance to complete our Matariki Escape Room Challenge....
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Beat Making in the AV Studio
Ashburton Library
29th Jun 2025 - 7th Jul 2025
Join us in the Taupuni Hopuoro AV Studio at Te Kete Tuhinga Ashburton Library for a special beat making...
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Crafting Magic with Paper: Venetian Styled Masks
Ashburton Library
30th Jun 2025 - 13th Jul 2025
Come along to this FREE event and get creative with styling a design for either a full-face mask or...
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Crafting Magic with Paper: Paper Cut Out Art
Ashburton Library
30th Jun 2025 - 10th Jul 2025
Choose a design from a selection we have to cut using the laser cutter. Then paint the backing paper...
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