Latest News
Latest news

Illegal dumping at Rakaia River causes concern
Council is appealing to members of the Rakaia community for help to stop illegal dumping around the Rakaia River bed.
More news

CE Hamish Riach: Spotlight on our green spaces
Our hugely successful Glow in the Park event last weekend provides some good talking points for two pieces of work that we are currently seeking feedback on from the community.

UPDATE: Short disruption to Methven water supply on 8 June
There will be a short disruption to the water supply in Methven for one hour between 10pm and 11pm on Thursday 8 June to allow for testing of the second new reservoir.

Love your parks: Share your thoughts on our reserves and green spaces
Residents are being asked to share what they love about their local parks and reserves, as Ashburton District Council begins work on an updated plan for managing green spaces in the district.

Morning tea shout to mark students' progress at forklift training
Sixteen local secondary school students have passed their first test in becoming proficient forklift operators, and Ashburton District Deputy Mayor Liz McMillan shouted them morning tea on Friday to celebrate.

MAYOR: Heating up our economic plan
I hope you’ve all got your winter woollies ready for this weekend’s Glow in the Park because the light shows, food and entertainment will be well worth the effort of going out on a winter’s evening.

Donate your old laptop, for a good cause
Do you have a laptop sitting around the house, less than 10 years old with a charger, that you don’t use any more?

Council services over King's Birthday weekend
The public holiday over King’s Birthday weekend will see temporary changes to some Council services and facilities.

Bike track over landfill closed, new route planned
Mt Ash will be off limits for users of the Ashburton River mountain bike track from Monday 29 May when contractors begin remediation work on the town’s old landfill.

NW Ashburton wastewater extension project moves to final stage
Contractors will return to Allens Road at the end of May to begin the final stage of the North West Ashburton wastewater extension project.
Council Brief
A weekly roundup of our top news and important notices. Council Brief is published every Thursday in the Ashburton Courier, Ashburton Guardian and on this website.
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Public Notices
Current public notices can be found here.
View all notices
From the Mayor & CE
CE: Growing in our library space
If you needed a reminder about the growing reach of modern libraries, then the agenda from a recent Council Activity Briefing is a great place to start.
MAYOR: Heating up our economic plan
I hope you’ve all got your winter woollies ready for this weekend’s Glow in the Park because the light shows, food and entertainment will be well worth the effort of going out on a winter’s evening.
Upcoming meetings
BOARD: Methven Community
12 June 2023, 10.30 am
Council - Activity Briefings
21 June 2023, 9.30 am
COMMITTEE: Audit & Risk
21 June 2023, 1.30 pm
Council
28 June 2023, 1.00 pm
BOARD: Methven Community
24 July 2023, 10.30 am
Road Closures
BARKERS ROAD
from 12 Jul 13:00 to 14 Jul 18:00
LAURISTON BARRHILL ROAD
from 12 Jul 13:00 to 14 Jul 18:00
HAKATERE POTTS ROAD
from 12 Jul 13:00 to 15 Jul 17:00
ASHBURTON GORGE ROAD
from 12 Jul 13:00 to 15 Jul 17:00
from 20 Jan 6:00 to 16 Feb 18:00
View all Road Closures | Live map
Ashburton District Council Events

Exhibition | Indigo
Ashburton Art Gallery
Indigo is a Central Otago based collaboration of eight artists featuring Luke Anthony, Shaun Burdon, Judy Cockeram, Rachel Hirabayashi, Megan Huffadine,...

Exhibition | Rachel Ratten
Ashburton Art Gallery
Despite being an avid quilter for 20 years, Timaru-based artist Rachel Ratten is more widely known as a painter and printmaker. Since completing...

Talk It Up Tuesdays
Ashburton District Council
Got feedback on local issues? A matter to raise with Council?You can't miss "Talk it Up Tuesdays"We want to hear your ideas for making positive...

Paint Along with Bob Ross for Teens
Ashburton Public Library
Come along and have a go at painting, following a YouTube video of artist Bob Ross.Places are limited and bookings are essential.
Alerts & advisories

Further Notice of By-election for the Western Ward
The nomination period to fill the extraordinary vacancy for the Western Ward has now closed, with four candidates standing in the upcoming election.

Notice of 2022 Triennial Local Authority Elections
Official notice of the 2022 Triennial Local Authority Elections

Website Maintenance Ahead!
Some of our online EServices will be down for scheduled maintenance Saturday 26 March 2022 from 7am till 5pm. We apologise for any inconvenience.

UPDATE: Precautionary boil water notice lifted for Methven
UPDATE 18 February: Methven’s boil water notice has been lifted.
Project News

Contract awarded for Baring Square East refresh
Baring Square East Upgrade
A $2.45 million contract to redevelop Baring Square East has been awarded to Tru-Line Civil, the same contractor who worked on the revitalisation of Ashburton’s CBD.

Good progress continues on wastewater project
North West Ashburton Waste Water Servicing
Farm Road, between Middle Road and Racecourse Road, will be closed for 12 days from Wednesday 2 November as contractors move early into the next stage of the North West Ashburton wastewater project.

Good progress on NW Ashburton wastewater project
North West Ashburton Waste Water Servicing
Contractors working on the $3.285 million North West Ashburton wastewater project are ahead of schedule and have moved from Allens Road to Carters Road.

Wastewater project extends network into north-west Ashburton
North West Ashburton Waste Water Servicing
Work begins this week on a nine-month project to expand Ashburton’s wastewater pipe network into the north-west part of town.
Facilities News

Gallery prepares for ASA annual exhibition and visitors
Museum
The Ashburton Art Gallery and Museum is preparing for one of its busiest times of the year, when it hosts the Ashburton Society of Arts' annual exhibition.

Winter reading challenge for Ashburton library users
Library
Winter, with its cooler days and long nights, is the perfect time to cosy up with a good book. So why not tackle that want-to-read list, step out of your genre comfort zone or try a new author?

Ashburton Art Gallery and Museum: Help us make 1000 origami peace cranes
Museum
Everyone who visits the Ashburton Art Gallery and Museum over the next few weeks will be invited to make an origami crane for peace.

EANC survey to help shape future services
EA Networks Centre
EA Networks Centre has launched a survey to collect people’s thoughts on the facility and look at how it might serve the needs of the community in the future.