{"id":264,"date":"2018-06-25T05:10:26","date_gmt":"2018-06-25T05:10:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lifeisajourney.co.nz\/rur\/?p=264"},"modified":"2018-06-25T05:42:59","modified_gmt":"2018-06-25T05:42:59","slug":"red-zone-futures-the-story-of-our-river","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lifeisajourney.co.nz\/rur\/red-zone-futures-the-story-of-our-river\/","title":{"rendered":"Red Zone Futures: The Story Of Our River"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Story of Our River – He K\u014drero M\u014d Te Awa<\/strong>
\nhttps:\/\/aureconspatial.maps.arcgis.com\/apps\/Cascade\/index.html?appid=d1d81fc6951d468ab510d46bcad04554<\/a><\/p>\n

As we plan the future, it\u2019s worth reflecting on the role the \u014ct\u0101karo Avon River has played throughout the years.<\/p>\n

\u014ct\u0101karo means \u2018a place of play\u2019. It was named after the M\u0101ori children who often played on the banks of the river during times of food gathering (mahinga kai).<\/p>\n

\u201cA river of water clearer than crystal.\u201d
\nJohn Deans, a settler at Riccarton Bush, describing the \u014ct\u0101karo Avon River in 1844.<\/p>\n

Mana Whenua – He K\u014drero Tuku Iho<\/strong>
\nAs a significant site of settlement and mahinga kai, the \u014ct\u0101karo Avon River is of immense cultural importance to Ng\u0101i T\u016b\u0101huriri\/Ng\u0101i Tahu.
\nNg\u0101i Tahu \u2013 and Ng\u0101ti M\u0101moe and Waitaha before them \u2013 had many permanent and temporary settlement sites of k\u0101inga and p\u0101 in the \u014ctautahi (Christchurch) area. From these settlements, they gathered natural resources from the surrounding wetlands, rivers, hills, forests, estuaries and coastlines.
\nThe entire landscape was filled with names and stories, which mapped the terrain and narrated its harvest.<\/p>\n

Recreational Uses<\/strong>
\nPleasure boating and gardens<\/strong>
\n– In the 19th and early 20th centuries the \u014ct\u0101karo Avon River was commonly used for recreation and pleasure boating. There were several privately-run pleasure gardens that offered a variety of attractions. The most famous of these was established by Professor Bickerton at Wainoni.
\nBathing<\/strong>
\n– In 1877, a deep channel was dredged in the river at Cashel Street to create a public pool. However, the water quality was affected by polluted water from the public hospital and the pool never became popular.
\nWalking and cycling<\/strong>
\n– Walking and cycling along the banks of the river were popular leisure pursuits, with easy access from nearby roads.
\nFishing<\/strong>
\n– From the 1860s trout were released into the river. Fishing became a popular pastime, but the trout population eventually dwindled due to a decline in their food source.
\nRowing<\/strong>
\n– Early on, the river was used for rowing competitions and practice. In 1950 the river at Wainoni was diverted to straighten and form Kerrs Reach, to allow for competitive rowing. Rowing became a major sport and pastime, and is still popular today.<\/p>\n

Urbanisation<\/strong>
\nIn 1851 Christchurch was founded on the banks of the \u014ct\u0101karo Avon River, as it was a good water source and a handy transport route. After being initially named the Shakespeare River by the Canterbury Association, the Deans family called it the Avon and that name was ultimately adopted.<\/p>\n

The role of the river changed over time. Its narrow, meandering shape and an increase in silt and weeds made navigation difficult. Over time, land transport became the preferred choice for moving people and goods between the city and sea.The role of the river changed over time. Its narrow, meandering shape and an increase in silt and weeds made navigation difficult. Over time, land transport became the preferred choice for moving people and goods between the city and sea.<\/p>\n

Between 1850 and 1900, 144 people drowned in the river. A bylaw enabled bollards and chains to be built along the river\u2019s edge to reduce the number of drownings. <\/p>\n

In the 1920s Christchurch tailor, R.B Owen, founded the \u201cRiver Improvement Fund\u201d. He envisaged a boulevard from the city to New Brighton. While this never eventuated, he did plant 53 lime trees along the bank between Evelyn Cousins Avenue and Medway Street in Richmond. Many still grow there today.<\/p>\n

Declining Water Quality<\/strong>
\nSewage and stormwater<\/strong>
\n– By the 1860s, water quality was declining and under threat by a proposal to discharge the city\u2019s wastewater into the river. In 1875, the Christchurch Drainage Board devised a plan to separate the city\u2019s sewage and stormwater systems. While the plan ensured sewage was diverted for treatment, stormwater drained into the city\u2019s rivers and streams. By the 1880s there had been a dramatic drop in deaths from waterborne diseases caused by sewage in waterways, but contaminants still entered the river through stormwater and industrial waste.
\nWeeds<\/strong>
\n– Another major challenge was the accumulation of weeds. In 1927, a hydraulic sweeper cleared the weeds along the river. While effective at clearing the riverbed, this also sent a great deal of silt down the river to the estuary.
\nContamination<\/strong>
\n– Today, contamination from stormwater, wastewater overflow and other discharges, continue to contribute to poor water quality.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.redzonefutures.nz\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Story of Our River – He K\u014drero M\u014d Te Awa https:\/\/aureconspatial.maps.arcgis.com\/apps\/Cascade\/index.html?appid=d1d81fc6951d468ab510d46bcad04554 As we plan the future, it\u2019s worth reflecting on the role the \u014ct\u0101karo Avon River has played throughout the years. \u014ct\u0101karo means \u2018a place of play\u2019. It was named after the M\u0101ori children who often played on the banks of the river during … Continue reading Red Zone Futures: The Story Of Our River<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,5,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-264","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-history","category-research","category-websites"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeisajourney.co.nz\/rur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/264","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeisajourney.co.nz\/rur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeisajourney.co.nz\/rur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeisajourney.co.nz\/rur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeisajourney.co.nz\/rur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=264"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lifeisajourney.co.nz\/rur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/264\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":265,"href":"https:\/\/lifeisajourney.co.nz\/rur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/264\/revisions\/265"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeisajourney.co.nz\/rur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=264"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeisajourney.co.nz\/rur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=264"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeisajourney.co.nz\/rur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=264"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}