Top ranking for Christchurch

Christchurch scores highly in terms of its service and good value rates in a nation- wide survey by Consumer magazine.

Surveying its readers throughout the country, the magazine ranks Christchurch City Council significantly above average for its performance over all five categories assessed. The categories are community facilities, household services, community services, public relations and staff.

Reinforcing claims the City provides ratepayers with exceptional value for money, Christchurch people pay the lowest residential rates of the 17 urban councils polled, at an average of $810 a year. This compares with the overall average for New Zealand metropolitan residents of more than $1190 and the Auckland average of $1426.

Christchurch respondents to the survey rate their Council particularly well on household rubbish collection, parks and gardens.

Consumer is published monthly by the Consumers’ Institute, which acts as an independent watchdog for consumers of goods and services across all sectors.

City Scene helps you to be heard

To keep residents fully informed about what it is doing, Christchurch City Council distributes Christchurch City Scene to every letterbox in the City.

Sometimes the monthly newsletter contains public notices, such as the City Plan variation in this issue, which the Council is legally obliged to notify and it has found that putting them in the official newsletter to residents is effective. Other information in Christchurch City Scene summarises Council activities and seeks the community’s views. It advises people how to find out more and how to have their say.

Market research shows that residents are generally happy about receiving the newsletter, which is printed on paper that can be recycled.

LIBRARY UP TO SCRATCH!

Abraham, the four-paw star of Gwenda Turner's new book The Builder's Cat, accepted a leg-up from his owner Gideon Couper to take in the view from the portholes in the library in the New Brighton Pier Building.

Abraham was inspecting the building in preparation for its official opening on Saturday, 24 July. His expertise comes from accompanying Gideon, a builder, to work each day.

The state-of-the-art library has a number of unique features, including its spectacular location and a media centre where people can surf the Internet.

It will contain more than 40,000 books - including The Builder's Cat.