Stories

Part of a Cityscape series presenting the opinions of real people who live in Christchurch's central city: Dale Deavoll. Which neighbourhood do you live in? Kilmore Street near Margaret Mahy Playground. How’s the vibe there? Increasingly residential. A people place. The playground has been a real game changer around here – it just brings so many people in on the weekends. New Regent Street is also just such a hive of activity. The businesses there are really doing a fantastic job using that space. The natural elements are great too. The river promenade from our place to the hospital is the nicest stretch of central city walkable space in the country. Your neighbours are... Great. Apartment living is very misunderstood. You share some things but you have the same level of privacy as you do in the suburbs. I'd even say people are actually more considerate when you share a wall...

Black Burger is slinging a simple concept: cheeseburgers made with top-notch Wagyu beef. Cityscape takes a big juicy bite. Black Burgers are a premium version of a classic LA-style cheeseburger. It’s a timeless recipe, perfected. Start with a soft, pillowy bun and fill it with a beef patty, cheese, pickles and burger sauce. The difference here is the pure quality of the ingredients. The milk buns are from the Christchurch bread aficionados at Grizzly Baked Goods, and the fillings are high-quality locally sourced produce including New Zealand smoked cheddar cheese. But the real secret weapon here is the beef patty, made from Black Origin’s grain-fed Wagyu mince, AKA the world’s tastiest beef. These cows come from purebred Japanese Kobe Wagyu stock, raised in Canterbury with soothing music and daily massages. The beef patties are cooked on the grill in a smash style. The cooks make them into a ball and squash...

Part of a Cityscape series presenting the opinions of real people who live in Christchurch's central city: Max Lucas Which neighbourhood do you live in? SALT district, Atlas Quarter. How’s the vibe there? Urban. Secure. Private. Great community. Your neighbours are... Winnie Bagos, The Welder, South City, Pak’nSave. Read more of Cityscape's central city living coverage here Why do you choose to live in the four aves? The excitement of a ‘new’ city. Biggest drawcard? Access, by foot mostly, to virtually everything we need. Biggest drawback? None that i can think of. Fave local coffee? Unkown Chapter but wow! What a choice we have! Food? Soooo many choices! The Clever Trevor at Joe's Garage, liver & bacon at The Butcher’s Mistress. Entertainment? A Rolling Stone, or falling asleep in front of the telly. Retail? Not really into retail as we have everything we need plus there's not a lot of room...

Part of a Cityscape series presenting the opinions of real people who live in Christchurch's central city: Gwyn Guanzon. Which neighbourhood do you live in? I live in the northeast side of the four avenues. How would you describe the vibe there? It is pretty convenient and laid-back. It is mainly a residential area which is a stone’s throw away from the business district. It has the feel of a quiet village that is pretty near one’s place of work. Your neighbours are... Chester Street East is a very supportive community. It has a Facebook page that can keep everybody in the loop. Read more of Cityscape's central city living coverage here Why do you choose to live in the four aves? When I moved here in Christchurch three and a half years ago, I was enrolled in Ara and I preferred to walk to school. Biggest drawcard? The convenience of...

Cityscape checks out Streamside Organics, a spearhead of the Canterbury organic growing scene. On the outskirts of Christchurch there’s a little farm making a big difference. Streamside Organics is a haven for happy people and healthy vegetables, and it’s delivering the goods direct. Founders Dominique Schacherer and Logan Kerr started the farm on just 1 acre in 2014. Since then it has expanded to 50 acres, with a big team of passionate organic farmers. The Leeston business supplies produce to cafés, restaurants, wholefood shops and local supermarkets, and delivers weekly seasonal veggie boxes to homes around Christchurch and surrounding areas. Everything grown at Streamside Organics is, unsurprisingly, organic. You won’t find any pesticides or chemically produced fertilisers here. The farmers use regenerative farming techniques, and work hard to maintain quality soils that are dense with nutrients. Good for the environment, good for the veggies, and good for the person who ends...

Cityscape takes a look over the fence at the best back yard in town. As far as back yards go, this one’s pretty sweet. It’s got a big lawn, wicked water feature, curated gardens, and trees as far as you can see. We’re a city full of people who love to get out and do things, and we demand an outside area that fills our needs. Luckily, Ōtautahi central delivers in droves. The central city’s shared space is so much more than a private garden could ever be. Hagley Park is the foremost part of our classic Kiwi plot – an enormous open space that plays home to all sorts of publicly and privately organised activities, sports, festivals, concerts and good old fashioned picnics. And it really puts things in perspective when “watching a bit of BYC” really means watching the Black Caps take on a touring team at Hagley Oval....

Cityscape meets four stylists from True Grit hair salon, each at a different stage of their career and each with a unique perspective. Casey Roxburgh - Advanced Style Director My role involves being a busy senior stylist, pampering and creating gorgeous hair for clients. It is the most amazing feeling when my clients look and feel incredible with their new ‘dos. Natalie Anne is an industry favourite of mine. She does great tutorials online and just creates beautiful hair that is achievable. I always wanted to be a hairdresser, and the only way I could finish school early was to get an apprenticeship, so that’s what I did! I’m really into the ‘70s-’80s vibe, all the shaggy textured haircuts, curtain bangs and rich soft colours. If I were trapped on a desert island, I’d bring my wee family, red wine, and a music player. My favourite treatments are any of the...

What does the Christchurch CBD look like in the future? Cityscape hazards some uneducated guesses. The vibe tour The central city has become a mosaic of little neighbourhoods, each with its own personality. The retail district has become the heart of the city – walking streets and mixed-use zones have spread out from Cashel Street, filled with large and small stores ranging from hyperlocal boutiques to high-end international brands, and dotted with spots of activity gathered around live musicians, street food and artists. Across the river, an arts and heritage district has fully fledged. Its staples are The Arts Centre Te Matatiki Toi Ora and the fully redeveloped Canterbury Museum, but its crowning glory is a brand new high-rise in Cambridge Terrace – a controversial development that houses a goldmine of contemporary international art and projects 3D installations onto the footpath outside. The Victoria district has become an inner-city extension of...

Resene consultant Rebecca Long tells Cityscape all about bringing some DIY design into your home office setup. Whether you need an organised area for your DIY supplies or a space to work from home, chances are you don’t actually need four walls surrounding you to get the job done. You can put a workspace just about anywhere, and paint can help you define the space. Creative use of colour is one way to create boundaries beyond walls and it is an opportunity to add enthusiasm and boost productivity. Interactive Whiteboards can easily take on many shapes, forms and colours with the help of Resene FX Write-on Wall Paint. This special paint works with your existing décor by allowing the colour of your walls to show through the clear finish. Experiment with a variety of shapes and create a feature that is creative, fun and interactive as well. Complement with a vibrant...

What’s warm, colourful, perfect for winter and you can wear it anywhere? The smart new line of Italian jewellery landing at Roccabella. Fresh on the shelves at Cashel Street jewellery trailblazer Roccabella, you’ll find the new line of pieces from Italian fine jewellery house Gioielliamo (that’s pronounced ‘joy-ee-arm-oh’). Roccabella has a long relationship with Gioielliamo, spanning back to the pre-earthquake days when Roccabella had a different location and was run by current jeweller Vikki’s mum, Margaret. “This is a special partnership we’ve developed, and there’s a lot of trust both ways,” Vikki says. As well as viewing what’s on display, Roccabella visitors have the opportunity to design a custom-made Gioielliamo piece with Vikki. “You can talk to me, see the colours, stones and designs that are available, and I collaborate with Gioielliamo to get your very own piece made in Italy and shipped to Roccabella,” she says. Gioielliamo has been in...

Cityscape talks dystopian future, dramatic backdrops and modern ballet with The Firebird choreographer Loughlan Prior. “This production of The Firebird takes Stravinsky’s original music and tells a different story with it,” says Loughlan Prior. “A story that is steeped in an environmental message, and more connected with the issues of today.” He calls it “ballet with grit”, and that’s definitely a double entendre. The choreography and the story certainly have grit, and the kicker is that this production is set in the decidedly gritty desert landscape of a dystopian wasteland. Well, we say dystopian, but it may be more of a not-so-distant future. “I’ve been working with set designer Tracy Grant Lord to create this world, and it really is a world that exists in the future, kind of a civilisation on the edge,” Loughlan says. “The choreography is raw and athletic, and there’s urgency to all the actions on stage....

There’s been a sea change in the central city – not just the buildings popping up and the gravel carparks disappearing. The feel of the place is changing, and we think it’s got something to do with the switch of gear in the residential scene. We’re seeing SOLD signs all over the show, and an attitude to the people who live in the four avenues, that they’re proud central citizens. Cityscape’s taking a close look at central Christchurch living, the tropes, the developments, the people and what (we hope) is to come. Central citizens Cityscape sticks its tongue in its cheek with a satirical take on some of the personalities who live between the four avenues, from the Hospo Hero who hangs out in Welles Street and communicates exclusively vie WhatsApp and Insta stories, to the Empty Nesters who sold up their drafty villa to live that Botanic Garden life. Read...

Christchurch startup GIMME is taking on the big shots of the online food ordering world. Co-founder Abhay Pratap delivers the low-down. Big changes are in the works for this local online ordering and delivery business. With a new name, redesigned app, and a thirst for expansion, GIMME is ready to take on the world, and the big kids of online delivery. The business gained fame during lockdown under its original name – Give Me Bread – delivering takeaways, groceries and drinks to the hungry homebound as well as flowers, gifts and even prescriptions. Now it’s had a full rebrand and GIMME is ready to be a permanent fixture on the delivery scene. Abhay and his partner Chandni Jain started Give Me Bread in 2017, an app that let people order delivery from all their favourite Christchurch restaurants and gift stores, at a time when that was a very new idea. Their...

Jacob Root is an urban artist who’s all about spreading the good vibes, and whose murals have brightened a fair few dull walls around Christchurch. His style is all about finding positives in the negatives; showing that there’s light through the dark. Jacob has had a busy few years, including being part of the Melbourne urban art festival Can’t Do Tomorrow in 2020 and spending time collaborating with other street artists and painting murals in Las Angeles in 2019. You’re not limited to viewing his work out on the street, though – Jacob can bring the street art right into your living room, with individual artworks, commissions, or even an indoor mural, aiming to create effects you’d see on a wall down a city alley. Jacob has some tips on bringing the street art look into your space. Choosing art for your home Go with what you feel. Just because it...

Max and Sheila Brown recently took the opportunity to give life to a vacant space by opening Xgaleri in Cashel Street. This was a golden opportunity to share and showcase their art. Max grew up watching his mum Sheila develop her career, and this strongly influenced his own life. Sheila also busied herself with art as a child – growing up with no TV, she took inspiration from nature and started drawing it. Max considers himself an abstract spatial artist conveying feeling and emotion through minimalism, material and design, while Sheila is a specialist at crossover art, merging styles in her bird paintings. The artistic duo has some advice for choosing the perfect pieces for you. Choosing art to match a home theme or personality Max: It’s love for the piece. Learning to live with it. Either something that feels right for your interior or love for the piece and work,...

Don Service is the artist and curator behind Rightside Gallery. He’s a master of materials, creating beautiful pieces from metal, rust, wood and more. The gallery displays Don’s own work as well as art in various mediums by artists from around New Zealand. Don offers us some tips on creating art from wood, and starting out in the art business. Starting an art piece I start with timber and get a bit of an idea and go from there. Method 1 Sometimes I get an idea, and say that’s what I’m going to make. Then I get timber, or ply, or steel, and make it. Method 2 Sometimes I just stare blankly at a piece of timber for a bit, and see what pops into my head that suits it. Inspiration Some days you’re creative, and some days you’re not. Sometimes I’m out doing my art-hanging work and I get inspiration...

Jenna Ingram co-owns Fiksate, where she’s also an in-house artist. The gallery is the city’s unofficial indoor hub for urban art, drawing works and exhibitions by street artists from around Christchurch, New Zealand and the world. The studio also does beautiful custom framing, and Jen recommends framing new artworks as soon as possible after buying them to protect your artwork and make it hang-ready for your walls. Jen’s quick guide: Frame types to suit your art and surroundings Choosing a frame can be based on the tones in your artwork. If there are strong blacks, then a black frame will suit. Lighter tones with little or no black can suit white or natural pine frames. You should also consider what other frame colours and types you already have in your home. Also considering your wall colour and type at your home can make a difference to what frame you choose. At...

This framing, printing and design business has been providing excellent craftsmanship to New Brighton for over 30 years. One of the main services the team offer is preserving memories. It’s important not to forget how special photographs, objects and keepsakes might be to future generations. Preserving these memories in frames is a way to keep the stories alive, and they can look great on a wall or in a cabinet. Frame ‘n’ Copy owner Kathy Duncan offers some tips on saving and displaying your memories and keepsakes. Thinking outside the box As well as photographs and art, you can frame meaningful and beautiful objects. Think dried wedding bouquets, war medals, album covers, feathers, letters, cards, rugby jerseys and postcards. We have even framed a piece of carpet with a picture of Queenstown woven into it, a child’s artwork, and we have a cricket bat coming in soon. Incorporating stories into an...