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March Council meeting highlights: Aranui bus trial, Total Mobility changes and SCAR funding

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It was a chamber of debate and deliberation on Wednesday when councillors gathered for the March Council meeting. From responding to community feedback on public transport needs, to funding applications for erosion prevention, councillors also progressed a number of governance and organisational updates.

Public Forum

Wednesday’s Canterbury Regional Council (Environment Canterbury) meeting opened with members of the public bringing to the chamber their insights and concerns.

Deputations

Public deputations on Wednesday were all surrounding the proposal for a public transport trial in Aranui, including input from:

  • Reuben Davidson, MP for Christchurch East
  • Pam Williams, Aranui advocate
  • Nick Stoneman,f who had done significant research into the viability of the various options on the table
  • and Rosee Hodgson, who presented research relevant to this issue done through her PhD in Public Health, Transport and Mobility.

A new bus service for Aranui

The Council voted in favour of implementing a trial bus service to better cover Christchurch’s eastern suburb of Aranui. It follows continued requests from the community for more public transport coverage in the suburb. The trial will run for a year and will travel each hour to either The Palms or Eastgate Shopping Centre.

Canterbury Regional Council Public Transport Core Service Lead Councillor Joe Davies supported this option, and he urged the community to make the most of the new service.

“It’s up to all of us together to get people on the bus, so it has the chance to go beyond the first year,” Cr Davies said.

Councillor Ashley Campbell backed the trial too, saying it should go ahead despite it not being in the current scheme of planned works.

“StatsNZ 2023 deprivation index shows Aranui to be the most socio-economically disadvantaged suburb in not just Greater Christchurch, not just Canterbury, but the entire South Island. It just doesn’t compare with other suburbs who want buses that sit outside our public transport strategy. Fundamentally, if we’re to make an exception for socio-economic need for any suburb, it must be Aranui,” Cr Campbell said.

Council thanked the community for its continued advocacy. The trial is expected to begin in July.

Changes to Total Mobility

The Council approved a new fare cap for the Total Mobility scheme, following a directive to reduce this in line with Ministry of Transport changes by July this year.

Total Mobility helps people with long-term impairments that make it hard to access public transport. It enables them to travel independently and stay connected with their communities by providing discounted transport options. It is funded between the Crown, NZTA via the National Land Transport Fund, regional council rates, and user payments.

  • In December, the government announced it was reducing the Total Mobility fare subsidy by 10% - from 75% to 65%, starting 1 July 2026.
  • Additionally, public transport authorities are required to reduce their fare caps by around 10% from 1 July 2026. The fare cap is the amount above which the traveller must pay 100% of the cost – this is currently $70.

Council voted for a fare cap of $63, which is a 10% reduction. This will be effective from 1 July 2026.

Soil Conversion and Revegetation (SCAR) programme

Councillors approved a staff request to apply for up to $750,000 a year (for the July 2027 to June 2031 period) from the Ministry of Primary Industries’ Hill Country Erosion Programme.

The funding will go towards the SCAR programme, which provides landowners in North Canterbury funding and support to help combat hillside erosion. Learn more about how to prevent erosion on hill country land.

Next Council meeting: Find out when the next Council meeting is taking place and view meeting details.

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