Deon Swiggs

12/06/2026

Please help. This e-bike was stolen yesterday from behind our Council Chamber at 200 Tuam Street while we were in a council briefing. It belongs to one of my councillor colleagues, and it is incredibly frustrating and disappointing. CCTV footage shows two selfish individuals coming onto the site, cutting through the lock, and riding away with it. That footage has been provided to Police. If you saw anything in the Tuam Street area yesterday, or if you recognise the bike or have seen it since, please contact Police.

10/06/2026

Last night I posted this photo of One NZ Stadium lit up in green. Not long afterwards I got a heartfelt message from the person who helped make it happen.

They had reached out to One NZ Stadium and asked them to light it up for Bowel Cancer Awareness Month.

They have bowel cancer themselves, sadly terminal, but instead of stepping back, they're out here making things like this happen to raise awareness so others might catch it earlier than they did.

I find that incredibly inspiring.

Bowel cancer is New Zealand's second-highest cancer killer, but it's also one of the most treatable when caught early.

10/06/2026

I welcome this investment signal towards public transport. The next step is making sure that any investment goes where Canterbury needs it most. What people keep telling us is they want buses that turn up on time, often enough, and with enough room to get on.

That is the real issue in Canterbury right now. Some of our key routes are already under pressure. Route 5 was recorded as full more than 2,200 times in the year to February, and Route 1 more than 1,000 times.

So yes, a lower weekly fare cap would help people with the cost of living. I welcome that.

But fares are only one part of the picture. If the bus is late due to poor infrastructure, cancelled, or full because there isn't enough capacity, a cheaper fare does not mean much.

What we desperately need is investment in reliable services, more frequent buses, and the infrastructure to support them.

10/06/2026

Halswell is one suburb in the city that has grown. I’ve seen the comments and questions about bus services in Halswell needing to keep up, and I agree, this is exactly why the current Metro network review matters.

Some parts of Halswell are well served, particularly along Route 7, which connects Halswell with Addington, the central city, The Palms and Burwood Hospital. That route has recently been upgraded to more frequent services during much of the day.

But that does not mean the job should be seen as done.

Halswell has changed significantly over the past decade. New subdivisions, new travel patterns, more families, more students, more older residents, and more pressure on roads all mean we need to look carefully at whether the network still works for people.

For some residents, the issue is not whether there is a bus somewhere in Halswell, it is whether there is a useful service close enough to home, at the right time, going where they actually need to go.

That is the sort of feedback we need through this review.

Public transport is a partnership. The Regional Council plans and funds services, NZTA Waka Kotahi co-funds them, Christchurch City Council provides much of the street infrastructure buses rely on, and operators run the services under contract.

Please take part in the review that is underway, whether you use the bus often, sometimes, or not at all.

Feedback closes 24 June.

https://haveyoursay.ecan.govt.nz/metroreview

Your feedback will help shape future priorities for Halswell and the wider Greater Christchurch network.

09/06/2026

The first time I've seen the stadium in green.

07/06/2026

Nice bit of colour for a warm Winter day. This looks like a winter-flowering cherry, putting out its soft pink blossom in the middle of what is usually our colder months. Some varieties are meant to do this, flowering in small bursts through autumn and winter when the conditions line up. Usually stimulated after a few cold nights followed by a mild spell, and a sheltered spot can be enough to bring the buds out.

06/06/2026

Check out the Tall Tails launch at the Air Force Museum of New Zealand in Wigram. The Tall Tails exhibition features the tail sections of two major RNZAF aircraft now held by the museum which are looking for a new home to permanently rest:

Some stats on the C-130H Hercules NZ7001
- Entered RNZAF service in 1965
- Served for 60 years
- More than 33,000 accident-free flying hours
- Around 20,000 landings
- Wingspan: 40.5 m
- Height: 11.7 m
- Max payload: 17,250 kg
- Used for troop and cargo transport, humanitarian aid, disaster response, Antarctic operations and evacuations

Some stats on the P-3K2 Orion NZ4203
- Built in 1966
- Entered RNZAF service in 1967
- Served for 54 yearsAround 27,000 flying hours
- Wingspan: 30.4 m
- Height: 10.3 m
- Endurance: up to 15 hours
- Used for maritime patrol, search and rescue, fisheries surveillance, Antarctic and Southern Ocean work, and support to government agencies

These aircraft did serious service for New Zealand, across the Pacific, Antarctica and further afield. Seeing the scale of them up close is impressive, and a good reminder of Wigram’s place in New Zealand’s aviation history. If I didn't join the Navy I would have loved to fly these awesome machines!

Tall Tails is free for New Zealanders and open daily at the Air Force Museum from 9.30am to 4.30pm. Well worth a visit.

05/06/2026

Great to spend time with the council at Lincoln University seeing practical research and innovation in action across climate resilience, agriculture, energy, and food systems.

Thanks to Professor Grant Edwards, Professor Paora Tapsell, Associate Professor Racheal Bryant, and the Lincoln team for hosting us and sharing the work underway. Highlights included the Lincoln University Energy Farm and agrivoltaics, the McCain Foods NextGen Regenerative Farm, the EcoPond research at Lincoln University Research Dairy Farm, and the South Island Dairying Demonstration Centre. Plenty of useful thinking here for Canterbury, especially around land use, freshwater, emissions, resilience, and the future of farming.

Thanks to everyone involved for a valuable and very practical field trip.

04/06/2026

Nature putting on a show over Canterbury. These are called crepuscular rays. Sunlight streaming through gaps in the clouds. The beams look like they’re fanning out, but they’re actually nearly parallel. It’s the same perspective effect that makes railway tracks look like they meet in the distance. So cool 😊

03/06/2026

Much of the commentary related to this announcement has focused on Māori representation.

But one practical effect of the Government’s proposed change may be to reduce the role of independent experts on council committees.

The Ngāi Tahu councillors at our council are appointed under specific legislation passed by Parliament, so they do not appear to be affected by this proposed government chamge.

However, independent members on specialist committees, such as our Audit and Risk Committee, as guided by the Auditor General, may no longer be able to vote or count toward quorum. That matters. Independent members bring professional expertise, challenge and assurance, particularly in areas like audit, risk, finance, health and safety, and organisational performance. It seems we will still be able to appoint them, but their formal role may be diminished.

We will need to see the actual Bill wording before drawing firm conclusions. But the practical implications go wider than the political debate suggests.

www.beehive.govt.nz/release/council-voting-be-restricted-elected-members

Only elected councillors will be able to vote on council committees, in a move that strengthens democratic accountability, Local Government Minister Simon Watts announced today.