The Influencers Column: Ivan Iafeta

In mid-March, our organisation Regenerate Christchurch published some recently taken drone images of the Bexley Wetland and Southshore Spit on social media, and the photos generated a large amount of positive engagement with our online audiences.
The positive feedback we received – and continue to receive – reflects the importance that the areas of the Ōtākaro Avon River Corridor and the Avon Heathcote estuary holds to so many people. This space is a valuable resource for the community, not just from an ecological point of view, but also for its potential to be an incredible place for bold ideas and innovation to be showcased both for Cantabrians and greater New Zealand.
We’re excited about the potential the area has to become a world-leading living laboratory, where we learn, experiment and research, test, and create new ideas and ways of living, such as how we adapt to sea-level rise and climate change.
Meanwhile, on back-to-back weekends in March, the Children’s Day and Polyfest events were held in the former residential red zones on the corner of New Brighton Road and Locksley Avenue. Both days transformed the ‘Regeneration Area’ into a thriving, bustling carnival-like atmosphere as crowds of happy people enjoyed great music, performances, food, activities and games.
These events, and other transitional uses of the 602-hectare Regeneration Area from Barbadoes Street to the Bexley Wetland, provide a glimpse into how the area can provide immense benefit to Christchurch and New Zealand in the future. There are some very exciting times ahead.