Stories by Conan Young

A severe shortage of trade teacher trainees must be urgently addressed if the new government has any hope of building 100,000 homes in a decade, an education tutor says.

One of the few Christchurch office blocks to survive the 2011 earthquake will be redeveloped into a technology hub.

Increased irrigation in Canterbury is putting newborn babies at increased risk from water contamination, a medical officer of health says.

The South Island will soon have its first clinic dedicated to caring for sick or injured native birds.

The first project designed to repopulate Christchurch's residential red zone - a cycle and walking trail - is about to open.

The Commerce Commission is considering investigating a lender over its approach to recovering money owed to it.

There has been a huge increase in the number of Christchurch ratepayers struggling to pay their rates bills. Audio

Winning Christchurch Central candidate Duncan Webb says unresolved problems following the Canterbury earthquakes have created a mood for change.

A Christchurch cyclist who was using the cycleway - which has been open less than a year - was left badly injured after a car turning into off-street parking hit him.

A group of fishermen could be heading to court to fight a plan to use cameras and GPS trackers to monitor commercial trawlers. Audio

Warehousing cows in cubicles is being tested in Canterbury in a bid to stop effluent polluting waterways.

Drinking water is at increasing risk of contamination as more dairy cows are farmed in the district, local residents have been told. Audio

Everybody enjoys a party, but perhaps not the National Party, with a calendar sent out by Gerry Brownlee including the apparent cancellation of New Year's Eve.

The Christchurch City Council has become the third local body to adopt the living wage for those it employs directly.

The debate over whether Christchurch needs a covered stadium has re-ignited after consecutive low turnouts for two of the Crusaders' biggest games of the year.

Christchurch City Council will vote on introducing the $20.20 living wage, but an employers group says it could disadvantage people it's meant to help.

At least 57 flood-hit households in Christchurch are having to find somewhere else to live because their properties are potentially contaminated with raw sewerage.

Leaving Christchurch's water untreated is a "high-risk strategy" that could lead to tens of thousands of people quickly becoming sick, an inquiry has been told.

Floating homes and a barge service are among ideas for what to do with land abandoned after the Canterbury earthquakes.

A colony of 300 critically endangered birds has found an unlikely place to nest - in the middle of a paddock full of dairy cows.

Landowners say new rules on pollution from farms, requiring consents and regular audits, places an unfair cost on smaller properties.

Dairy farmers in Canterbury could be pushed to the brink of bankruptcy by new rules designed to limit pollution, a local farmer says. Audio

Christchurch must be ambitious and make the most of the next three years, an invitation-only city leaders forum has been told.

A sports shirt that tells you how well you're doing press-ups is among inventions either already available, or soon to be.

The Christchurch City Council is considering taking on fast food outlets by offering more healthy options such as tap water and fruit from edible gardens. Audio