1. Where is the ‘Shirley Community Reserve’?
2. What was located at the ‘Shirley Community Reserve’?
3. When did 10 Shirley Road become the ‘Shirley Community Reserve’?
4. What type of reserve is the ‘Shirley Community Reserve’?
5. What happened to the 10 Shirley Road site once it became the ‘Shirley Community Reserve’?
6. What are the legal implications for the ‘Shirley Community Reserve’?
7. What have the Waipapa Papanui-Innes-Central Community Board decided to do with the ‘Shirley Community Reserve’?
1. Where is the ‘Shirley Community Reserve’?
The ‘Shirley Community Reserve’ is located at 10 Shirley Road, Richmond, Christchurch 8013.
Google Maps for ‘Shirley Community Reserve’:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/sSddENDC276voiPE8
The ‘Shirley Community Reserve’ is located in the Waipapa Papanui-Innes-Central Community Board area, on the border of Central & Innes Wards.
https://letstalk.ccc.govt.nz/waipapa-papanui-innes-central-community-board
2. What was located at the ‘Shirley Community Reserve’?
The 10 Shirley Road site was the original location for the Shirley School.
“On the 16th June 1915, the foundation stone was laid for the Shirley School building at 10 Shirley Road, erected in 1915 to the design of George Penlington, the Education Board Architect in Canterbury.”
https://quakestudies.canterbury.ac.nz/store/object/13346
“Approximately halfway through its fifty years the school [opened in 1916] was decapitated – in other words the Forms I and II (Standards 5 and 6) children no longer went to our school but to the Shirley Intermediate School.
Our school then became known as the Shirley Contributing School and more recently as the Shirley Primary School.”
https://www.10shirleyroad.org.nz/shirley-school-golden-jubilee-celebrations-1966/
https://www.10shirleyroad.org.nz/the-christchurch-districts-of-windsor-and-shirley/
3. When did 10 Shirley Road become the ‘Shirley Community Reserve’?
“Falling roles and high building maintenance cost resulted in Shirley Primary School moving to its present site across the road.
In May 1977 the building and site became surplus to Ministry of Education requirements.”
http://archived.ccc.govt.nz/Council/CommunityPlans/Shirley-Papanui/2001/CommunityCentreIdealVenueForGroupsClubs.asp
The New Zealand Gazette, Thursday, 1st March 1979
“Declaring Land in the Canterbury Land District, Vested in the Canterbury Education Board as a Site for a School, to be Vested in Her Majesty the Queen.”
https://library.victoria.ac.nz/databases/nzgazettearchive/pubs/gazettes/1979/1979%20ISSUE%20016.pdf Front Page
The ‘Classification of Reserve’ was dated 7th July 1980 & published in The New Zealand Gazette: Thursday, 18th September 1980.
“Classification of Reserve: Pursuant to the Reserves Act 1977, and to a delegation from the Minister of Lands, the Assistant Commissioner of Crown Lands hereby declares the reserve described in the Schedule hereto, to be classified as a reserve for local purpose (site for a community centre), subject to the provisions of the said Act.”
https://www.nzlii.org/nz/other/nz_gazette/1980/110.pdf Page 14 (left column)
The ‘Reservation of Land’ was dated 8th September 1980 & published in The New Zealand Gazette: Thursday, 18th September 1980.
“Reservation of Land: Pursuant to the Land Act 1948, and to a delegation from the Minister of Lands, the Assistant Director of Land Administration hereby sets apart the land, described in the Schedule thereto, as a reserve for local purpose (site for a community centre).”
https://www.nzlii.org/nz/other/nz_gazette/1980/110.pdf Page 14 (right column)
4. What type of reserve is the ‘Shirley Community Reserve’?
Type of Reserves:
1. National Reserves (Section 13)
2. Recreation Reserves (Section 17)
3. Historic Reserves (Section 18)
4. Scenic Reserves (Section 19)
5. Nature Reserves (Section 20)
6. Scientific Reserves (Section 21)
7. Government Purpose Reserves (Section 22)
8. Local Purpose Reserves (Section 23)
9. Wilderness Areas (Section 47)
https://www.doc.govt.nz/about-us/our-role/legislation/reserves-act/
The ‘Shirley Community Reserve’ is “classified as a reserve for local purpose (site for a community centre)”.
“The Reserves Act 1977 is a New Zealand law that governs the management of public reserves. The act’s purpose is to preserve and manage areas for the public’s benefit, including for recreation, education, and conservation.
23 Local purpose reserves: (1) It is hereby declared that the appropriate provisions of this Act shall have effect, in relation to reserves classified as local purpose reserves for the purpose of providing and retaining areas for such local purpose or purposes as are specified in any classification of the reserve.”
https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1977/0066/73.0/whole.html#DLM444305
5. What happened to the 10 Shirley Road site once it became the ‘Shirley Community Reserve’?
“In October 1977 Christchurch City Council was appointed to control and manage the site pursuant to the Lands and Domains Act 1953.
The site was set aside for use as a Community Centre and the running of the Centre was handed over to the Shirley Community Centre Society, which had been established earlier in the year to lobby for the building to be used as a Community facility.
The centre opened for hire in March 1978.”
http://archived.ccc.govt.nz/Council/CommunityPlans/Shirley-Papanui/2001/CommunityCentreIdealVenueForGroupsClubs.asp
‘Need Seen for Creche’, The Press, 10th February 1978
“The Shirley Community Centre may soon have creche facilities [now Shirley Playcentre] for working parents and those attending activities at the centre.
Mrs Dutton said the committee felt that there was a need for child care facilities for parents attending the centre as well as for parttime working parents.
The creche might also cater for parents wanting to attend appointments and for school holiday care.”
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19780210.2.107 Page 12
“The Canterbury Playcentre Association has a lease over approximately 769 square metres of Shirley Community Centre Reserve, at 61 Chancellor Street for the Shirley Playcentre.”
http://archived.ccc.govt.nz/council/agendas/2000/November/ShirleyPapanui/CanterburyPlaycentreAssociationLeaseatShirleyCommunityCentre.pdf
Located on the east side of the Shirley Community Reserve, are the Half Basketball Court, Children’s Playground & the Shirley Playcentre building & outdoor area.
After the Shirley Community Centre building was demolished (due to earthquake damage) in 2012, the Papanui-Innes Community Board installed the following recreation items in the Shirley Community Reserve during May 2020:
“Along with the pump track, there will be a multi-purpose concrete table (that can be used for table tennis or picnics) and two bench seats installed nearby.”
https://www.newsline.ccc.govt.nz/news/story/draft-shirley-pump-track-gets-green-light
Since 2012, the former site of the Shirley Community Centre building, which is the ‘grass area’ in the centre of the Reserve, remains “vacant”.
6. What are the legal implications for the ‘Shirley Community Reserve’?
The Reserve classification & legal implications of the “Shirley Community Reserve’ were included in the Shirley/Papanui Community Board meeting agenda for the 19th August 2015, Item 9. Shirley Community Facility Rebuild.
https://christchurch.infocouncil.biz/Open/2015/08/SPCB_19082015_AGN.PDF Page 27
At the time the Shirley/Papanui Community Board members were:
Mike Davidson (Chairperson), Aaron Keown (Deputy Chairperson), Jo Byrne, Pauline Cotter, Ali Jones, Emma Norrish and Barbara Watson.
“Legal Implications:
9.9. The land at 10 Shirley Rd is classified as reserve, vested in the Council by the Crown to be held “in trust for local purpose (site for a community centre)”.
That means the land could not be used for any other purpose than a community centre unless and until the reserve classification is changed.
This involves a process set out in the Reserves Act 1977, providing for notification and objections by the public.
It also appears the land could not simply sit “vacant” with the reserve status unchanged, as that would also be inconsistent with the reserve purpose.”
7. What have the Waipapa Papanui-Innes-Central Community Board decided to do with the ‘Shirley Community Reserve’?
“At its meeting on 13 June 2024, the Board considered the community feedback on the future of Shirley Community Reserve.
Analysis of the feedback had shown that younger age groups tended to support facilitating outdoor activities on the reserve, while older age groups tended to be seeking indoor spaces.
By the end of the meeting, where some of the submitters took the opportunity to be heard in person, the Board had resolved to accept the recommendation to initiate a process to design an on-budget community building [400m2 not a ‘replacement’ 1,500m2 building] on the reserve that will enable a mixed use of the reserve and support recreation*, play and social connections.”
* See: 4. ‘Types of Reserves’: There are ‘Recreation’ Reserves & ‘Local Purpose’ Reserves. There are no ‘mixed use’ reserves.
“The development of outdoor recreation and play elements will receive further consideration in the future as opportunities arise to integrate the plans for a community building with the balance of the reserve being available to be enjoyed as a park.”
https://letstalk.ccc.govt.nz/waipapa-papanui-innes-central-community-board/agreed-vision-shirley-community-reserve
Historically this 10 Shirley Road site has been ‘a place for learning’ from 1916 to 2012.
It is not Shirley ‘Park’, it is called Shirley ‘Community’ Reserve for a specific reason: the land has been “set apart” and “classified as a reserve for local purpose (site for a community centre).”
Since 2012, the 10 Shirley Road site is mostly used as a car ‘park’.