Keep Rangiora Beautiful leaves impressive legacy

A group formed 35 years ago to beautify Rangiora can no longer continue doing volunteer work, and has disbanded, leaving an impressive environmental legacy for the town.

Keep Rangiora Beautiful was established in 1989 after the Waimakariri District Council was approached by Keep New Zealand Beautiful (KNZB) to establish a Rangiora branch. Trevor Inch, Rangiora’s mayor at that time, invited members of potential interest groups to attend a meeting with a KNZB representative and Keep Rangiora Beautiful was established soon afterwards.

The group’s first big project was to enhance the informal picnic area next to the Ashley-Rakauri River bridge in Rangiora. The plantings provided shade and wind protection for the area which quickly became a popular picnic site and remains so today.

There have been many beautification projects since then including the Adopt A Highway Trial in 1994, Dudley Park in 1995, BNZ car park in 1996, Kaiapoi Lakes and Taggart’s Shingle Pit in 1997, Good Street Reserve in 1998, Rangiora Hospital in 2000, Binn Inn and Warehouse Rangiora in 2002, Mike Kean Walkway in 2008, Rangiora High School fence line and East Belt frontage in 2009 and Rangiora Health Hub in 2015, to name a few.

The group also recognised two longserving life members, Rangiora’s Ron and Barbara Mackie in 2022 by planting a row of totaras for them along the Milton Avenue footpath, next to the North Canterbury Riding For The Disabled property.

Ron and Barbara contributed more than 31 years volunteering for KRB and estimate during that time they helped KRB members plant more than 14,000 trees and shrubs in the Rangiora district, which is an impressive legacy for them and the KRB group.

KRB secretary Adrienne McGown said other projects have included establishing the garden by the Westpac Bank in 2022, the street-side garden at the end of Edward Street, near Goodall Lane (with the assistance of the Rangiora High School Leos students), and planting fastigate oaks and ribbonwoods in the Rickton Reserve towards Coldstream Road.

In 2021, KRB started work in the Anglican cemetery on Ashley Street.

‘‘We cleared moss and lichen from the headstones, so relatives could find the graves of their forebears, then followed up with weeding the graves and edges and mowing between the graves where the ride-on mower man couldn’t go and since June 2025, we have been assisting with the removal of ivy, honeysuckle and other weeds at Matawai Park on Friday mornings.’’

KRB volunteers have also participated in the annual Keep NZ Beautiful Clean Up day held every September.

‘‘But in recent years we have worked with the Ashley-Rakahuri Rivercare Group, the combined four-wheel-drive clubs and the WDC Youth Council to clean up sections of the Ashley-Rakahuri River banks, after the devastating flood in 2021.

‘‘We have removed skip-fulls of rubbish, including furniture, sunbeds, car bodies and tyres as well as household rubbish, cans and bottles,’’ Adrienne said.

‘‘We would like to record our thanks to the Waimakariri District Council, who has supported us in many ways over the last 35 years,” she said.

‘‘Forty years ago, there were few trees planted in the urban landscape, but now Waimakariri has a strong environmental ethos and they now do what we used to do, planting out street corners, parks and reserves and further afield along the Ashley-Rakahuri River,’’ she said.

North Canterbury News – 14th April 2026

By Shelley Topp