Canterbury Anniversary Day on Friday 11 November is a public holiday affecting some Council services, and it also co-incides with Armistice Day and South Canterbury Anniversary Day, which was moved from September this year following the passing of Queen Elizabeth II.

There is plenty happening around the region, including the Canterbury Show and NZ Cup horse racing meetings on Friday and Saturday in Christchurch, so please take care if you are travelling on the roads as extra traffic is expected.

Some Council services will temporarily change over the long weekend, but there’s still plenty to do, from swimming at the EA Networks Centre to visiting the Ashburton Art Gallery and Museum. If there are big jobs in the garden, then green waste can be taken to the Ashburton Resource Recovery Park.

Deputy Mayor Liz McMillan will be representing Council at Friday’s Armistice Day remembrance service at the Ashburton RSA.

The national day of remembrance takes place every year on 11 November at 11am, and marks the closure of World War I, and the silencing of the guns.

The service will be held this year Ashburton RSA, next to the Lone Pine tree, grown from seeds sourced from Gallipoli. Please take care if you are travelling in the area, as extra vehicles and pedestrians are expected.

EA Networks Centre and the gallery and museum will also be open every day over the long anniversary weekend, however the public holiday on Friday 11 November will see temporary changes to some other Council services and facilities.

Rubbish and recycling

There is no change to kerbside rubbish and recycling collections and Friday’s collection will take place as usual, with residents to have their wheelie bins out by 7.30am. Remember to use your windstrap, whether it's windy or not.

Resource Recovery Parks

The Ashburton Resource Recovery Park will be open Friday from 8am-6pm, Saturday from 9am-6pm and Sunday from 9am-5pm.

The Methven green waste dropoff will be open Sunday from 12pm until 4pm.

The Rakaia Resource Recovery Park will be open on Saturday from 9am-3pm.

EA Networks Centre

Swim, put up some hoops or work out in the gym every day of the long weekend as the EA Networks Centre will be open Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The centre’s operating hours on Friday will be 10am-5pm while usual hours apply for the rest of the weekend.

The gym will be open Saturday and Sunday from 7am until 6pm. The pool will be open Saturday and Sunday from 7am until 5pm. The stadium will be open Saturday and Sunday from 7am to 7pm.

Mt Hutt Memorial Hall

The Mt Hutt Memorial Hall at Methven will be open on Friday from 10am until 2pm, Saturday and Sunday from 10am until 4pm

Ashburton Public Library

The Ashburton Public Library will be closed on Friday, but open Saturday 10am-1pm and Sunday 1pm-4pm.

Ashburton Art Gallery and Museum

The Ashburton Art Gallery and Museum will be open 10am-4pm on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

The art gallery is hosting an exhibition by well-known Ashburton artist Ngaio McKee, a versatile artist with a love of local landscapes and floral studies who has been painting since the mid-1970s.

The exhibition, which runs until 2 December, is a selection of her work over the years, including treasured pieces on loan from the homes of family and friends.

The Bobbie Barwell photography exhibition is still running and will do so until 18 December, while an exhibition called The Wind of the Homeland, paintings by renowned Canterbury artist Henry Lowen-Smith, is in its final days.

The Spotlight on Burnett Street display is also open, and it takes a look at the changing landscape, lives and businesses of one of Ashburton’s busiest streets.

Administration building

Council’s administration building on Baring Square West will be closed Friday, Saturday and Sunday, re-opening on Monday at 8.30am. If you have a problem or urgently need to contact us, then the afterhours/24 hours-a-day service will be operating - please phone 03 307 7700.

Emails, Snap Send Solves and website requests will be cleared Monday morning.

Public toilets around the district will be open as usual during the long weekend.

All facilities will return to normal hours on Monday 14 November.