Here’s a summary of Council services over the Christmas and New Year public holidays – there are a few temporary changes to operating hours at some facilities.

While the administration building and customer services counter will close at 1pm on Friday 23 December, we have staff rostered on over the break to undertake essential tasks like water testing and cleaning public toilets.

You can still get in touch with us at any time over the holiday period if you have a problem or urgently need to contact us, as the afterhours service will be operating 24 hours-a-day - please phone 03 307 7700.

Rubbish and recycling

There is no change to kerbside rubbish and recycling collections over the Christmas and New Year holiday period, because they fall on a weekend. Please have your bins out on your usual day by 7.30am, and please use your windstrap, no matter the weather.

Resource Recovery Parks

The Ashburton Resource Recovery Park will be closed Sunday 25 December (Christmas Day), Monday 26 December, Tuesday 27 December, and Sunday 1 January and Monday 2 January. Usual hours are 8am-6pm weekdays, 9am-6pm Saturdays and 9am-5pm Sundays.

The Rakaia Resource Recovery Park will be closed Monday 26 December and Monday 2 January. The Methven Green waste facility will be closed Sunday 25 December and Sunday 1 January.

EA Networks Centre and Tinwald Pool

The centre will close at 3pm on Saturday 24 December and be closed on 25 and 26 December and on 1 and 2 January. It will be open from 10am-5pm every other day (closing at 3pm on New Year’s eve) and return to normal hours on Wednesday 4 January.

Holiday learn-to-swim lessons will run 9-27 January, with the usual term programme starting back on Term 1 on 30 January. Keep an eye on the centre’s Facebook page for other aquatic activities.

The Tinwald Pool will be open every day except Christmas Day, Sunday 25 December. Its regular hours are 12pm-7pm, though it will close slightly earlier at 5pm on Saturday 24 December, New Year’s Eve and on New Year’s Day, Sunday 1 January.

Mt Hutt Memorial Hall

The Mt Hutt Memorial Hall at Methven will be closed on 25, 26 and 27 December and 1, 2 and 3 January. Between Christmas and New Year, it will close earlier at 2pm.

Santa will be dropping in on Wednesday 21 December, 2pm-4pm, and on Friday 23 December, from 10am-12pm. Call in to share what’s on your Christmas wish list!

Ashburton Public Library

The Ashburton Public Library will be open as normal on Saturday 24 December from 10am-1pm, but will be closed Sunday 25 December, Monday 26 December and Tuesday 27 December.

It will be open from 9am-5pm on Wednesday 28 December, Thursday 29 December and Friday 30 December, and on Saturday 31 December from 10am-1pm.

It will be closed Sunday 1 January, Monday 2 January and Tuesday 3 January, returning to normal hours on Wednesday 4 January.

Ashburton Art Gallery and Museum

The Ashburton Art Gallery and Museum will be open 10am-4pm every day except Sunday 25 December and Monday 26 December.

There’s a host of activities, including the great Santa Hunt 21-31 January; find all the sneaky Santas in their hiding spots.

A special space science exhibition Tūhura Tuarangi will run from 22 December until 29 January and this is a great chance to see some amazing space technology and world-leading research.

An exhibition of Samoan tattooing, Tatau, opens on 22 December. There will be daily activities for kids and families to take part in and, of course, there is the famous Burty Challenge too!

Administration building

Council’s administration building on Baring Square West will close at 1pm on Friday 23 December, and re-open at 8.30am on Wednesday 4 January.

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 when the office re-opens.

Public toilets around the district will be open daily as usual, and Open Spaces staff will be on deck 28-30 December to keep our parks and reserves looking ship shape.

All services will return to normal by Wednesday 4 January.