Canterbury Anniversary Day on Friday 17 November is a public holiday that will affect some Council operations.

Council services and operating hours at some facilities will temporarily change over the long weekend, but there will be no change to kerbside rubbish and recycling collections on Friday.

If you’re travelling, take care on the roads; there’s plenty to do around the district if you’re staying home, including swimming at the EA Networks Centre and visiting the Ashburton Art Gallery and Museum.

If you are planning a big weekend in the garden, then green waste can be taken to the Ashburton Resource Recovery Park.
See temporary changes to Council services and facilities here:

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 closed on Friday 17 November and 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. There will be no swim school lessons on Friday, though lessons on Saturday will be happening as normal.

Usual weekend 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, and 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.

Come in over the weekend and fill your boots, or bags, with books ahead of the library’s three-week shutdown when it moves to the new civic building, Te Whare Whakatere. Books issued now won’t have to be returned until 10 January 2024, so it’s fine to stock up!

Ashburton Art Gallery and Museum

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

The Two O’Clock Tour on Sunday takes in two exhibitions in the gallery space and if you’re a fan of embroidery, textiles and poetry, you won’t want to miss this tour. We’ll be talking about Saskia Bunce-Rath’s work, Eating stars together at Dusk, and Iain Cheesman’s The River, which features on the foyer wall.

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 20 November.