The public holidays over Easter 2024 will see temporary changes to some Council services and facilities, including kerbside rubbish and recycling collections on Good Friday.

NZ Transport Agency is also expecting heavy traffic on State Highway 1 as people make their way to Warbirds Over Wanaka and Ashburton is likely to be very busy particularly on Easter Friday and Monday. Ongoing road work sites between Rolleston and Rangitata may create stretches of slower speed limits.

Rubbish & Recycling

Ashburton’s kerbside collection service will not operate on Good Friday, 29 March, so people whose bins are normally emptied on a Friday should put them out for collection on Saturday 30 March instead.
Bins will be collected as normal the week beginning Monday 1 April.

Resource Recovery Parks

The Ashburton Resource Recovery Park will be closed Friday 29 March and Monday 1 April over Easter. The park will be open its usual hours 9am-5pm on Saturday 30 March and Sunday 31 March.

Rakaia Resource Recovery Park will be closed Friday 29 March, Saturday 30 March and Monday 1 April.

The Methven greenwaste facility will be closed Sunday 31 March.

Ashburton Library

The Ashburton Library will be closed on Friday 29 March and Monday 1 April; it will open as usual on Saturday 30 March and Sunday 31 March, from 10am to 4pm. Normal hours from Tuesday 2 April.

Ashburton Art Gallery and Museum

The Ashburton Art Gallery and Museum will be closed Friday 29 March, but open 10am-4pm for the rest of the Easter holiday break – this is a great chance to check out the latest exhibits, which include Zonta Ashburton’s 2024 Female Art Awards.

Marian Maguire’s Enlightenment Project will run until 14 April, so is in its final weeks, and sound and scent combine for Jo Burzynski’s interesting exhibit, which runs until 21 April.

In the museum space, visitors can learn about the Ng King Brothers Chinese market garden settlement in a special local exhibit that runs until 12 May, and take a peak at some of the treasured objects and photos donated or acquired by the Ashburton Museum and Historical Society in 2023.

EA Networks Centre

EA Networks Centre will be closed on Friday 29 March. It will be open normal operating hours on Saturday 30 March and Sunday 31 March, though there will be no learn to swim classes. The Normal group fitness timetables will run on Saturday and Sunday.

On Monday 1 April, the centre will be open 10am-5pm. No learn to swim classes this day, but the pool inflatables will be up from 12.30pm-2.30pm; group fitness includes Aquafit at 10.15am, Revolution at 12.15pm and The Trip at 3.30pm.

Keep an eye on their Facebook page for special events.

Customer Services

Council’s administration services at Te Whare Whakatere, the new civic building at 2 Baring Square East, will close at 5pm on Thursday 29 March, and re-open at 8.30am on Tuesday 2 April.

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 at any time.

Emails, Snap Send Solves and website requests will be cleared when the office opens for business as usual on Tuesday 2 April.

Public toilets around the district will be open daily as usual over Easter – if you’re passing through the Rakaia Gorge, stop in and check out the new Matariki star viewing platform on the southern side.

**

Ashburton District does not have a current Easter Sunday Trading Policy, this was decided in 2017.

Over covid, shops were allowed to open at Easter Sunday, but this does now not apply.

The Shop Trading Hours Act 1990 applies, and where a policy doesn’t exist, shops (with some exceptions) cannot open.

This link sets out the overall approach for retailers: https://retail.kiwi/advice/easter-sunday-trading/