What's On
Welcome to our autumn guide of family-friendly activities.
Whether you want quiet time or have energy to burn, there’s loads of (mostly) free stuff to do at our Ashburton District Council facilities.
Don’t forget our beautiful outdoor spaces to explore. Check out disc golf at Tinwald Domain or the EA Networks Centre. From skateparks and playgrounds to walking tracks and gardens, there’s something for everyone to do in Mid Canterbury. Head to midcanterburynz.com for more ideas!
You can grab a hardcopy of the booklet from all our facilities (Library, EANC, Art Gallary and Museum, etc), or check out the digital version here 👉
Zonta Ashburton Women's Art Awards 2025
Ashburton Art Gallery
1st Apr 2025 - 27th Apr 2025
Back for its ninth year, the Zonta Ashburton Women’s Art Awards exhibition for 2025 will be open from 08 March!ZAWAA seeks...
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Recloaking | Marie Porter
Ashburton Art Gallery
1st Apr 2025 - 27th Apr 2025
In Recloaking, ZAWAA 2024 Premier Award winner Marie Porter brings a sculptural consideration to the considerable undertaking of harvesting pine trees, ultimately intending to recloak...
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Land, Sea and Air
Ashburton Museum
1st Apr 2025 - 25th May 2025
On 4 September 1939, the main headline of the day’s Ashburton Guardian newspaper was: “THE EMPIRE AT WAR”. This was the beginning of the Second...
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Sharing Histories | Gifts of 2024
Ashburton Museum
1st Apr 2025 - 18th May 2025
Each year new treasures are collected by museums all around the world and ours is no different.In Sharing Histories | Gifts of 2024, the treasured...
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“With the Girls Overseas” - the voices of World War II New Zealand nurses
Ashburton Museum
25th Apr 2025 02:00 pm
Join us for a special Anzac Day talk with Sarah Johnston, where she will shed light on the voices of New Zealand nurses from the...
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Book Club
Ashburton Library
15th Apr 2025 01:30 pm - 03:00 pm
Our welcoming book club meets once a month to enjoy a cuppa and a chat about the books they’ve read. Be the first to read...
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Citizens Advice Bureau Drop In
Ashburton Library
2nd Apr 2025 - 30th Apr 2025
05:15 pm - 05:15 pmDo you have a problem or a question about your rights or obligations? Then drop in to the CAB session at Ashburton Library on Wednesday...
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Spinning Get Together
Ashburton Library
2nd Apr 2025 - 30th Apr 2025
05:45 pm - 07:45 pmSpinner get together. Join us in the Event Space to spin yarn and a few tales.Bring your own wheel or use one supplied by Ashburton...
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Social quilting group
Ashburton Library
19th Apr 2025 10:00 am - 10:00 am
Are you quilting alone at home? Why not join in with our quilting group at the library? The group meets on the third...
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Brain Injury Support Group
Ashburton Library
30th Apr 2025 10:30 am - 11:30 am
Are you or someone you know living with or supporting someone with a head injury? Facilitated by the Brain Injury Association, this monthly group...
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Vinyl cutter/printer class
Ashburton Library
3rd Apr 2025 - 24th Apr 2025
05:30 pm - 05:30 pmReady to create your own stickers or custom garment prints but...
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Maker Space Open Session
Ashburton Library
9th Apr 2025 - 30th Apr 2025
05:30 pm - 05:30 pmAlready taken one of our classes on the Laser Cutter or Vinyl Cutter and eager to start your own...
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Laser cutter class
Ashburton Library
9th Apr 2025 - 30th Apr 2025
10:00 am - 10:00 amInterested in mastering the laser cutter and bringing your own projects to life but unsure where to begin? This class is perfect for you!Join this...
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Secret Sea Messages | School Holidays
Ashburton Art Gallery
12th Apr 2025 - 19th Apr 2025
10am - 4pm daily
This school holidays, come along and create a symbolic time capsule inside a bottle, telling a story or sharing a secret message.
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Eggs-Press Yourself | School Holidays
Ashburton Art Gallery
12th Apr 2025 - 27th Apr 2025
10am - 4pm daily
Design your own Easter egg with inspiration from the exhibitions—whether it’s a character, object, or pattern.
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Mini Wild Woods | School Holidays
Ashburton Art Gallery
20th Apr 2025 - 27th Apr 2025
10am - 4pm daily
Build a 3D scene showing land restoration, contrasting pine trees with native bush or a polluted vs. restored river.
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Postcards from the Past | School Holidays
Ashburton Art Gallery
12th Apr 2025 - 27th Apr 2025
10am - 4pm daily
Design WWII-era postcards from Ashburton, imagining the perspectives of those who served or contributed on the Home Front.
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Easter Photo Booth Craft
Ashburton Library
17th Apr 2025 10:30 am - 11:30 am
Take an Easter Photo with our Instax and Easter props then create a cool photo frame.
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Aqualand Water Park Inflatable
EA Networks Centre
12th Apr 2025 - 14th Apr 2025
Enjoy a 50 minute session on the Aqualand Inflatable. Have fun with your friends, family or colleagues by heading across a floating obstacle course in...
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Laser Cut Sea Creatures
Ashburton Library
14th Apr 2025 03:00 pm - 04:00 pm
Make a splash with a laser-cut layered sea creature. Choose your favourite creature, paint it with dye or keep it naturally stunning!$5 to cover materials14th...
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3D Printed Kawaii Shark
Ashburton Library
14th Apr 2025 12:00 pm - 01:00 pm
Dive into the basics of 3D printing as you create this adorable kawaii shark pen holder. Customise, print, and take home your own toothy masterpiece.$5...
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Dive into Design with Procreate
Ashburton Library
15th Apr 2025 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Design a sea-creature inspired artwork using our Procreate software. either create something from scratch or customise an existing design from our sea creature collection. Take...
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Vinyl Print your own Deep Sea Decals
Ashburton Library
15th Apr 2025 02:00 pm - 03:00 pm
Learn how to print your own personalised decals and stickers with out Maker Space vinyl printer. Use one of the creature designs from our collection...
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Easter Egg Hunt
Ashburton Library
12th Apr 2025 - 27th Apr 2025
Hop into Ashburton Library during opening hours these school holidays for our eggcellent Easter Egg Hunt!Find all 10 eggs to crack the challenge and enter...
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Crazy Town Mascots
Ashburton Library
22nd Apr 2025 10:30 am - 11:30 am
Every town needs its own mascot! Get loopy and create one of your own out of recycled materials - the crazier, the better!
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Road Trip Bingo
Ashburton Library
15th Apr 2025 10:30 am - 11:30 am
Turn your next road trip into a game by creating your very own Road Trip Bingo card.Join in the fun as we play together and...
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ANZAC soldier silhouettes
Ashburton Library
24th Apr 2025 10:30 am - 11:30 am
Create a beautiful sunrise silhouette picture of an ANZAC soldier using dyes.
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EANC Holiday Programme - April
EA Networks Centre
14th Apr 2025 - 24th Apr 2025
08:30 am - 05:00 pmNeed fully-supervised childcare for your under-13 school-aged child?Book in for games, sports, field trips, crafts, swimming and more!Tamariki/children aged 5 - 13 years.Day $40, Full...
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EA Networks Glow in the Park 2025
Ashburton District Council
30th May 2025 - 1st Jun 2025
King's Birthday Weekend
Save the Date!Glow Up Your Winter! Bring your family and join us for three magical nights of light, music, food and fun for all ages...
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Enmeshed: Feminist modes of information sharing
Ashburton Art Gallery
11th May 2025 - 22nd Jun 2025
In Enmeshed, artists Julia Holderness, Areez Katki, Erica van Zon, Ana Iti, and Claudia Kogachi each reframe narratives. Stories are rewritten from new...
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Inventory | Marie Le Lievre
Ashburton Art Gallery
11th May 2025 - 22nd Jun 2025
Relinquishing of complete control is the wellspring of discovery for Marie Le Lievre. Her singular paintings require the ground as a starting point...
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Paintings of Ruined Mythic Phantasies
Ashburton Art Gallery
11th May 2025 - 22nd Jun 2025
Timaru-based painter Michael Armstrong’s exhibition Paintings of Ruined Mythic Phantasies addresses themes that have preoccupied him throughout his career – social justice, politics, the environment...
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Opening | Michael Armstrong, Maire Le Lievre, & Enmeshed
Ashburton Art Gallery
10th May 2025 06:00 pm
Join us for the opening of three new exhibitions!Timaru-based painter Michael Armstrong’s exhibition Paintings of Ruined Mythic Phantasies addresses themes that have preoccupied him throughout...
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