Fate of Christchurch’s city noise plan in government’s hands

Thursday, 11 September 2025

Local venues like Space Academy are known for featuring local artists. Pictured: Kei.

Christchurch City councillors have agreed to push on with a plan that would see noise limits increased around live venues in the city centre, if central government allows it.

The central city noise plan change - Plan Change 21 - seeks to protect live music and other venues from noise complaints and improve insulation requirements.

Halswell councillor Andrei Moore, who has the arts and creative industries portfolio, told colleagues on Wednesday the plan was not only well supported but was one of the most popular plan changes the council had done.

Some 87% of the 1400 respondents to the most recent public consultation supported the draft plan.

Mayor Phil Mauger agreed the plan change was “extremely important”.

However, whether the council can continue with the plan change is up to central government.

RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop announced in July that all councils were expected to stop work immediately on all plan changes - with some exceptions - ahead of changes to the Resource Management Act.

The rule change may introduce new insulation standards, as well as ventilation standards for new builds.

Asked about PC21 specifically, Bishop has told The Press the council did not need to “freak out” about canning it, suggesting that - as a fan of live music who had spent time with Moore in a mosh pit - the central city noise plan change may qualify for an exemption.

Moore has argued PC21 was essential to protecting Christchurch’s night time economy, as live music venues have cited noise complaints as a serious risk to their businesses, particularly as more homes are built nearby.

Venues like Space Academy and Darkroom on St Asaph St emerged after the quakes, but faced challenges as the area repopulated.

Map of proposed noise limit changes in central Christchurch.The yellow areas would retain 45 dB limits, orange (largely radiating out of the stadium at Te Kaha) would increase to 65 dB, and green would be 60 dB.

The Wednesday decision to apply for an exemption, and keep going on PC21, came a day after councillors heard an analysis of public feedback.

Some 87% of people supported increased noise limits and insulation standards, with a further 5% saying they ‘somewhat’ supported it.

Central city residents were less likely to support the plan than respondents living in other suburbs, with 66% in favour. A large cluster of residents in the area surrounding Victoria St did not support the plan, a council analysis noted.

Of the concerns cited, people were more likely to say the noise limits were not high enough (107) than they were to express concern about the quality of life impact on central city residents (62).

As it stood, the plan would see areas within the four avenues - mainly where venues already operated - raised from 45 dB limit to a 65 dB limit when averaged over 15 minutes, 5 dB more than Auckland and Wellington’s city centre noise limits.

Save Our Venues spokesperson Taylor MacGregor previously told The Press the sound of live music has been treated like noise and pollution, but it wasn’t the same as people yelling in the streets.

“It’s a different sound and needs to be measured appropriately,” MacGregor said.