Hon Nicky Wagner

Minister supporting Greater Christchurch Regeneration

26 June 2017 Media Statement

South Frame home to NZ’s first ‘Raining Poetry’

Minister supporting Greater Christchurch Regeneration Nicky Wagner today opened the Mollett Street block of Christchurch’s South Frame, which includes new laneways, people-friendly public spaces and New Zealand’s first ‘Raining Poetry’ installation.

“Stencilled onto the laneway using an invisible spray, the poem only reveals itself when the area is wet,” Ms Wagner says.

A Promise, written by Burnside High School student Samantha Jory-Smart, references the traditional Maori proverb behind Matai Common — the name of the gathering space.

“With its five-metre-high green screens, plantings and seating, this area of the South Frame will become an inner city oasis,” Ms Wagner says.

Matai Common is connected to St Asaph and Tuam Streets by the new Te Puhoe and Sugarloaf lanes.

“When completed the South Frame will be an exciting and dynamic area spanning seven city blocks — its pavements and laneways bustling with markets, events, entertainment and dining,” Ms Wagner says.

A prominent feature of the South Frame is the Greenway — an east to west pedestrian and cycling corridor.

“But don’t bike too fast or you’ll miss intricate features that make this space uniquely Christchurch, like the illuminated pounamu inserts in the paving,” Ms Wagner says.

LINZ continues to work with landowners to acquire a small amount of land needed to complete the South Frame. Construction is expected to be completed in 2019.

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