# Ouruhia, Christchurch

784 council reports since August 2015, the 81st busiest suburb in the city. 656 photographs on record.

https://www.chch.live/ouruhia

## Live source links

Link-outs to the source’s own live pages, chch.live does not copy their live values or source text.

- [Christchurch City Council What’s On](https://www.ccc.govt.nz/news-and-events/whats-on)
- [Christchurch City Libraries events](https://my.christchurchcitylibraries.com/events/)

## Living here

New bonds here ran at about **$689 a week** in the April–June 2026 quarter, the middle half $640–$700, across 15 bonds, up 3% on a year ago. That’s about **$139 a week above** the city’s own quarter median of $550. Tenancy Services counts these under the much wider Marshland area, this locality sits inside it, so read the figure as the district’s.
- 1-bedroom house, $690 a week · 9 new bonds

Median and quartiles of weekly rents on new private bonds (Tenancy Services), new bonds only, not the whole stock.

## 2023 Census snapshot

About 1,392 people and 498 occupied private households, grouped from 10 SA1 areas in Marshland, Burlington-Oakbridge, Belfast East. A wider statistical area stands in for this suburb, so this is a proxy rather than a count for the suburb boundary.

- Under 15: about 15% (207 people)
- 65 and over: about 30% (411 people)
- Born overseas: about 20% of stated birthplace
- European ethnicity: about 83% of ethnicity responses
- Māori ethnicity: about 10% of ethnicity responses
- Pacific Peoples ethnicity: about 2% of ethnicity responses
- Asian ethnicity: about 12% of ethnicity responses
- Households with internet: about 89% of stated households

Ethnicity is a multiple-response measure, so those percentages are not meant to add to 100%. Stats NZ uses fixed random rounding to base 3; unavailable or confidential cells are left out, not treated as zero.

[individuals](https://datafinder.stats.govt.nz/layer/120766-2023-census-totals-by-topic-for-individuals-by-statistical-area-1-part-1/) · [households](https://datafinder.stats.govt.nz/layer/120765-2023-census-totals-by-topic-for-households-by-statistical-area-1/) · [geography](https://datafinder.stats.govt.nz/table/111243/) · [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

## As reported (656 on record)
- [102–126 Spencerville Rd](https://www.chch.live/report/9084195)
- [32–96 Spencerville Rd](https://www.chch.live/report/9077517)
- [32–96 Spencerville Rd](https://www.chch.live/report/9076563)
- [Canterbury](https://www.chch.live/report/9076548)
- [102–126 Spencerville Rd](https://www.chch.live/report/9039579)
- [119–151 Spencerville Rd](https://www.chch.live/report/9039567)

[656 photographs on the wall](https://www.chch.live/wall?suburb=ouruhia)

## The suburb, back then (2 in the archive)

*Placed by the record’s locality join or the name in its own title, a lead, not a claim each frame stood here.*
- [Ouruhia School](https://www.chch.live/then/1920s#p-55292438), 1920 · Canterbury Stories
- [Ouruhia Rugby League Team](https://www.chch.live/then/1920s#p-59383042), 1922 · Canterbury Stories

## The record on Ouruhia
- Ouruhia enters the written record in 12 July 1905, [“AGRICULTURAL AND TASTORAL NEWS. (Otago Witness, 12 July 1905)”](https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/OW19050712.2.13), [Papers Past](https://www.chch.live/collection/papers-past).
- “Ouruhia” appears somewhere in 24 of the archive’s records.
- A Papers Past search for the name surfaced 22 records, leads by provenance.
- The first report here: roading/streets, 12 August 2015, at 286-288 Lower Styx Rd.
- Its busiest day was 5 November 2024, 14 reports in a single day.
- The street that keeps coming up is [Spencerville Road](https://www.chch.live/street/ouruhia/spencerville-road), reported on 165 separate days.
- For elections the suburb’s centre falls inside [Coastal ward](https://www.chch.live/wards/coastal), the [Coastal-Burwood-Linwood community board](https://www.chch.live/boards/coastal-burwood-linwood) is its local layer. The whole roll is at [/wards](https://www.chch.live/wards).

## How fast the council fixes things here (1,166 finished jobs on record)

The median council work order pinned in Ouruhia took **5 days** to resolve, the city-wide median is 3 days, so this ground runs slower than the city as a whole.
The slowest tenth of finished jobs waited 3 months or longer.
36 tickets are open here now, the oldest was filed 3 December 2021.

Work orders, not resident reports, the council’s MyCouncilTicket stream, and one job can appear in both. A median counts only finished jobs; open ones are named as open, never averaged in. [The ticket roll](https://www.chch.live/fixed) · [the whole city’s fix times](https://www.chch.live/trends#fix).

## Alcohol rules on this ground

One sensitive site stands here, Ouruhia Model School, and the Local Alcohol Policy restricts new off-licences within 200 m of it.

The council’s bylaw zones and the Local Alcohol Policy’s buffer list. A ban rules drinking in public places; it says nothing about whether a premises may sell, that is the licence register’s job.

## Lately
- [Dumped Rubbish](https://www.chch.live/report/9084195), 13 Oct 2026 · 102–126 Spencerville Rd, “So much rubbish being dumped here since cameras taken away Here’s more -”
- [Dumped Rubbish](https://www.chch.live/report/9077517), 12 Oct 2026 · 32–96 Spencerville Rd, “Big load of rubbish I spotted on the side of the road in a frequented drop zone by people who can’t seem to dump their…”
- [Dumped Rubbish](https://www.chch.live/report/9076563), 12 Oct 2026 · 32–96 Spencerville Rd, “Cardboard and other items all along spencerville road”
- [Dumped Rubbish](https://www.chch.live/report/9076548), 12 Oct 2026 · Canterbury, “Wool sack full of rubbish”
- [Dumped Rubbish](https://www.chch.live/report/9039579), 6 Oct 2026 · 102–126 Spencerville Rd, “Dumped rubbish”
- [Dumped Rubbish](https://www.chch.live/report/9039567), 6 Oct 2026 · 119–151 Spencerville Rd, “Dumped Rubbish”
- [Dumped Rubbish](https://www.chch.live/report/9023287), 3 Oct 2026 · 69-157 Spencerville Road, “dumped mattress foam beside road”
- [Dumped Rubbish](https://www.chch.live/report/9009164), 30 Sept 2026 · 119–151 Spencerville Rd, “Dumped rubbish”
- [Dumped Rubbish](https://www.chch.live/report/9002761), 29 Sept 2026 · Canterbury, “Dumped rubbish”
- [Dumped Rubbish](https://www.chch.live/report/8987481), 26 Sept 2026 · 147 Spencerville Road, “office chair dumped on Spencerville Road. has been there a few weeks.”
- [Dumped Rubbish](https://www.chch.live/report/8987476), 26 Sept 2026 · 69 Spencerville Road, “matrasses or cushions on side of road. Spencerville Road near entrance to Chaneys.”
- [Pothole](https://www.chch.live/report/8946515), 19 Sept 2026 · 1 Chenery Ave, “Bad holes”

## Reports per year
- 2015, 1
- 2016, 8
- 2017, 6
- 2018, 19
- 2019, 36
- 2020, 54
- 2021, 68
- 2022, 56
- 2023, 102
- 2024, 156
- 2025, 195

## What gets reported
- Rubbish & dumping, 499
- Trees & parks, 120
- Roads & footpaths, 75
- [Graffiti & vandalism](https://www.chch.live/problems/graffiti), 42
- Everything else, 17
- Water & drains, 14
- [Animals & pests](https://www.chch.live/problems/animals-pests), 9
- Vehicles & parking, 8

## Exactly what people say
- [Dumped Rubbish](https://www.chch.live/problems/dumped-rubbish), 377
- [Rubbish/Recycling](https://www.chch.live/problems/bins-recycling), 103
- [Parks](https://www.chch.live/problems/parks-maintenance), 46
- [Roading/Streets](https://www.chch.live/problems/road-damage), 33
- [Graffiti](https://www.chch.live/problems/graffiti), 29
- [Overgrown Vegetation](https://www.chch.live/problems/overgrown-vegetation), 24
- [Park - General Request](https://www.chch.live/problems/parks-maintenance), 15
- [Public Toilet](https://www.chch.live/problems/public-toilets), 14

## On the heritage register (2)
- [Dalraith Farm Building and Setting](https://www.chch.live/place/236)
- [Former Fruit Storage Shed and Setting](https://www.chch.live/place/147), 10 Farrells Road

## The streets that keep coming up
- [Spencerville Road](https://www.chch.live/street/ouruhia/spencerville-road), reported on 165 separate days
- [Marshland Road](https://www.chch.live/street/ouruhia/marshland-road), reported on 150 separate days
- [Lower Styx Road](https://www.chch.live/street/ouruhia/lower-styx-road), reported on 35 separate days
- [Turners Road](https://www.chch.live/street/ouruhia/turners-road), reported on 16 separate days
- [Farrells Road](https://www.chch.live/street/ouruhia/farrells-road), reported on 12 separate days
- [Guthries Road](https://www.chch.live/street/ouruhia/guthries-road), reported on 11 separate days
- [Belfast Road](https://www.chch.live/street/ouruhia/belfast-road), reported on 8 separate days
- [Chenery Avenue](https://www.chch.live/street/ouruhia/chenery-avenue), reported on 5 separate days

## Schools (1)
- [Ōuruhia Model School](https://www.chch.live/school/3464-ouruhia-model-school), Full Primary · decile 8 · EQI 445

Decile and Equity Index describe the community a school draws from, never how well it teaches.

Zoned for [Christchurch Adventist School](https://www.chch.live/school/317-christchurch-adventist-school) · [Emmanuel Christian School](https://www.chch.live/school/1168-emmanuel-christian-school) · [Mairehau High School](https://www.chch.live/school/320-mairehau-high-school) · [Marian College](https://www.chch.live/school/343-marian-college) · [Middleton Grange School](https://www.chch.live/school/335-middleton-grange-school) · [Ōuruhia Model School](https://www.chch.live/school/3464-ouruhia-model-school) · and 8 more zones, the drawn zone is indicative; the Ministry’s written scheme is the legal boundary.

## The green here (5)
- [Ouruhia Reserve](https://www.chch.live/park/1515-ouruhia-reserve), Sports ground · 9 ha · playground, 8 pieces
- [Styx Loop Conservation Park](https://www.chch.live/park/941-styx-loop-conservation-park), Regional · 7 ha
- [Kaputone Esplanade Reserve](https://www.chch.live/park/1009-kaputone-esplanade-reserve), Regional · 7 ha
- [Styx River Reserve Living Laboratory](https://www.chch.live/park/1715-styx-river-reserve-living-laboratory), Regional · 4 ha
- [Kaputone Confluence Conservation Park](https://www.chch.live/park/1882-kaputone-confluence-conservation-park), Regional · 3 ha

A park lands in the suburb its centre falls inside, a centroid call, not a containment claim.

## The tracks through here (1)
- [Walk and bike track through Ouruhia](https://www.chch.live/track/walk-436-belfast), 4.8 km · walk · bike

A track belongs to every suburb its line passes through.

## The ground that moved
The February 2011 survey drew mapped ground failure over 18.5% of this outline, about 139 hectares. A patch is a footprint, not a finding about an address; the count for the whole city is at [liquefaction](https://www.chch.live/liquefaction).
The flood record drew water over 42.0% of this outline, about 315 hectares, across 1 named event. A patch is one event’s observation, not a live hazard finding; the record is at [floods](https://www.chch.live/floods).
The mapped tsunami extent covers **12%** of this outline, about 91 hectares. The sea’s modelled reach, not a prediction, the plan’s inundation line, not the evacuation zones; the share is read from a sampled join. The whole extent is at [tsunami](https://www.chch.live/tsunami).
The plan’s schedule of sites significant to Ngāi Tahu covers **2%** of this outline, about 13 hectares, ngā wai. A silent-file precinct covers **26%** of it besides, sensitive ground the plan flags without naming the sites. Shares read from a sampled join; a recognition overlay, not a catalogue. The whole schedule: [cultural](https://www.chch.live/cultural).
The plan’s ecological schedules cover **6%** of this outline, about 46 hectares across **1** scheduled site, all of it protected under Schedule A. Shares read from a sampled join; a recognition overlay, not a survey. The whole ledger: [ecology](https://www.chch.live/ecology).
The plan’s landscape schedules cover **2%** of this outline, about 13 hectares across **1** scheduled area. Shares read from a sampled join; a protection overlay, not a ranking of views. The kept view: [landscape](https://www.chch.live/landscape).
The plan’s flood map draws **21%** of this outline inside **high flood hazard** ground, about 156 hectares across **2** mapped areas. The broader flood-management watch covers **38%** of it, Lower Styx River. **13** ponding spots are mapped here, where the models expect water to sit. Shares read from a sampled join; a model’s map, not a promise. The waiting water: [flood-hazard](https://www.chch.live/flood-hazard).
The plan’s water-margin layers cross this outline, **48** classified reaches, the plan calling **Kaputone Creek** and **Styx River**
           by name, **6%** of it inside the setback strips, the widest holding **30 m** off the bank, and an esplanade line holds a public edge here. The margin is the plan’s drawing, not a survey of the bank. The drawn water: [water-margin](https://www.chch.live/water-margin).
The rebuild’s cameras filed **45** photographs on this ground, stormwater work mostly. Each frame is a receipt the dig left behind, a work log, not a survey of what stands now. The whole record: [rebuild](https://www.chch.live/rebuild).
The pedal network threads this ground, **1.0 km** of cycleway crosses the outline. A segment counts under every suburb its path enters; the whole network: [cycleways](https://www.chch.live/cycleways).
The rulebook binds this ground, **3** drawn instruments, 2 of them dog rules, 1 bottle-store buffer; the outline sits inside the takiwā of Te Ngai Tuahuriri Runanga. The bylaw is the instrument, this the map of it, the rulebook: [rules](https://www.chch.live/rules).
**2** parcels inside this outline sit on the hazardous-activities register, mostly cemeteries and waste recycling, treatment and disposal. A listing records the work, not a soil test; the register is at [hazards](https://www.chch.live/hazards).
The files record **9** parcels of made or characterised ground inside this outline, about 12 hectares, mostly compacted hardfill, mixed fill with rubbish, sand, 1 carry fill the file can’t vouch for. A record is the file’s word on what was laid, not a fresh survey; the layer is at [fill](https://www.chch.live/fill).
The 2019 liquefaction study put **100%** of this outline in the **possible** class. A class is the model’s verdict on a patch of ground, not a finding about an address; the study is at [vulnerability](https://www.chch.live/vulnerability).
The council’s structure register stands **7** assets on this ground, 3 bridges, 2 shelters, 2 jetties, sited at Kaputone Confluence Conservati, Kaputone Esplanade Reserve, Ka Putahi Creek Esplanade Rese, Ouruhia Reserve. Site names are the register’s own labels; the layer is drawn on [the map](https://www.chch.live/map?layer=structures).
The recreation register keeps **5** records inside this outline, bookable surfaces for 3 tennis, 1 cricket, 1 basketball. Seasons and surfaces are the register’s record, not this week’s draw; the layer is drawn on [the map](https://www.chch.live/map?layer=recreation).
The register counts **181** living trees inside this outline, **14** veterans among them, 9 carrying a protection, mostly Douglas Fir, Smooth Arizona Cypress, Crack Willow. The file remembers **60** trees felled here. A tree record is the register’s word on what stands or stood; the canopy is at [trees](https://www.chch.live/trees).
The plan files **57%** of this outline under **Rural Urban Fringe**, the rest mostly Specific Purpose (Golf Resort) 17%, Rural Waimakariri 11%. A zone is a permission, not a description, the mix is a sampled read of the plan’s polygons; the district’s zoning is at [zones](https://www.chch.live/zones).
The plan reserves about **13 hectares** of this outline, **2%** , under 3 designations, mostly movement. A designation is a claim on the ground, not a build date, the mix is a sampled read; the register is at [designations](https://www.chch.live/designations).
The plan’s heritage schedule protects **2** places by name in this suburb, **Dalraith Farm Building and Setting**, **Former Fruit Storage Shed and Setting**. A setting is the ground the item stands in, each files under the suburb holding its centroid. The schedule is at [heritage](https://www.chch.live/heritage).
GeoNet’s catalogue puts 3 magnitude-3+ epicentres inside this outline since the sequence opened, the biggest a M4.5 in 2016. An epicentre is where the instruments placed the break, not a measure of the shaking here; the whole catalogue is counted at [sequence](https://www.chch.live/sequence), and the story in plain language is [the earthquakes explainer](https://www.chch.live/how-nz-works/canterbury-earthquakes).

## The names on this ground (2)
- [Kā Pūtahi](https://www.chch.live/river/ka-putahi), waterway · 10.6 km
- [Styx River](https://www.chch.live/river/styx-river), waterway · 19.8 km

The named waterways, bays, headlands, monuments, summits and old sites OpenStreetMap puts inside this outline, a pin is the mapper’s own; a waterway belongs to every suburb it crosses. Every roll, counted: [geography](https://www.chch.live/geography).

## Documents that name it

*These are leads, not verified claims, search ties, not read sources.*
- [AGRICULTURAL AND TASTORAL NEWS. (Otago Witness, 12 July 1905)](https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/OW19050712.2.13), [Papers Past](https://www.chch.live/collection/papers-past) · 1905-07-12T00:00:00.000Z
- [THE MAILS. (Star, 11 September 1905)](https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/TS19050911.2.15), [Papers Past](https://www.chch.live/collection/papers-past) · 1905-09-11T00:00:00.000Z
- [Page 5 Advertisements Column 5 (Evening Post, 14 October 1915)](https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/EP19151014.2.36.5), [Papers Past](https://www.chch.live/collection/papers-past) · 1915-10-14T00:00:00.000Z
- [Page 5 Advertisements Column 5 (Evening Post, 17 March 1916)](https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/EP19160317.2.38.5), [Papers Past](https://www.chch.live/collection/papers-past) · 1916-03-17T00:00:00.000Z
- [BACK FROM THE WAR (Otago Daily Times 2-1-1917)](https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ODT19170102.2.80), [Papers Past](https://www.chch.live/collection/papers-past) · 1917-02-01T12:00:00Z
- [PERSONAL. (Colonist, 06 May 1918)](https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/TC19180506.2.24), [Papers Past](https://www.chch.live/collection/papers-past) · 1918-05-06T00:00:00.000Z
- [Page 1 Advertisements Column 3 (Grey River Argus, 11 July 1919)](https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/GRA19190711.2.4.3), [Papers Past](https://www.chch.live/collection/papers-past) · 1919-07-11T00:00:00.000Z
- [THE Ellesmere Guardian. SATURDAY, AUGUST 2, 1919. NEWS OF THE DAY. (Ellesmere Guardian, 02 August 1919)](https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/EG19190802.2.6), [Papers Past](https://www.chch.live/collection/papers-past) · 1919-08-02T00:00:00.000Z
- [Ouruhia School](https://www.canterburystories.nz/collections/community/bdmt/local-scenes-and-places/ccl-cs-80521), [Canterbury Stories](https://www.chch.live/collection/canterbury-stories) · 1920-01-01T00:00:00Z
- [LAND FOR SOLDIERS. (Ashburton Guardian, 28 October 1920)](https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AG19201028.2.43), [Papers Past](https://www.chch.live/collection/papers-past) · 1920-10-28T00:00:00.000Z

## The crash record (64 injury crashes)

64 crashes that hurt somebody on record inside the suburb’s outline, 2 people killed, 21 seriously hurt.

The corner that keeps appearing: [Marshland Road at Belfast Road](https://www.chch.live/crashes/belfast-road-and-marshland-road), 13 injury crashes.

- [Every crash it holds](https://www.chch.live/crashes?suburb=ouruhia)
- [The city’s whole record](https://www.chch.live/crashes)

## The crime record (72 recorded victimisations)

72 victimisations on the NZ Police record inside the suburb’s outline, September 2022–August 2026, mostly theft, about 13 a year per 1,000 residents. Reported is not all, how much never reaches the record depends on the offence.

- [The suburb on the crime map](https://www.chch.live/crime?grain=suburb&area=ouruhia)
- [The city’s whole record](https://www.chch.live/crime)

## Businesses here (4 in the directory)

From OpenStreetMap, the council’s licensed-premises register and its 2024 Find Christchurch directory, each kind opens at this suburb’s shelf.

- [Bottle stores](https://www.chch.live/businesses/liquor#in-ouruhia), 1
- [Campgrounds](https://www.chch.live/businesses/campground#in-ouruhia), 1
- [Farm](https://www.chch.live/businesses/farm#in-ouruhia), 1
- [Golf courses](https://www.chch.live/businesses/golf-course#in-ouruhia), 1

- [The whole directory](https://www.chch.live/businesses)

## Next door
- [Kainga](https://www.chch.live/kainga)
- [Belfast](https://www.chch.live/belfast)
- [Spencerville](https://www.chch.live/spencerville)
- [Bottle Lake](https://www.chch.live/bottle-lake)
- [Coutts Island](https://www.chch.live/coutts-island)
- [Marshland](https://www.chch.live/marshland)

[Compare](https://www.chch.live/compare) Ouruhia with [Kainga](https://www.chch.live/compare?a=kainga&b=ouruhia) · [Belfast](https://www.chch.live/compare?a=belfast&b=ouruhia) · [Spencerville](https://www.chch.live/compare?a=ouruhia&b=spencerville) · [Bottle Lake](https://www.chch.live/compare?a=bottle-lake&b=ouruhia) · [Coutts Island](https://www.chch.live/compare?a=coutts-island&b=ouruhia) · [Marshland](https://www.chch.live/compare?a=marshland&b=ouruhia), same record, side by side.

## Questions, answered briefly

**What is Ouruhia?**

A suburb of Christchurch, New Zealand, the public record holds 784 council reports for it, the first filed in August 2015.

**How many people does the 2023 Census count for Ouruhia?**

About 1,392 people and 498 occupied private households (wider SA2 stand-in): grouped from Stats NZ SA1 areas through this site’s suburb join. Indicative, not a LIM.

**What gets reported in Ouruhia?**

784 reports on record, most often rubbish & dumping (499), trees & parks (120), roads & footpaths (75). 108 of them in the year to 13 October 2026.

**How many crashes has Ouruhia had?**

64 injury crashes on the police record inside the suburb’s outline, 2 people killed, 21 seriously hurt. [The suburb’s crashes, mapped →](https://www.chch.live/crashes?suburb=ouruhia)

**What schools are in Ouruhia?**

One school in the Ministry’s directory, Ōuruhia Model School.

**What stood in Ouruhia before?**

The heritage register holds 2 places here, [Dalraith Farm Building and Setting](https://www.chch.live/place/236), [Former Fruit Storage Shed and Setting](https://www.chch.live/place/147). The written record goes back further: [the shelf, for the name →](https://www.chch.live/documents?q=%22Ouruhia%22)

Data: https://api.chch.live/suburb?name=Ouruhia · Reports: https://api.chch.live/reports.rss?suburb=Ouruhia