To protect local venues, encourage local music, and maintain a vibrant central city nightlife I propose:

• Council to establish a fund through which venues and local residents can apply for funding to assist with sound-proofing of their domicile/venue.

• Council to establish a bylaw that requires all new residential properties, including AirBnBs and the like, that are located next to live music character areas within the central city to include a clear and prominent disclaimer about the likelihood of higher than usual levels of noise.

• Any Local Alcohol Policy to reflect a pro-social, pro-culture approach that enables vibrant and inclusive nightlife rather than puritanical control.

• Council to investigate the development of a Local Music Ecosystem Policy that empowers the development of local music as a core part of city culture in a holistic and inclusive way, including consideration for access to music venues for high school aged musicians.Christchurch has produced a fantastic number of nationally and internationally recognised musicians. Many of them got their start playing gigs at small and medium venues in the Central Ward. A considered, positive approach to local music and city nightlife is a boon to the culture and economy of a city. The convivial atmosphere of the central city is a testament to the incredible dedication of hospitality workers, the great vision of some hospitality venue owners, and some solid city planning. We need to keep leveraging this proud heritage. 

It’s no secret, however, that the vibrancy of the central city can come into conflict with the interests of residents. A venue needs to be able to make a considerable amount of noise, often beyond currently regulated levels, to be viable. Residents nearby need to be able to sleep. Beyond that, performers need to be able to unload their gear securely without risking a parking ticket. Gig attendees need to know they’ve got good transport options. Venue owners need sensible liquor licensing laws to be able to operate well. 

I have been a musician in Christchurch for the better part of 20 years – just in local bands playing bass guitar, nothing too flash. In the aftermath of the 2011 earthquakes local music was decimated – the venues available, the community infrastructure built up over decades, suddenly was unavailable or extinguished. I remember organising gigs with a prolific band from San Francisco in a friend’s living room because we had no other options. 

It didn’t take long though for passionate and committed Christchurch locals to get going again. Some pre-earthquake legacy venues found new locations or re-opened as soon as they could at their original premises. New spots opened up, using whatever space they could find in the former light-industrial and distribution districts of the central city. These venues became a lifeline for local music in a city that was still on its knees in so many ways. 

Local music is of great benefit to the local economy - a ticket to a gig, a drink at the venue, these are much more likely to go back into the local economy than a Netflix or Spotify subscription. Local music means more than gigs at “alternative” music spaces – it spans from what we teach at school, the everyday way many of us spend our free time, to the promised realisation of the new stadium in the central city, packed out with fans of major international acts. It brings people into the city centre and provides a space to connect with our community in an age where social isolation is becoming more and more of a concern. It gives venues a way to attract custom without pokies or similar, less prosocial draw cards. 

The issue of local music is of keen interest to the central ward in Christchurch. Yet, in council policy, the value of local music is not explicitly addressed. Artists and venues end up jumping through a variety of hoops to make their projects viable – noise control policies, resource consents, etc. 

I believe the council needs to develop a Music Ecosystem Policy – a policy that integrates all the considerations for a thriving local music scene – and enshrine that policy at the core of central city planning.

The central ward hosts the Christchurch School of Music, the Ara Institute of Canterbury Music Arts, and the majority of performance music from the University of Canterbury. The Southern Institution of Technology school MAINZ is in the ward, teaching students about recording music and mixing live music. It would be embarrassing if all these keen, talented students found themselves unable to practice their art/profession in the central city due to retrograde city planning and council policies. 

Tours from big, internationally-recognised musical acts don't come just from having the right venues – it comes from having the right culture, a community that values live music 365 days of the year, whether it’s the local high school grunge band or Kendrick Lamar.