In the week before Christmas, Christchurch had a month's worth of rain in two days. Under the cover of darkness and downpour, thieves used power tools to break through steel bolts and lock boxes, stealing thousands of dollars worth of tools utilised by non-profit organisations for the good of their communities. Now, the groups are banding together to crowdfund for additional security measures and replacements.

Locals have had more than their share of adverse events. Richmond was severely affected by the 2011 February Earthquakes, losing a large part of its population, and six local schools. Since then, the community has banded together to create numerous community facilities and events in the Ōtākaro Avon River Corridor (formerly The Redzone).

Richmond Community Gardens have worked hard post-quakes, transforming a large area between Avebury House and the river into a thriving garden. It is a lively place which hosts regular community working bees, workshops and supports communal food production and preservation. They lost a number of their tools to the break in, including expensive power tools, strimmers and garden tools.

The Riverlution Enviro Hub is located on the border of the ŌARC. A repurposed home that was gifted to the community, it is now run by Christchurch Envirohub and Richmond Community Gardens, and is an affordable venue that hosts events and supports other community environmental organisations in their mahi. Their venue has been hit (number of times) by thieves since 2020, despite having alarms and surveillance cameras. Spokesperson Hayley Guglietta says “It’s been so disheartening to have this happen, we want to create a positive environment for community members and our volunteers, but these break ins have us a bit on edge. We really need some good news to focus on.”

The Riverlution Collective has worked hard since 2017 to gain permissions and finalise designs for a container cafe and store to enable them to be self supporting. The cafe was being fitted out ready for a summer 2022 opening, when it was broken into and all the tools/equipment was stolen. The setback is another hurdle for the community who have committed thousands of volunteer hours into creating a social space for their neighbourhood.

The Green Lab is an organisation that supports community groups to create green spaces for social wellbeing and connection. Their award winning moveable workspace ‘The Lab’ was being used by Riverlution Hub to test the viability of a local workshop and tool lendery, and had already been used for several successful events, including the Repair Revolution Cafe, when the thieves struck. The Lab travels to different sites to support the development of community projects; it is due to move to the McFaddens Centre in March to assist with the development of a community garden.

The Green Lab Director, Khye Hitchcock says “It’s upsetting to lose these resources, particularly in summer when we are co-creating projects with other communities and are now scrambling to find replacements. Serious power tools were used to break in - this wasn’t an opportunist. They have deliberately planned this and cleared us out; even the tape measures were taken.”

A Give-a-Little fundraising campaign has been started to help the groups cover the costs associated with replacing tools and increasing security measures. In line with the groups sustainability values, the donation of preloved safe and functioning tools would also be welcomed.

Security at all the sites has been increased since the burglaries, with a recent attempted theft in the Envirohub Garage caught on CCTV. Local business Alarm Solutions has sponsored a pre-loved portable alarm system for The Lab. The groups have worked with local police to assess other security measures, and neighbours are aware and assisting with monitoring.

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