
Artificial Grass Options Designed For Pet Owners In Christchurch
The artificial grass for dogs supplied by Lifestyle Lawns is built to manage wear from regular use while remaining easy to maintain. Turf systems include permeable backing for fast drainage and antibacterial infill to help reduce odours and inhibit bacterial growth. The surfaces are designed to be paw-safe, low-slip, and easy to rinse clean.
These products aim to solve common issues such as lawn damage from digging, patchy grass, and persistent muddy areas. Suitable for home gardens, kennels, and shared spaces like dog parks, the synthetic turf replicates the look and feel of natural grass while maintaining a consistent appearance year-round.
Lifestyle Lawns is also the exclusive New Zealand supplier of Envirofill - the country's only antibacterial turf infill. This advanced infill stays cooler underfoot, reduces odours, and provides a cleaner, safer surface for families and pets. No other turf installer in New Zealand currently offers this level of hygiene or product innovation. The surfaces are designed to be paw-safe, low-slip, and easy to rinse clean.
As a local provider of synthetic grass in Christchurch, Lifestyle Lawns also highlights environmental and practical benefits of artificial lawns, including reduced water usage, no fertiliser or pesticide needs, and minimal maintenance. Products are equipped with features such as CoolTouch™ temperature control and use recyclable components where possible.
The company offers both professional installation and DIY options, supporting customers with site preparation guidance and aftercare tips. Lifestyle Lawns services are available across Christchurch and throughout New Zealand. Further information is available via the company's website.

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RNZ News
4 hours ago
- RNZ News
Loss of Sounds Air regional flights to impact healthcare access, connectivity
One of the Sounds Air's nine-seater Pilatus aircraft which provide the service between Westport and Wellington Photo: Ellen Curnow The loss of two popular regional flights in the South Island is being seen as not just a blow to hopes of boosting tourism but also for healthcare and those needing treatment at Christchurch Hospital. Sounds Air will can its flights from Blenheim to Christchurch and Christchurch to Wānaka from the end of September due to what's being described as 'out of control' costs. Sounds Air managing director Andrew Crawford said it was flying more passengers than ever but could not keep up with the costs that have remained high since the pandemic, engineer shortages and the weak New Zealand dollar. Sounds Air said it was going back to basics; canning the two routes, selling five smaller aircraft, and expanding its Cessna Caravan fleet for Cook Strait services. Ten staff will lose their jobs. That was after cancelling its services from Wellington to Taupō and Wellington to Westport last December and selling an aircraft. The Minister for the South Island and associate Minister for Transport James Meager told Checkpoint he has spoken with Andrew Crawford recently to reassure him the issue was a high priority. But Crawford said they had reached out to the government numerous times to no avail, and passing the buck on to customers to cover costs was not an option. The airline's fares had gone up by more than 20 percent since Covid - they could go up another 20 percent and it would still not be enough to cover its costs, he said. Marlborough Mayor Nadine Taylor said the council had raised the issue with government, and were told market forces would take care of it. It was gutting for the region as the Blenheim-Christchurch route was a critical part of the region's economic recovery, she said. "I am frustrated that Sounds Air was unsuccessful in securing support from central government as regional connectivity is also important for economic growth, particularly tourism," she said. "There is often talk of the regions being our country's powerhouses - to be that we need infrastructure, services, and connectivity." Christchurch Hospital provided a lot of primary care for cancer patients, and Taylor had already been contacted by some of the patients who regularly used the service. "They're just sort of saying 'it's just such a devastating loss for them'. They're back to four or five hours on the road. They need family to transport them and take them rather than just dropping them at the airport," she said. South Island Minister James Meager. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone Wānaka local and Queenstown Lakes Deputy Mayor Quentin Smith was disappointed the service was being cut. So instead of being able to take a short flight that was less than an hour, it meant an hours-long drive. "The alternative of either driving, which is about five-and-a-half hours each way or going to Queenstown, where you've got to drive over an hour each way plus you've got to be there a lot earlier for your flights than you do for Sounds Air," he said. His daughter used the service a few weeks ago, and he said it was well used by travellers for business, holidays and appointments. It also presented a problem for healthcare, especially for people coming from Wānaka or Blenheim who need to travel to Christchurch Hospital for treatment. "Healthcare, I think, is a big one because people will fly up to Christchurch and back for a specialist appointment ... we know that access to healthcare out of Wānaka is particularly challenging so that's an issue that concerns me," Smith said. Smith remembered when Air New Zealand used to fly the same route before the service was cut more than a decade ago. "There's been a bit of a history of the offering and loss of this type of service. We've just got to find something that's sustainable that matches the needs. It was disappointing that a service that is really well-patronised isn't successful and there's obviously other reasons for that," he said. Christchurch Airport chief executive Justin Watson was sad to see the flights go. "A number of the regional airlines have been facing big challenges so ultimately it wasn't a complete surprise. We were hoping that they could work through those challenges and that they could find a way to continue to operate. But unfortunately they haven't been able to do that," he said. Both services carried about 10,000 passengers a year. Watson would like to see a collective approach to ensure the wings of important regional services were not clipped. "There's a reality there that says every region can't be connected or it's going to cost so much that people just won't fly on it because it's too expensive," he said. "In some countries, there is support through the likes of government for ensuring connectivity remains." South Island Minister James Meager said the government had already taken action in a variety of ways - including providing investment in regional airport infrastructure, commencing the release of regional on-time flight performance data - and would soon release an aviation action plan. He understood the conditions were tough in the aviation industry and airlines were under pressure - and that the government was actively considering several options to address regional connectivity concerns and improve competition in the sector. Destination Marlborough general manager Tracey Green said Christchurch was a key visitor market for Marlborough. "Recent challenges with Air New Zealand and ferry services have compromised our connectivity and losing Christchurch as a direct link is a significant blow," she said. "The full impact of this loss in connectivity may not be immediately clear, but it's a real shame this is happening just ahead of the summer season, when we rely on those connections the most," Green said. With a renewed focus on the Cook Strait services, Andrew Crawford said he was confident about the future of the business. "We are not alone in this, Air New Zealand and other regional carriers in New Zealand, and world-wide, have been hit by the same cost increases, and the irony is that our passenger demand has never been stronger," he said. "However, aviation is a very price sensitive market and demand would dry up if we tried to pass all of the cost increases to our customers."

RNZ News
10 hours ago
- RNZ News
Sounds Air cut flying routes as costs surge
Sounds Air managing director Andrew Crawford says aviation has been severely hit by escalating costs, supply chain challenges and a weak New Zealand dollar. Photo: RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King Sounds Air is cutting two regional services, saying it's facing 'out of control' costs. The airline will no longer fly Blenheim to Christchurch or Christchurch to Wānaka from the end of September. Last December, it stopped flying Wellington to Taupō and Wellington to Westport. Sounds Air managing director Andrew Crawford told Nine to Noon aviation has been severely hit by escalating costs, supply chain challenges and a weak New Zealand dollar that's threatened the viability of all regional airlines. He said the irony is that bookings have never been better, but they've exhausted all other options and need to reduce regional services. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.


Techday NZ
11 hours ago
- Techday NZ
Exclusive: How Afterburner's AI speeds up mortgage advice & frees up advisors
Afterburner, a New Zealand-based fintech startup, is putting the power of AI into the hands of mortgage advisors, by reducing admin-heavy tasks from hours to just seconds. "Advisors don't enjoy typing out forms or writing up credit memos," explained Geoff Christopher, one of Afterburner's three co-founders. "They enjoy having those meaningful, value-add conversations with clients. So we're building tools to help them do just that." Afterburner was spun out of Float Financial, a mortgage advisory firm co-founded by Christopher and Naylon Cassidy. The third co-founder, Jacob Muñoz, joined the business originally as a customer experience hire - but quickly revealed himself to be a skilled software engineer. "Jacob automated his role within a month," Christopher said. "Then he just kept going, building tools to solve the pain points we face every day as advisors." The idea for Afterburner emerged organically. The tools Muñoz developed for internal use at Float caught the attention of other financial advisory firms. "We'd show other advisors what we were using, and they'd say, 'This would be incredible if we could use it too.' So that's when we realised we should build it out as a SaaS product," Christopher explained. Unlike generic fintech tools that offer broad solutions, Afterburner is specifically tailored to mortgage advisors. "We're not building features in a vacuum," he said. "Jacob sits next to a team of 14 financial advisors, and he's solving real problems in real time." The first generation of Afterburner tools focuses on streamlining repetitive tasks. These include calculating borrowing capacity across multiple banks, generating credit memorandums, summarising client interviews from recorded calls, and translating complex lender approval letters into simple, client-friendly summaries. "These are tasks that would normally take 10 to 20 minutes - or even longer," Christopher said. "Now, they're done in seconds." The second generation of tools, currently in beta testing, goes even further. "You can feed in every document for a mortgage application, and Afterburner will write up the entire thing," he said. "It cross-references everything - bank statements, declared expenses, KiwiSaver balances, credit cards - and highlights discrepancies just like a seasoned banker would." The platform also drafts follow-up questions, responds to bank queries, and even pre-fills complex forms like bank handovers and account onboarding paperwork. "We've automated about 95% of the repetitive workload," Christopher added. This has allowed Float Financial to grow from 10 to 15 staff since January, with most of the team made up of advisors rather than support roles. "We've eliminated so much admin, we don't need a big back-office team," he said. "In fact, one of our support staff is now training to become an advisor. That's the kind of professional growth we want to enable." Afterburner co-founders Naylon Cassidy, Geoff Christopher and Jacob Muñoz. When asked about compliance and data privacy, Christopher said the platform is fully encrypted and undergoing ISO 27001 certification. "We take security and compliance incredibly seriously. Financial advisors using Afterburner must have clients sign privacy declarations, and we ensure data is only used for authorised purposes." Afterburner's impact is being felt not just at Float but across the growing number of advisory firms adopting the platform. "The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive," said Christopher. "When we demo the next-gen tools, advisors say, 'When can I have this?' They're excited - it's a huge leap in productivity." Despite the power of AI, Christopher was quick to emphasise the continued importance of human connection. "Most people still want to talk to a real person when they're making big financial decisions," he said. "It's about trust, and AI can't replicate that." Looking ahead, Afterburner is eyeing expansion. Its AI-powered approach could be applied well beyond mortgages. "We've already built tools for personal insurance, KiwiSaver, and investment advice," Christopher said. "And we're talking to accountants too - imagine automating tax returns and financial reports in the same way." The team is also in discussions with large Australian aggregators, which could open the door to international markets. "With insurance and accountancy, the fundamentals are global," he noted. As for the pace of innovation, Christopher admitted it's moving fast - even for the founders. "It's crazy to think how far we've come with just the first generation of tools. The next phase? It's like 5x to 10x better," he said. "And we're not rocket scientists," he added. "There are smarter people out there doing amazing things too." "But for us, it's all about solving real problems for real people. That's what keeps us going."