Residents delivered passionate speeches against potential new housing intensification rules at a Christchurch City Council meeting, but the final decision has been delayed.
The laws, which are part of the National Policy Statement on Urban Development, have proved controversial in Ōtautahi.
The council was expected to vote at the Thursday meeting on whether to allow increased intensification.
But instead, after three hours of public submissions and staff reports, the meeting and the vote were adjourned by Mayor Lianne Dalziel until Tuesday morning.
Residents filled the public gallery dressed in black, carrying signs and sporting T-shirts with slogans such as 'stop daylight robbery' and 'vote no', ahead of the council decision.
Concerns included loss of sunlight and trees; infrastructure unable to support the proposed level of development; a lack of public consultation; and the loss of the social fabric and heritage buildings in neighbourhoods.
A spokesperson for the Greater Hornby Residents' Association told councillors the suburb had already seen some of the negative effects of intensification.
"Intensification is already happening and we've already seen increased break-ins to the cars [parked] on the streets. And that's only going to increase [further]," he said.
"We're just going to have more pressure put on those roads, our sewage system, everything. Especially the roads - like Amyes Road - for three years now they've been trying to fix it."
Halswell community board member Debbie Mora was also among those who gave a speech.
"We live in what is infamously known as the Garden City, not a concrete jungle," she said.
"Residents in Christchurch are understandably concerned about the increased height of buildings proposed by the intensification - not only because of the earthquake risk of taller buildings but of the psychological risks of these buildings on residents who have been severely traumatised by the earthquake experience," Mora argued.
At the meeting Dalziel said the imposed changes had put exceptional pressure on the council and there was still a little more work that needed to be done.
But delaying the decision until Tuesday could mean the council would miss a second deadline for notifying the government about the changes.
