Hack Circle

Mayor Vicki Buck officially opened this amphitheatre, known as the Hack Circle, back on December 6, 1989. It was built as part of the second phase of developing a pedestrian mall in central Christchurch. For a while, it was a popular spot for Hacky Sack, which is how it got its name. Later on, it became a popular hangout for "black-dressed emos, goths, heavy metal fans and United States style gangstas."

A survey in 2004 by the Christchurch City Council found that the Hack Circle was a popular place for young people to "hang out, smoke, meet friends etc." That same survey showed that 90% of 13- to 15-year-olds and 94% of 16- to 18-year-olds came to the central city in their spare time.

Christchurch police, however, claimed it was a spot for criminal activity. In October 2006, a 19-year-old was arrested for swinging a metal pipe around, and police said aggravated robbery, assault, and cannabis trafficking happened here. Sergeant Murry Hurst told The Press that "Ninety per cent of the kids hanging around there are fine, the other 10% cause the problems." In February 2007, Senior Sergeant Glenn Dobson mentioned that the young people here weren't as intimidating as they might look and said, "we can't move them on because they look different."

Antony Gough, a millionaire property owner here, pushed for stronger security, especially around the Hack Circle, saying the people who hung out here "are just very scary."

In October 2006, the city council announced plans to tear down the amphitheatre and replace the pedestrian mall with a one-way slow road. Daniel Griffiths, a student at Unlimited high school nearby, thought the council wanted to remove an "undesirable youth element," though the council denied it.

On December 14, 2006, the city council voted 7–6 to go ahead with building a road through the mall, despite "overwhelming opposition." Councillor Bob Shearing made a remark that the council's original decision to scrap the slow-road was because it was "captivated by a group of people using the City Mall as a 'school playground'." This comment drew a lot of criticism from Christchurch citizens.

On May 18, 2007, Food Not Bombs and students from Unlimited Paenga Tawhiti gathered here to "reclaim public space" and oppose the council's plans. The destruction of the Hack Circle started in February 2008. It wasn't replaced with a slow road, though, but with a renovated pedestrian mall. Those renovations were finished in October 2008.

The destruction of this spot was a big deal for young people in Christchurch. In August 2007, the Canterbury University student magazine *Canta* interviewed four students who had strong opinions on the redevelopment. Gloria Sharplin, a spokesperson for a protest here on August 7, told The Press, "Young people are being made to feel unwelcome. The hack circle and the fountain are not great places, but it is all you have when you have no money. They can't shut us up and just drive us out of the city."

Another protest happened on August 13, 2007, when demolition of the Stewart Fountain nearby began. Some young people were arrested that afternoon. That morning, Sir Robertson Stewart, who had offered to continue his family's funding of the fountain, died. Protester Jayde Henry said, "It's terrible that they started today. They must have known."

In a 2009 article in The Press, Paul Lonsdale, the