Crash claims life of well-known Cantabrian
A well-known Canterbury property developer and residents' advocate was killed in a car crash on Sunday morning.
Christchurch resident Jens Christensen died at the scene of the single-vehicle crash on Lake Sumner Rd about 11.30am.
Another person sustained serious injuries and was airlifted to Christchurch Hospital. The serious crash unit was investigating the crash. One dead, one seriously injured in crash
Christensen, a great-grandad, had lived in Sumner for about seven years until his death but was well known for his work with the Rolleston Residents Association.
He led a fascinating life, going from police trainee to poultry farmer to property developer and politician.
Christensen was a life member of the Rolleston Residents Association and a former chair and vice chair.
He also spent three terms as a Selwyn district councillor between 1998 and 2007.
Christensen was due to speak at former mayor Bill Woods' funeral on Monday.
He grew up in Christchurch and left Christchurch Boys' High to join the police at 17.
About a year later, when he was at police training school in Trentham, Upper Hutt, Christensen was a part of a team who helped rescue survivors from the Wahine ferry disaster in 1968.
"I had the police van out, I could hear the Wahine's sinking unfolding on the police radio," Christensen told The Star in 2022.
"First thing I think I heard was 'People are starting to abandon ship, they are jumping into the water'.
"I got on the two-way radio and said to the police central station, because phone lines were out to the Hutt Valley, 'I will get this van back to Trentham and muster some manpower to get to Eastbourne Beach'. That's what we did, we got instructors' cars, the police van, anything that was mobile."
Just a few years later, he left the police and moved back to Christchruch with his wife Karen.
When Christensen was 22, the couple went into the poultry industry and bought their first farm in Woolston. They sold their poultry business after about 14 years.
"I decided two things – I never wanted to employ staff again, nor deal directly with the public because we had 600-odd customers," Christensen told The Star in 2022.
"We rented a house for a year at Springston to decide what we were going to do. I decided development might be our next forte. It ended up in Rolleston."
Christensen bought 30 acres in Rolleston off the Crown in the 1990s.
The neighbour then put the adjoining 250 acres on the market - so Christensen bought that as well.
The original 30 acres is now known as Brookside Park after Christensen sold the land to the Selwyn District Council.
When the district council called for a name for a new road in the reserve, a Rolleston Residents Association initiative led to it being called Christensen Parade.
As a Selwyn district councillor, Christensen held various portfolios, including employment, economic development, youth and youth employment.
He also chaired the Izone centre for 12 years.
"Izone was successful because we set it up as a board of directors, separate from council, so it wasn't pushed and pulled every three years by a different bunch of councillors," Christensen told The Star in 2022.
"That development actually returned a profit of $40 million to the people of Selwyn. We built a few buildings out of that."
He and Karen then bought another development in Lincoln with 150 sections. It had two houses at the time - so they moved into one of them.
From Lincoln, Christensen moved to Redwood in Christchurch. But the house was damaged in the 2011 earthquake so they bought another home in Rolleston.
Recently, in his role as Rolleston Residents Association vice chair, Christensen caused a stir over his push to get the word 'library' included in Te Ara Ātea's name after it was built.
-APL
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Otago Daily Times
05-05-2025
- Otago Daily Times
Mum's frustration grows after son hurt in hit-and-run
Brendon Renwick was hit while using the pedestrian crossing at the Carmen and Buchanans Rd intersection where. Photo: Geoff Sloan Angela Renwick is refusing to give up her fight to identify the driver who injured her son in a hit-and-run after intersection CCTV footage failed to identify the vehicle. Last week The Star reported 15-year-old Brendon Renwick was hit by a maroon minivan at the intersection of Buchanans and Carmen Rds in the Christchurch suburb Hei Hei. The Renwicks were frustrated police were taking too long to check the intersection's traffic light footage for the vehicle's licence plate. A police spokesperson said the intersection's traffic light footage had now been checked but they were 'unable to make out a number plate or any further identifying information from the footage'. Renwick said the police response was not good enough, and she is calling for a wider review of footage from nearby intersections and businesses which might reveal the licence plate. 'There must be other options here. It's not acceptable for them to just give up.' She received a call from a police officer on Saturday informing her the CCTV footage was inconclusive. Renwick urged police to check other nearby cameras but said she received little response. 'She didn't say anything back and just told me they can't see the number plate in footage again,' Renwick said. The Carmen and Buchanans Rd intersection where Brendon Renwick was hit while using the pedestrian crossing. The driver did not stop and police have been unable to identify the vehicle's licence plate from intersection camera footage. Photo: Geoff Sloan When contacted by The Star on Tuesday, a police spokesperson did not answer if and why they had not reviewed footage from other intersections. However, the spokesperson said Renwick should discuss the matter further with police, which she intends to do. Renwick hopes cameras at intersections along the likely route – such as Yaldhurst, Masham and Russley Rds – could capture the hit-and-run vehicle's licence plate. She is also meeting with a victim support advocate to discuss what other steps could be taken. This could include making an Official Information Act request for intersection footage or filing a complaint to the Independent Police Conduct Authority about the response. Meanwhile, Brendon's health took a turn for the worse last week when concussion-related nausea sent him back to hospital. He was treated with fluids and has since improved.
Otago Daily Times
05-05-2025
- Otago Daily Times
Mum's frustration grows in search for alleged hit-and-run driver
Brendon Renwick was hit while using the pedestrian crossing at the Carmen and Buchanans Rd intersection where. Photo: Geoff Sloan Angela Renwick is refusing to give up her fight to identify the driver who injured her son in a hit-and-run after intersection CCTV footage failed to identify the vehicle. Last week The Star reported 15-year-old Brendon Renwick was hit by a maroon minivan at the intersection of Buchanans and Carmen Rds in Hei Hei. The Renwicks were frustrated police were taking too long to check the intersection's traffic light footage for the vehicle's licence plate. A police spokesperson said the intersection's traffic light footage has now been checked but they were 'unable to make out a number plate or any further identifying information from the footage'. Renwick said the police response is not good enough and is calling for a wider review of footage from nearby intersections and businesses which might reveal the licence plate. 'There must be other options here. It's not acceptable for them to just give up.' She received a call from a police officer on Saturday informing her the CCTV footage was inconclusive. Renwick urged police to check other nearby cameras but said she received little response. 'She didn't say anything back and just told me they can't see the number plate in footage again,' said Renwick. The Carmen and Buchanans Rd intersection where Brendon Renwick was hit while using the pedestrian crossing. The driver did not stop and police have been unable to identify the vehicle's licence plate from intersection camera footage. Photo: Geoff Sloan When contacted by The Star on Tuesday, a police spokesperson did not answer if and why they had not reviewed footage from other intersections. However, the spokesperson said Renwick should discuss the matter further with police, which she intends to do. Renwick hopes cameras at intersections along the likely route – such as Yaldhurst, Masham and Russley Rds – could capture the hit-and-run vehicle's licence plate. She is also meeting with a victim support advocate to discuss what other steps could be taken. This could include making an Official Information Act request for intersection footage or filing a complaint to the Independent Police Conduct Authority about the response. Meanwhile, Brendon's health took a turn for the worse last week when concussion-related nausea sent him back to hospital. He was treated with fluids and has since improved.
Otago Daily Times
27-04-2025
- Otago Daily Times
Well-known Christchurch man dies in crash
A well-known Canterbury property developer and residents' advocate was killed in a car crash on Sunday morning. Christchurch resident Jens Christensen died at the scene of the single-vehicle crash on Lake Sumner Rd about 11.30am. Another person sustained serious injuries and was airlifted to Christchurch Hospital. The police serious crash unit was investigating. One dead, one seriously injured in crash Christensen, a great-grandad, had lived in Sumner for about seven years until his death but was well known for his work with the Rolleston Residents Association, who confirmed his death in a Facebook post. He led a fascinating life, going from police trainee to poultry farmer to property developer and politician. Christensen was a life member of the Rolleston Residents Association and a former chair and vice chair. He also spent three terms as a Selwyn district councillor between 1998 and 2007. Christensen was due to speak at former mayor Bill Woods' funeral on Monday. He grew up in Christchurch and left Christchurch Boys' High to join the police at 17. About a year later, when he was at police training school in Trentham, Upper Hutt, Christensen was a part of a team who helped rescue survivors from the Wahine ferry disaster in 1968. "I had the police van out, I could hear the Wahine's sinking unfolding on the police radio," Christensen told The Star in 2022. "First thing I think I heard was 'People are starting to abandon ship, they are jumping into the water'. "I got on the two-way radio and said to the police central station, because phone lines were out to the Hutt Valley, 'I will get this van back to Trentham and muster some manpower to get to Eastbourne Beach'. That's what we did, we got instructors' cars, the police van, anything that was mobile." Just a few years later, he left the police and moved back to Christchruch with his wife Karen. When Christensen was 22, the couple went into the poultry industry and bought their first farm in Woolston. They sold their poultry business after about 14 years. "I decided two things – I never wanted to employ staff again, nor deal directly with the public because we had 600-odd customers," Christensen told The Star in 2022. "We rented a house for a year at Springston to decide what we were going to do. I decided development might be our next forte. It ended up in Rolleston." Christensen bought 30 acres in Rolleston off the Crown in the 1990s. The neighbour then put the adjoining 250 acres on the market - so Christensen bought that as well. The original 30 acres is now known as Brookside Park after Christensen sold the land to the Selwyn District Council. When the district council called for a name for a new road in the reserve, a Rolleston Residents Association initiative led to it being called Christensen Parade. As a Selwyn district councillor, Christensen held various portfolios, including employment, economic development, youth and youth employment. He also chaired the Izone centre for 12 years. "Izone was successful because we set it up as a board of directors, separate from council, so it wasn't pushed and pulled every three years by a different bunch of councillors," Christensen told The Star in 2022. "That development actually returned a profit of $40 million to the people of Selwyn. We built a few buildings out of that." He and Karen then bought another development in Lincoln with 150 sections. It had two houses at the time - so they moved into one of them. From Lincoln, Christensen moved to Redwood in Christchurch. But the house was damaged in the 2011 earthquake so they bought another home in Rolleston. Recently, in his role as Rolleston Residents Association vice chair, Christensen caused a stir over his push to get the word 'library' included in Te Ara Ātea's name after it was built. -APL
