Christchurch is a city reborn, well set up for startups and businesses on the move

Key takeaways 

Before you move your business to Christchurch, get in touch with the economic development agency ChristchurchNZ.

If you’re choosing to start your business in Christchurch, talk to the Ministry of Awesome and see if they might have a home for you.  

Office rents in Christchurch are substantially cheaper than Auckland or Wellington.

For startups and business owners around the country wondering if Ōtautahi Christchurch is the place to move their business or to set up something new, this reborn city is a startup in its own right and maybe that’s why it seems especially welcoming to risk-taking entrepreneurs with big ideas.  

“There’s an attitude in Christchurch of momentum, this feeling that things are happening,” says James Burnes, a U.S.-based serial entrepreneur and interim CEO of the Ministry of Awesome, the high-growth startup support organisation headquartered in Christchurch. 

 “It’s a combination of the rebirth of the city and people coming to Christchurch because they want work/ life balance. They want access to the South Island and all it has to offer but they still want an urban experience,” he says.

Christchurch, where young people want to study and work

Christchurch is the hot place for students to go and study at the moment and this is important for the local economy, says economic development agency, ChristchurchNZ.

The perception around Christchurch that it’s a place where young people want to come, will attract businesses,” says Karen Haigh, the agency's Talent Strategist of High Growth.

Canterbury has four tertiary institutions, the University of Canterbury, Lincoln University, the University of Otago Christchurch campus, and Ara Institute of Canterbury, the country’s largest vocational education and training provider. 

Ara is particularly connected with the startup community through its relationship with the Ministry of Awesome. In 2018 it began a joint venture with the startup support organisation, co-founding Te Ōhaka, the Centre for Growth & Innovation on Ara’s central city campus.

Darren Mitchell, Ara’s Regional Executive Director says he is always open to talking with emerging industry company founders about courses they would like to see at Ara. He works with employers to meet the staffing and skills needs of the local digital and health workforces, which are probably the biggest in the country, he says.

The emerging business sectors in Christchurch

Christchurch has a more diverse variety of industries than people realise, says Dianna Rhodes, Head of Business Growth and Innovation at ChristchurchNZ. 

“Canterbury is known for engineering, healthcare, manufacturing and construction and they’re all contributing towards GDP but there’s also a whole suite of industries for the future,” she says. 

There’s an emerging clean tech sector and other sectors of growth are aerospace, health tech and food, fibre and agritech. 

Your first port of call as a startup in Christchurch

For startups arriving in Christchurch, their first port of call will likely be the Ministry of Awesome, which formed in 2012, as an engine for collaboration and building a vision for Ōtautahi, when the city was still reeling from the earthquakes. 

As well as the Centre for Growth & Innovation, Te Ōhaka, where up to 40 to 60 startups work, the Ministry of Awesome has created more partnerships in recent years including Founder Catalyst with ChristchurchNZ, an early stage startup incubator. 

For startups and newcomers there are lots of events to attend hosted by the Ministry of Awesome (led by James Burnes, pictured far right) and Canterbury Tech including the Ministry of Awesome’s long running Coffee and Jam meetups.

Finding a home for your existing business in the Garden City

Christchurch has a wide range of co-sharing working spaces for newcomers including Saltworks, Millworks, QB Studios, Loft and Lean Canvas,

And the good news is, office rents are cheaper in Christchurch than the other main cities.

Prime CBD rents in Christchurch are 37% cheaper than Auckland and 52% cheaper than Wellington, according to a recent CBRE Property Market Overview.  

Three businesses on why they like their Christchurch base

B2B telco, NOW, opened an office in Christchurch around five years ago from its base in Napier.  

CEO and founder, Hamish White says he thinks of his head office now as being both Napier and Christchurch.. 

“We’ve been welcomed and supported. They don’t pigeon hole us as one of those telcos from Auckland, there’s a genuine warmth and there’s a bit of a provincial alignment in terms of values and ways of doing business,” he says.

Partly, an AI company digitising the auto parts industry is run by CEO and co-founder Levi Fawcett, a serial entrepreneur and former Rocket Lab engineer. 

Partly’s first hire and Chief People Officer, Harry Uffindell, says the company has continued to grow its presence in Christchurch, recently expanding into a second office space which it sublets to other local startups.

Startups like Partly are successfully hiring across New Zealand bringing talent to Christchurch, says Harry.

“We’ve been able to sell the benefits of Christchurch to them. We’ve had people move here from around the country, from Australia, Asia and an ex-Googler moved over with his family from Lithuania.” 

“You get all the lifestyle benefits here while living in a city that’s been incredibly well designed, and as a result is becoming ever more sought after to live and work,” he says.

Ben Scales (above right) is co-founder with Will Murrell (left) of KiwiFibre, a Christchurch-based natural-fibre composite material, integrating harakeke (NZ flax) replacing carbon fibre in anything from racecars to snow boards. 

For KiwiFibre, Christchurch is an ideal base, just two flights away from its European market and close to its agritech roots and supply chain throughout the South Island, says Ben.

KiwiFibre tests products with Christchurch businesses before presenting them to their global customers. 

“Before we work with Porsche and test at the Nürburgring, we work with Fixations garage a few doors down, or Hayden Paddon, and test at Ruapuna or the Ashley Forest Rally," he says.

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