Canterbury

The Canterbury Region in the South Island of New Zealand consists of 11 territorial local authorities - Christchurch City plus the districts of Kaikoura, Hurunui, Waimakariri, Selwyn, Banks Peninsula, Ashburton, Timaru, Mackenzie, Waimate, and Waitaki.

Start your Free Visa Assessment

Canterbury represents about 14% of New Zealand's economic activity. Traditionally Canterbury has looked outwards for new opportunities. As such, the Canterbury economy is export oriented, and through niche market manufacturing supported by high quality education and research institutions it has flourished.

Canterbury is often regarded as a barometer of the country's economic performance. The region of Canterbury has a large base of research and development organisations giving it a strong focus on lifelong learning and a head start in the knowledge economy.

This research environment has helped the region to become a New Zealand leader in software development, biotechnology and numerous high technology manufacturing industries.

The region is also supported by an active and expanding visitor attraction industry. Canterbury has a great deal to offer, especially in terms of eco-tourism and adventure based activities.

The continued importance of traditional agriculture and industry sectors, enhanced by burgeoning activity in high technology manufacturing, biotechnology, Information Communication Technology (ICT), education and research and visitor attraction sectors, suggest that the long-term prospects for the regional economy are very positive.

Education

Christchurch offers a wide range of private and state operated preschool education facilities, including those run by various churches and those operating under the Montessori and Rudolf Steiner systems.

The city has more than 120 primary and intermediate schools and 30 state and integrated or private secondary schools. Outlying rural areas are serviced by a number of these.

Christchurch is also home to two universities; the University of Canterbury and Lincoln University. Both offer a wide range of disciplines and are highly respected in their fields.

Christchurch Polytechnic also offers extensive career, community and recreational courses. The College of Education offers further choice in the tertiary field, and there are a number of flourishing English language institutes. F.

Employment

Key industries

Canterbury's local economy largely relies on the primary produce of the surrounding area: vegetables, specialist horticultural produce, grains, grapes, meat, dairy products, wool, aquaculture and timber.

However, the early presence of the University of Canterbury and the tradition of the city's academic institutions working in association local businesses has fostered a number of technology based industries. This has lead to the development of a range of new economy sectors within Canterbury, and the city of Christchurch is now often said to be the precision engineering and electronics capital of New Zealand.

Secondary and emerging industries within the region include tourism, light industrial engineering, manufacturing, software development, Information Communication Technology (ICT), electronics and education.

Tourism in particular plays a significant factor for the local economy, with its abundance of natural resources and outdoor activities making the region a key stopover destination for many tourists.

The main industries in the Canterbury region include:

Pastoral and dairy farming
Horticulture
Viticulture
Tourism
Education
Research and development
Manufacturing
Electronics, telecommunications, software and development
Biotechnology
Food processing

Housing

Home ownership

Christchurch has a relatively high level of home ownership by New Zealand standards, with approximately 66% of people owning their own home.

Housing in Christchurch is dominated by detached single family dwellings placed on their own blocks of land (also known in New Zealand as 'sections').

This style of housing is fairly typical for New Zealand, but Christchurch's housing stocks differ from that of some other New Zealand towns and cities because of the ready availability of flat land.

Houses in Christchurch range from tiny cottages on small sections to large mansions with extensive outside areas. There are also large numbers of medium-sized houses on quarter-acre sections, including villas from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

According to the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand the median house price for the Canterbury region as at April 2005 was NZD$242,000. In Christchurch City itself the median price was NZD$260,000.

Renting

Christchurch offers a wide range of houses and properties for rent, including apartments, units and family houses.

According to the New Zealand Ministry of Housing the average rent for a three bedroom property in Christchurch is NZD$290 per week, while for a house in the suburbs surrounding Christchurch the average weekly rent is NZD$250 per week. (Note that rental prices shown here are as at January 2005).

Properties for rent are advertised in the 'To Let' section of The Christchurch Press. Landlords and real estate agents place advertisements in the classifieds section, with the largest number of listings being placed in Wednesday and Saturday editions.

Rental properties are also listed on numerous real estate and letting agent's websites, details of which can be found by searching for rental properties in Canterbury and Christchurch on the Internet.

Transport

Christchurch International Airport has regular flights to Australia and Auckland with onward connections to worldwide air services. Domestic flights to all major towns throughout New Zealand are also operated from Christchurch airport. The airport is about 6 miles from the city centre and is well serviced by taxis, public buses and door-to-door shuttles.

City buses offer a regular, efficient and cheap service to the suburbs, including the beaches at Sumner and New Brighton and the port village of Lyttleton.

There is also a historic 1905 electric tram that runs a 1.5 mile circuit past the major city sights all day.

Long distance Intercity buses depart from Christchurch for all locations north and south.

Taxis are plentiful, reasonably priced and can be booked by telephone or picked up from one of the numerous taxi stands throughout the city.

Public transport such as buses and trains are somewhat limited to the main routes between major centres. Driving is straightforward in central Christchurch and a car is often the best mode of transport with which to explore the city's out of the way places.

Walking is very well suited to the perfectly flat Christchurch streets and if you prefer to get around on two wheels, bicycling around Christchurch is another practical and popular transport option.

Population

Canterbury is the second most populated region in New Zealand (behind Auckland), with an estimated residential population of approximately 520,600 as at June 30 2004.

54% of New Zealand's South Island residents live within the Canterbury region. As at June 2004 the population of Christchurch was estimated to be 344,100.

Climate

The Canterbury region has cool winters, with the temperature averaging around 11 degrees celsius and snow falling in many parts of the region.

Summer months (December to February) are typically warm with an average of 20 degrees celsius, with maximum summer temperatures in the range of 27 degrees celsius to 33 degrees celsius.

In terms of rainfall Christchurch has a relatively dry climate compared with other places in New Zealand.

Geography

Canterbury's geography is made up of dramatic contrasts. The Canterbury Plains span 118 miles and are New Zealand's largest area of flat land at low altitude.

Conversely, the region is also home to New Zealand's largest and most picturesque mountain range, the Southern Alps, which provide a beautiful backdrop to the region and a home to some of New Zealand's best ski fields.

To the east of the Canterbury plains is the South Pacific Ocean, while the western boundary is marked by the Southern Alps, which extend 340 miles in a south westerly direction from beyond Canterbury's northern border.

A key geographical feature of the region is Aoraki Mount Cook, New Zealand's highest and most impressive mountain peak. The other major geographical feature of Canterbury is Banks Peninsula, a cluster of volcanic hills on the eastern coast.

The city of Christchurch is bordered to the west by the vast Canterbury Plains and the spectacular Southern Alps, and to the east by a seemingly never-ending beach. The city is a largely flat and sits only a few metres above sea level.

Cost of living

By New Zealand standards the cost of living in Christchurch is 'middle-of-the-range'.

Housing costs in Christchurch are generally lower than housing costs in the larger North Island cities, but higher than in most other parts of the South Island.

The Auckland and Wellington regions are largely built up urban areas and therefore house prices tend to be higher, whereas regions like Canterbury include rural bases where house prices tend to be lower.

Start your Visa Assessment