The Influencers: Lianne Dalziel

I was in a coffee shop the other day when someone asked me if I was the Mayor. Turns out she had recently moved from Auckland to take up a job here, and it was her chance to let me know how much she was enjoying the move.     The rent she was paying […]

The Influencers: Joanna Norris

A growing number of Kiwis are eyeing up Ōtautahi Christchurch as a tempting place to live. Twenty per cent of those recently surveyed said they were open to relocating to Christchurch within the next five years. This is a great indicator of the vibrancy and profile of our city. We regularly gauge the perceptions of […]

The Influencers: Peter Townsend

Like many of you, I am sure, I have spent time over the Christmas break reflecting on the tumultuous events of 2020 and constantly reminding myself just how fortunate we are in New Zealand to be able to live relatively normal lives compared to so many others around the world. It is very clear we […]

The Influencers: John Bridgman

This month we will take a moment to remember all that Christchurch lost on February 22 a decade ago. It’s also a natural point to consider how far we have come in that time. Responsibility for the delivery of the Crown-led anchor projects was handed to Ōtākaro Limited in 2016. While a significant amount of […]

The Influencers: Marian Johnson

We have around 530,000 small businesses in New Zealand. This represents 97 percent of all commercial ventures, 28 percent of employment, and 25 percent of GDP – proving that the Kiwi entrepreneurial mindset is alive and well. Why then do we have so few start-up versus small business founders? What’s the difference between a small […]

The Influencers: Leeann Watson

Ngā mihi o te tau hou Happy new year! As I write my first Metropol column of 2021, I strongly believe the year ahead is full of possibility. We have come off the back of a tumultuous year, our lives upended by Covid-19 heralding a new normal in the way we live, and the way […]