The Influencers: John Bridgman

  Between Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre and the Metro Sports Facility alone, Ōtākaro has been pumping around $15m a month into the construction sector, on behalf of the Government. Pre-lockdown, around 600 people were active across both sites and we’re continually working to get back to that level, while maintaining safe […]

The Influencers: Joanna Norris

  The economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic are unprecedented. If we are to save jobs and businesses, get the economy going again and ensure Christchurch is well positioned for the future, we need to do so together. We have a chance to usher in a sustainable future by working together to […]

The Influencers: Leeann Watson

  In the last few months, we have seen unprecedented change, with health, social and economic impacts on a scale that no-one could have predicted. But make no mistake, businesses in Waitaha Canterbury are innovative, resilient and adept to responding to disruption. Over the last few decades, we have demonstrated our determination, […]

The Influencers: Marian Johnson

  What a weird month April 2020 was. By the time you read this, we are hopefully emerged from our respective bubbles. It’s hard to think of any event as universal as this experience and there won’t be a single Kiwi amongst us who hasn’t been affected in one way or another. […]

The Influencers: Lianne Dalziel

  It was an interesting time in lockdown within my bubble of two living as we do in the heart of our city! We have explored the parts of the central city we don’t usually get to see. The juxtaposition of the old and the new that tells part of our story; […]

The Influencers: Paul Lonsdale

  Earth has flipped the proverbial reboot switch, something none of us were expecting, well not this year anyway. As I sit here in my isolation, I reflect on a song by one of my favourite artists, the late great John Lennon and his song Imagine. The words of this song could […]

The Influencers: Joanna Norris

As this issue goes to print, we are due to release the latest Quarterly Economic Report, a key metric used to track our economy and focus our own programme of work. We aim to build and maintain a future-focused economy that raises the standard of living for residents. A key way we […]

The Influencers: John Bridgman

On a recent Saturday morning, walking to the Canterbury Earthquake Memorial service, I was struck by the importance of ‘people spaces’ to our central city. A space like Worcester Boulevard, which existed before the quakes, connects the river and city centre at one end with the Christchurch Art Gallery, Museum, Botanic Gardens […]

The Influencers: Lianne Dalziel

I remember the Commonwealth Games in 1974. I was a young teenager and the city was abuzz with excitement. I can still remember the song: We’ve got to join together, let our laughter fill the air It’s time for every race and creed to throw away their every care Let sport unite […]

The Influencers: Marian Johnson

International Women’s Day just passed and I’m thinking about why it’s hard to get a long list together of female startup founders in Christchurch. The scarcity of female founders is a global issue and to appreciate the size of the problem here’s a few stats to consider: 83 percent of all venture […]