City set to boom: Christchurch City mayor Phil Mauger

We get all four seasons in Christchurch and spring is in swing – another reason I love living here.

I know I’m not alone in that, there’s a lot going on for our city, it’s great to see. The place is humming, with exciting developments and the talk from up north is not ‘where are we going for a holiday this Christmas?’ but ‘how can we move to Christchurch’.

I took a drive around the central city and was impressed with the amount of construction and projects recently completed, underway, or in the pipeline. The Nike and Helly Hanson building in Cashel Mall looks great, and the under-construction JD Sports and Sweaty Betty building on High Street will be just as good.

We also have the Otago University Medical School on Oxford Terrace, and the third tower at Christchurch Hospital underway. Additionally, we’re making progress on the barrier sites with the recent demolition of the former Two Fat Indians building.

With the opening of The Church, The Loft Bar and the soon-to-be open Whiskey Fiddle, there’s a flourishing hospitality scene. With more than 300 apartments and townhouses being built in the East Frame, the central city is going to boom.

One New Zealand Stadium at Te Kaha and also the Parakiore Recreation and Sports Centre will be fantastic assets for our city, and with our world-class convention centre Te Pae Christchurch, we’re on the fast track to becoming New Zealand’s events capital.

On that note, I hope you had a chance to see the Illuminate Festival in the Botanic Gardens recently. It was a great success and looked spectacular. The trendiest little city in the Southern Hemisphere is only getting better.