Living in Christchurch

Christchurch embraces a lifestyle of dynamic business and education, rich art and culture, exciting cuisines and world-class wines. No matter what you’re looking for, you can find it in this world class city.

Population

New Zealand’s resident population is just over 4 million people. The population of Christchurch is 348,400. For more statistics visit Statistics New Zealand.

Climate

Christchurch has a mild climate. The beautiful New Brighton and Sumner beaches are a very popular way to cool off and relax over the summer, while winter sees Cantabrians heading to the hills to enjoy some of the great ski fields!

Summer in New Zealand runs from December through February and Winter from June through August.

Temperature:

  • Mean Daily Maximum: Jan 22.5°C, July 11.3°C
  • Mean Daily Minimum: Jan 12.2°C, July 1.7°C

Housing

The dominant trend in tenure in New Zealand is toward home ownership. In Christchurch around two thirds of the population own their home. The median house sale price at the end of 2006 for homes in Christchurch was $290,000.

Further information is available on the rateable value of houses.

Sources: Quality of Life Report and Christchurch City Council.

Commerce

Christchurch is a great city to do business in. The Canterbury Development Corporation promotes economic development and sustainable employment in the Christchurch and Canterbury.

Education

Christchurch’s two pre-eminent universities and numerous other tertiary education institutions are able to offer a huge range of courses.

The city has more than 120 primary and intermediate schools and 30 secondary schools. For more information on education in Canterbury visit Education Christchurch.

Recreation & Sports

Christchurch is the destination for many sporting events and is fortunate to have a number of international standard facilities such as Queen Elizabeth II Park, the Westpac Centre: sports and entertainment centre, the world-class Christchurch Convention Centre and the adjacent performing arts complex.

Christchurch City Council produces the Christchurch Sports Guide which provides contact and other information on non-profit organisations within the city, whose primary focus is the provision of sport. It is an easy reference guide that is of use to players, supporters, parents and administrators throughout the year.

Arts & Culture

Fine art, music, theatre, dance and film are all celebrated in Christchurch.

The Cultural Precinct of Christchurch brings together the finest of Christchurch’s arts and cultural activities. With 12 incredible attractions including The Christchurch Art Gallery, the Cultural Precinct is the heart of Christchurch.