City Focus - Christchurch

14/04/2010

The largest city on the South Island, Christchurch is a place where you can enjoy a healthy, active lifestyle amidst a natural environment world-renowned for its beauty.

Whether Christchurch is your intended destination or just a brief stopover on the way to your new home, this guide will help you get your bearings on arrival.

Population
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island and the second largest in New Zealand and has a population of approximately 370,000 (Sep 2009). The population mix consists of 83% European, 7% Maori, 5% Asian, 2% Pacific Island and 3% other.

Geography
Christchurch, the capital of the Canterbury region, is bordered by hills and the Pacific Ocean and is situated on the edge of the Canterbury plains stretching to the Southern Alps.

Christchurch is perfect as a pleasant jumping-off point for the mountains, ocean beaches, rivers, lakes and wide-open spaces less than an hour from the city centre.

Economy
The local economy is reliant on its primary produce: vegetables, specialist horticultural produce, grains, grapes, meat, dairy products, wool, aquaculture and timber. Emerging industries include tourism, light industrial engineering, manufacturing, software development, electronics and education. The local economy is very strong and has been growing faster than the national average since September 2002.

Dining Out
Canterbury’s unique climate and geography make it a perfect place to grow and create some of the world’s best meat, seafood, fruit, cheeses and wines (10% of the country’s wine is produced in Canterbury). There are more cafes and restaurants per head of population than anywhere else in New Zealand. 

Education
Christchurch is the only New Zealand city with two Universities; Lincoln University and the University of Canterbury. Christchurch also has a Polytechnic, College of Education and many English language institutes. The city has more than 120 primary and intermediate schools and 30 state and integrated or private secondary schools.

Source - http://www.migrationnews.com/index.cfm/New_Zealand/City_Guides/Christchurch
 

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