2026 – Project Canterbury

Project Canterbury 2026 – A new chapter for Christchurch

Fifteen years after the earthquakes tore the heart out of New Zealand’s second-largest city, Christchurch has completed one of the most remarkable urban rebuilds in the developed world. Now, Canterbury faces a different challenge: managing the economic momentum and growth that have followed.

The New Zealand Herald’s 2026 Project Canterbury report explores the businesses, civic leaders, infrastructure providers, innovators and investors driving the region’s economic transformation. From Christchurch’s emerging aerospace, technology and health innovation sectors to major investments in transport, tourism and infrastructure, the report examines the opportunities shaping Canterbury’s next chapter.

But growth brings its own pressures. Infrastructure constraints, housing demand, competition for skilled workers and the cost of supporting expanding communities are creating new challenges. Through interviews, analysis and commentary, Project Canterbury 2026 examines the region’s ambitions, its growing economic importance to New Zealand and the tensions beneath the headline numbers.