Our Business Clusters
Global Growth Opportunity
A test-bed for innovation, Christchurch is the place for future-focused, sustainable businesses and people who want to do things differently. We are leading the way in global health tech, aerospace and future transport, food fibre and agritech, and hi-tech solutions. These strategic strength sectors, are supported by progressive ecosystems connecting enterprise, education, and government.
The future is bright, for everyone. Come join us.
Clusters
Aerospace and Future Transport
With a current global value of $360 billion and estimates that it could be a $2.7 trillion industry by 2050, the field of Aerospace and Future Transport holds great opportunity for the Canterbury region.
Food, Fibre and Agritech
Canterbury is New Zealand’s largest agricultural region, contributing one fifth of national agricultural GDP. The region produces meat and dairy products, plant-based products, seafood and wine for both domestic and international consumers.
Health Tech and Resilient Communities
With the establishment of a centralised health precinct creating a much closer connection between research, testing and commercialisation, Christchurch can accelerate research into analytics and machine learning, virtual healthcare, bio-metrics & wearables and insurance tech.
High Tech Services
With an international reputation for producing the smartest service tech, Christchurch provides the best value brains to the largest companies. Christchurch boasts a dynamic tech ecosystem offering excellent support for start-ups and investors.
The Big Picture
Clusters are sectors with strong global growth opportunities where the region has existing strengths and capabilities. Christchurch has catalysed strong eco-systems around each Cluster, aligning and connecting students, iwi, education providers, industry, and government to accelerate opportunities and growth.
This is about a progressive, prosperous and sustainable future. Clusters are facilitating an innovative mindset among our population, our education sector and our industries, aligning talent and education goals, and encouraging cross-sector collaboration.
The talent pipeline to support is geared up and growing. Canterbury hosts three world-class university campuses in the top two per cent in the world, and the largest ITP in the South Island, offering programmes ranked in the top 100 globally.
With world-class opportunities for work integrated learning, pathway programmes, joint ventures, increased innovation and R&D, and talent and business attraction, Clusters are transforming and future-proofing the Canterbury economy to stay globally relevant.
Connect With Us
ChristchurchNZ’s business and investment team are a knowledgeable mix of professional, strategic thinkers with diverse skill sets. They love identifying opportunities and building relationships to make positive, impactful outcomes for both stakeholders and the city of Ōtautahi.
Simon Anderson
Simon led start-up businesses in Australia for 15 years, before returning to Christchurch with his young family to support economic development and the growth of the start-up ecosystem in the region. He loves having supported the growth of the ecosystem, is a strategic leader who is passionate about impact and the ability of tech start-ups to support our future regional wellbeing.
Emma Renowden
Emma had been working in the non-profit sector for 10 years before joining ChristchucrhNZ, primarily focused on disability and health innovation. A career highlight was working on a multi-million dollar global challenge run with Toyota, designed to revolutionise mobility devices for people with lower limb paralysis. Emma has always loved supporting innovators, especially those that help people, so her ChristchurchNZ role ticks all right the boxes.
