Once branded the world's unluckiest city, Christchurch is now the 'capital of cool'

In the past 14 years Christchurch has been to hell and back - now it's finally emerging from the rubble as the country's most vibrant place to be

Once, it was branded the world's unluckiest city.

Two devastating earthquakes, a horrific terror attack, hit hard by Covid and two destructive fires in the Port Hills.

But Christchurch is bouncing back, and is now described as the 'capital of cool'.

Mayor Phil Mauger has been re-elected with a 20,000 vote majority, in spite of a not-insubstantial council rate increase this year of 6.6 percent, and a step up in borrowing.

Perhaps because they've seen their city turn to rubble, Christchurch residents seem to appreciate the importance of spending on infrastructure.

Mauger has said the city is on an upwards trajectory, shooting out of the doldrums like a rocket, and "everyone's on board with it".

He talked to The Detail about the new facilities that have just opened - or are about to, the work still to be done, and plans for the future - much of it bolstered by post-earthquake government funding.

"We've been to hell and back as far as needing to be resilient," Mauger says.

But now there's "a real spring in people's step" as they watch the finishing touches put on the $683 million Te Kaha stadium, shop and eat at the Riverside Market, and walk around the outside of a brand new city centre recreation facility that will be open this year.

Plus, The Court Theatre has just opened, a major museum rebuild is underway, and a new idea has been floated for an overhead cable car that would connect the university with the city in just an eight minute trip.

Mauger hopes that could encourage students to live in the city centre, because while Christchurch is comparatively affordable, it needs more housing.

"We've got students tripping over themselves to come to the University of Canterbury - 26,000 this year and by the end of the decade it's going to be up to 30,000 ... which is going to cause us some grief. I'm wondering where we will put them.

"We've got people moving down from Wellington and Auckland at a reasonable rate of knots.

"And there are businesses moving here."

One example is Turners Auctions, which has just spent $38 million building three new buildings around the city. The healthcare, finance and professional services industries saw more than 3300 extra jobs added last year, and the Parakiore Recreation and Sport Centre will add another 200 jobs.

"It's the hidden gem as far as I'm concerned," says Mauger.

"It's got 11 pools, five hydroslides ... and it's going to bring people into the city on a regular basis all the time. Whereas the stadium's going to be great, don't get me wrong, but that'll be sort of one-hit-wonders one after the other. But all of these cogs in the wheel will make one hell of a difference."

Still, Christchurch ratepayers pay 25 cents in debt servicing for every dollar of rates. Mauger wants to halve that, to free up funds.

And there are some sectors that haven't yet escaped the effects of the cost of living crisis and that, in spite of a recovering economy, are not back to normal yet.

The South Island may be recovering faster than the North, on the back of booming farming, but more than 15,000 people in Christchurch are now on unemployment benefits, up 10 percent on last year.

Hospitality is among the industries still struggling.

The Detail talked to Anton Matthews, an entrepreneur, cultural leader, and the director of the Hustle Group, which includes Joe's Garage, the airport's Fush Bar and Tātou Tātou Catering.

"We're probably running our businesses more efficiently, better than we ever have, and we're probably making less money than we ever have," he says.

"It's pretty tough."

Matthews says you can see it in the change in customers' behaviour, as they order less than they used to when they do come in.

But he says with developments coming on line now - and heading into the warmer weather, with cricket and festivals on the horizon - he's confident of weathering the storm.

"There's definitely some really exciting opportunities out there. We've got a big stadium that's being built down the road, that will drive visitor numbers, we'll all feel the impact of that. We're still getting plenty of numbers through the doors, but what we've noticed is that people are just not spending quite as much."

Something that has got better since the quakes, he says, is Māori visibility.

"Especially after the rebuild I've noticed how well Ngāi Tahu have managed to work in partnership with local council, around things like cultural narrative.

"We see it with our convention centre Te Pae, our stadium Te Kaha, Parakiore - our new sports facility that's almost complete. Our big library, Turanga. I'm sure it's not all roses and butterflies behind the scenes, but from someone who's looking from the outside it certainly looks like they're working well together.

"Ōtautahi is not the flat white city that people often refer to it as; that it once was.

"We're full of colour, we're full of culture, and I'm really proud to live here."

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