New Zealand’s second largest city is attracting impactful, purposeful events and embracing diversity. Brand new infrastructure in a stunning New Zealand setting, excellent air connectivity, strong sustainability credentials, and a collaborative community combine to make Ōtautahi Christchurch a compelling business events destination. Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre is New Zealand’s largest new-generation convention centre. As a world-class venue for events, it is committed to sustainability and cultural representation, making it a significant asset to the city and the global business events scene. With a string of high-impact international events in the pipeline, Te Pae Christchurch is shining the spotlight on Ōtautahi Christchurch. As home to three top universities, an institute of technology, a progressive business sector, stands out as a hub of knowledge and expertise. It is globally recognised in the fields of health tech, future food, agritech, aerospace and future transport, and as a key gateway to Antarctica.
Gloucester Corner
Ōtautahi Christchurch: Snapshot
ChristchurchNZ Head of Business Events, Megan Crum says the city is purpose-built for business events, with an exhilarating delegate experience. “You can walk from bars and restaurants to the conference venue. Experience balance in the city parks and by the river, and enjoy epic nightlife, boutique shops, great food. Everything is within one small city boundary, and our whole city is based on walkability,” she says. Over 2,500 new hotel rooms and all city highlights are within a five-minute walk through the tree-lined riverside promenades and laneways. Nearby delegates can experience zip lining, punting on the Avon river, cultural walking tours, and Kiwi cooking classes. Christchurch Airport is New Zealand’s second main international gateway, with direct flights from across New Zealand, Australia, North America, Asia and beyond. A Welcome Lounge for business events travellers provides a dedicated space for delegates on arrival, with interchangeable branding tailored for each event. The city centre is just 10 kilometres or 20 minutes’ electric bus or car ride from the airport. “When you come to Christchurch, you’re getting a quintessential New Zealand experience in the heart of the South Island. It’s the gateway to everything – the snow-capped Southern Alps, beautiful lakes, and just 10 minutes from the city to the beach or into the hills for adventure and relaxation.”
Te Pae Christchurch
Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre – more than a building
Since opening the doors 18 months ago, Te Pae Christchurch has already made its mark on the international business events scene, hosting over 400 events, including 20 international conferences that have attracted more than 160,000 delegates to the city. Te Pae Christchurch General Manager, Ross Steele says this world-class venue has been purpose-built to cater for a wide range of events, with an experienced local team backed by the global resources of ASM Global, a world leader in venue management. “The breathtaking design draws on our people and place, incorporating the natural beauty and culture of the Canterbury region’s mountains and rivers. Te Pae Christchurch’s interior reflects the diverse history and values of our region. A feature of the building is the wood panelling. The concave wood panelling in our foyers takes its inspiration from the rugged coastline of the nearby Akaroa peninsula, while the convex panelling reflects the giant beech-tree forests endemic to the South Island. One of the important ways we have chosen to tell our stories, is through our unique sculptures and traditional art, interconnecting the landscape and the indigenous Māori people. “Te Pae Christchurch is situated at the heart of beauty that needs to be preserved, which is why from our pre-opening through to normalising our operations, sustainability has been at the heart of what we do. “Sustainable operations go well beyond simply measuring waste and offsetting carbon emissions. It’s about legacy – what we leave behind for future generations, and how we instill values that will ensure we are not only environmentally sensitive but leading the way in this area for years to come,” says Steele. While the focus is currently on the benchmarking phase, Te Pae Christchurch is working toward achieving carbon-neutral operations by the end of 2024. The team is passionate about bringing clients and suppliers along on this sustainability journey and working together to minimise the impact of the events hosted. Sustainable operations include no-waste-to-landfill coffee-carts, recyclable and reusable water stations, no single-use plastics, an on-site dehydrator that converts food waste into compost and an eWater system which delivers a chemical-free cleaning system. Every team within the venue has sustainability initiatives in place, ensuring environmental risks are mitigated and long-term success towards carbon neutrality is achieved. Conference attendees can also take part in several local sustainability-focused activity options. One example of this is tree planting which encourages the return of native birds to the central city, also offsetting delegate travel emissions.
Waka on Avon
Purposeful legacy events
ChristchurchNZ recognises business events play an important role in transformative change and create lasting legacies when they are planned with intention. “Ōtautahi Christchurch city is making moves to become the most sustainable place possible. As an innovative new city, it has been redesigned to embrace purposeful events, through manaakitanga (kindness and well-being) and kaitiakitanga (commitment to protecting the natural environment),” Megan Crum says. “Our PCOs are forward-thinking – always looking to adapt and change, working with venues and suppliers to boost creativity by encouraging different perspectives and experiences to come together in one space,” she adds. “We are embracing diversity and inclusion across every facet of a meeting’s make-up – physical, language, age, gender, culture, sensory, and neuro-divergent needs are all taken into account.” Attracting the right impactful business events to Christchurch is key to the city’s success. For example, recently 300 of the world’s leading researchers from 32 national Antarctic Programmes discussed Antarctic biology and ecology for the first face-to-face Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR 2023) meeting in three years. As New Zealand’s Antarctic gateway city and host for numerous National Antarctic Programmes, the week-long meeting at Te Pae resulted in tangible legacy outcomes. Included in the week were excursions to spectacular parts of the South Island, plus two weekends of satellite meetings and workshops. The conference was enriched by the tikanga (traditions) and mātauranga (knowledge) of New Zealand’s Indigenous Māori people and a true dedication to sustainability. “We set a new standard by hosting the SCAR Symposium in Christchurch. While world-class science was expected, the entire Christchurch experience exceeded our expectations on all fronts,” says SCAR Convenor, Prof. S. Craig Cary. Find out more about meeting in Christchurch at: www.tepae.co.nz
