Greater Christchurch Spatial Plan

The final Greater Christchurch Spatial Plan sets a desired urban form to ensure Greater Christchurch is future-proofed in the context of population growth and climate change.

In 2022, the Greater Christchurch Partnership and the Crown established an Urban Growth Partnership for Greater Christchurch – the Whakawhanake Kāinga Komiti. This partnership of central government, local government and mana whenua is focused on shared objectives related to affordable housing, emissions reduction, and creating liveable and resilient urban areas to ensure the city region remains a great place to live for all. The first priority of the partnership was to prepare the Greater Christchurch Spatial Plan.

Based on extensive public engagement and detailed technical evidence, the Plan builds on and replaces the previous plans and strategies developed for Greater Christchurch. It provides a blueprint for how population and business growth will be accommodated into the future, through targeted intensification in and around centres and along public transport corridors, along with the prosperous development of kāinga nohoanga on Māori Land and within urban areas.

Over the past 15 years, Greater Christchurch has grown rapidly to a population of around half a million. By 2050, up to 700,000 people could be living in Greater Christchurch – 40% more than there are today, with the population potentially doubling to 1 million people in the future. The Plan sets a desired urban form to ensure Greater Christchurch is future-proofed in the context of population growth and climate change. The Plan coordinates and aligns the aspirations of central government, local government and mana whenua, and satisfies the requirement of the National Policy Statement on Urban Development for the Greater Christchurch councils to jointly prepare a Future Development Strategy.

The next stage is for the partners to get underway with implementation of the joint work programme [PDF, 164 KB] and to put mechanisms in place to monitor progress in achieving the opportunities, directions and key moves set out in the Spatial Plan. The Greater Christchurch Partnership Committee will receive biannual updates to track progress.

View the Greater Christchurch Spatial Plan Overview [PDF, 59 KB] and some frequently asked questions [PDF, 78 KB].

Find out more about the development of the Greater Christchurch Spatial Plan.