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‘’Because of the [Health Tech Challenge], we were then invited to be part of a much bigger med-tech accelerator in the Asia Pacific region. ‘’We also had a much stronger application for having done the local one.’’ The Health Tech Challenge had distilled their thinking much more quickly, and provided them with assets and marketing…
Start Me Up is a business skills kick-starter programme aimed at people whose work has been impacted by the pandemic and are currently, or soon to be, registered as unemployed. It is also open to those who were unemployed prior to the pandemic. It has been specifically designed to guide people who are thinking about…
“Our goal is to put Christchurch on the map and to be the number one city for startups and innovation,” Ministry of Awesome chief awesome officer Marian Johnson says. Partly, a young company addressing a data gap in the global auto parts industry, and Ngārie Scartozzi, the innovator behind eClean Envirotech, which is creating bioreactors…
The survey, commissioned by ChristchurchNZ, gauges the perceptions of people outside of the city, including their willingness to travel or move to Christchurch. Joanna Norris, ChristchurchNZ CEO, said the research is essential to the city’s ability to understand how perceptions of Christchurch have shifted across New Zealand. “The region requires an additional 70,000 workers over…
Loren Heaphy, ChristchurchNZ General Manager of Destination and Attraction, said SailGP represented a unique and unmissable opportunity for the city: “This is an entirely different event to those we typically attract to Christchurch, and we jumped at the opportunity to bid to host SailGP. “We are a city of sport and innovation, and SailGP combines…
“The earthquakes encouraged people to work together. We were all facing similar challenges. We took bigger risks. We trusted each other a bit more than perhaps we normally would. We shared ideas and we supported each other.” Many of the tenant companies ChristchurchNZ spoke to emphasised the benefits of co-location. Dru Hill, managing director of…
“It’s a huge network of support and a great example of Ōtautahi’s flourishing and connected innovation ecosystem in action. Plus, the support and networks the Accelerator finalists will finish with is tremendous,” said Warren. Participants will be supported by a network of mentors and business experts Diane McDermott, Ministry of Social Development’s Regional Commissioner for…
“This has been transformational in that it is widely used throughout the world and is now an essential and highly-used medical device.” A more recent medical innovation is the MARS Scanner, the world’s first 3D colour scanner developed by father-and-son professors Phil and Anthony Butler. Their company, MARS Bioimaging Ltd, invented the device drawing on…
Although the aerospace industry is relatively new in New Zealand, it’s already a billion-dollar business. ChristchurchNZ’s Business and Investment Attraction Manager Liz Eden says this is attractive from an investment point of view because when the industry grows, so do high value jobs across many industries. The Aerospace sector relies on engineering talent but the…
“Our intention with ExploreCHC, other than increasing awareness of our visitation offering in key markets, was to help offset the reduced revenue experienced by our South Island business community as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Heaphy said. Figures from 2018 show Canterbury has nearly 9000 businesses in tourism-related industries supporting close to 70,000 jobs….
On behalf of the city, ChristchurchNZ has recently invested in Canterbury’s existing founder incubators, Te Ōhaka at Ara Institute of Canterbury and ThincLab at the University of Canterbury. This investment will both build the number of businesses they are able to support, and the depth of support as businesses are launched out of both. Each…
To support Christchurch’s recovery from the economic effects of Covid-19, ChristchurchNZ is helping these entrepreneurs – by giving them a leg-up to create new start-ups and grow existing businesses in Christchurch. ‘’For us the question has been, how do we create the system to turn those great ideas into business reality and sustainable decent jobs?’’ Anderson said. To do just…
“Food, fibre and agritech is a really critical part of the Canterbury economy – 20 per cent of GDP for Greater Christchurch annually is produced by the food, fibre and agritech sectors. A Challenge like this helps feed the expertise and wealth of knowledge that we already have within Canterbury by drawing out other businesses…
Spanning three weekends from 15 to 31 January, the Bread & Circus Backyard Buskers Festival will return to the circus capital of Aotearoa. This year’s street festival will showcase the best hand-picked, home-grown circus, comedy, music and acrobatic talent. The line-up is packed with old favourites and brilliant new events. It includes a gala at…
2020 has been a year like no other. Around the world lives have been changed irrevocably. Thankfully New Zealand avoided the worst of the public health impacts. But our business community has been hugely affected, with even the best laid plans being well and truly put to the test. Companies have faced huge uncertainty, job…
Ministry of Awesome chief executive, Marian Johnson, says “it’s been a very tough year for food and beverage start-ups and small suppliers alike, the lockdowns made it challenging to trade for some, and for others, it’s been hard to focus on growing their business. When we were planning FoodStarter 2021, all the partners wanted to…
Loren Heaphy, ChristchurchNZ General Manager Destination and Attraction says: “We are very pleased to have our cricketing facilities upgraded ahead of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022. Cricket is a core part of Canterbury culture, as is equality, with suffrage being born here in Otautahi Christchurch.” “The awarding of this funding from government is…
We are supporting the journey for labour market priority groups – school leavers, tertiary graduates, NEET (young people not in employment, education or training), impacted workers, Māori and industry.. To ensure work isn’t duplicated, and to identify gaps, we aremapping the support available from iwi, central and local government agencies, our education providers, charitable trusts,…
ChristchurchNZ does this by letting business decision makers located in New Zealand and around the world in on Ōtautahi’s best kept secret – the unique local business environment that enables growth and wellbeing for companies and employees. I believe strongly that Christchurch has a lot to offer. Originally from the UK, I moved to Christchurch…
‘’These start-ups are growing the jobs of the future. Congratulations to Next Step™– we are excited to see what you do next from your base here in Aotearoa.’’ Fellow judges, Microbiologist and media commentator Dr. Siouxsie Wiles and Ministry of Health Chief Science Advisor Ian Town were impressed by the healthtech innovation presented during the…
Sponsored by ChristchurchNZ, Kiwi Innovation Network (KiwiNet) and Ryman Healthcare, the HealthTech Supernode Challenge aims to identify and generate commercially viable solutions that address real healthcare problems, with a special focus on the Aged Care and Rural New Zealand sectors. The 22 challenge semi-finalists went through an intensive six-week accelerator programme, working through key development…
“Ōtautahi Christchurch has always been a place of exploration and stories, with perhaps the richest Antarctic history on the planet,” Kennedy said. “The Antarctic Gateway City Trail enables people to experience this history in depth, at the places it happened, and at their own pace.” Figures from 2017 show that National Antarctic Programmes that utilise…
Gary and Karen Manning opened award-winning The Dubliner Irish pub in Methven in 2014. The initial shock of COVID-19 was considerable, with patronage disappearing overnight. “We had to close of course, so there was no business whatsoever,” Gary Manning said. Through Level 3 their business was down 75 per cent and was still down 25…
ChristchurchNZ and its partners have facilitated COVID-19-related support services for thousands of businesses who sought it and continue to do so. We launched a hugely significant domestic tourism campaign and have attracted a range of major events to drive both local and visitor spending. Along with this immediate work, we appreciate how vital it is…
“It was pretty obvious that the 2019 result was just one of those freak occurrences that happen in sport,” Fleming said. “There’s no rational explanation as to how it happened – and there’s certainly no way anyone can foresee it happening again. “We’ve got a lot of respect for Sir Graham’s team – as rugby…
Starting in November fans can see Canterbury, New Zealand-A and the BLACKCAPS take on international teams from West Indies, Pakistan, Australia and Bangladesh. The first top-billing match at Hagley Oval will see the BLACKCAPS take on Pakistan in a test match on Sunday 3 January. A top-billing T20 between the BLACKCAPS and the West Indies…
David Kennedy, Head of the Christchurch Antarctic Office, part of ChristchurchNZ, said he was “excited to see an expansion of events around the traditional Antarctic season opening”. “Days of Ice is a celebration of Ōtautahi Christchurch’s Antarctic connection, both modern and historic, and we can’t wait to see the public engaging with our passionate Antarctic…
Paul Lonsdale, Central City Business Association manager said the BLOOM spring festival is a perfect opportunity for people to explore the city. “Central city businesses have been hit particularly hard by the disruption caused by Covid-19, but the BLOOM events are a great opportunity to support local businesses and explore what’s on in the city,”…
“Being a part of Startmate’s first New Zealand cohort is a very exciting opportunity for our startup. The exposure to other successful founders alongside mentorship from a wide range of industry experts and veterans is enabling us to progress on some of the most daunting challenges on our horizons,” says Blythe. Pyper Vision was part…
“I’m the guy with the crazy beard” – Vincent Egan’s disclaimer with the photos he sends in of him and his business partner Madison Henry-Ryan at Māui Studios. With a backward cap, big grin and impressive facial hair, Egan is every bit the creative digital entrepreneur that makes up Christchurch’s tech scene. Animation, illustration, virtual…