New aerial maps reveal extent of Christchurch housing growth

Saturday, 3 January 2026

What a difference five years makes.

Christchurch’s speedy housing development has been revealed in photographs taken from low-flying aircraft, first in 2020 and again in 2025.

They show the rows of new houses in subdivisions, as well as how intensified developments are changing existing suburbs.

The pictures come from Australian company Nearmap, which photographs cities from aircraft, instead of satellites, and uses AI to merge and analyse them.

In the past five years Canterbury councils have consented more than 36,000 new homes. Of those consented for Christchurch, nearly two-thirds have been units such as townhouses or apartments.

The region is building more housing for the size of its population than Auckland and Wellington, according to StatsNZ. Its annual rate of 10 new homes per 1000 residents is well over the national rate of seven.

Since the beginning of 2020, the busiest Christchurch suburb for housing construction has been Halswell, with 2764 new homes consented.

This is followed by the central city with 2020 homes, St Albans with 1680, and Spreydon with 1466. Other suburbs with a lot of new housing are Belfast, Linwood, Riccarton, Addington and Belfast.

In the districts around the city, Rolleston has seen the biggest housing boom.

Dan Paull, for NearMap, said they looked at 89 suburbs in the greater Christchurch area, and could clearly see “quite dramatic change” and the effects of population growth and shifts.

“What emerged is a really clear indication of how development activity has shifted.”

With an increasing population, the city has to make decisions about “what to do with the land that it has”, he says.

“Given the increased cost of living and the cost of purchasing property in the North Island, Christchurch is a very attractive proposition. But it’s creating challenges in how you fit that population in, given the geographic constraints.”

He said from a large amount of development in the central city five years ago, they are now seeing how construction has shifted outwards, particularly to the south-west, then back into the inner suburbs with infill development.

“There have been almost concentric rings of activity, with the CBD at the centre, then an inner ring and an outer ring, all shaped by the natural boundaries Christchurch has with the (Waimakariri) river to the north, and the Port Hills to the south.”

Paull said the post-Covid focus on lifestyle, particularly if residents have more flexible working conditions, also drives location choices and real estate prices.

“Some of the population moving into Christchurch are looking for that, which is a trend you see around the world. People love and appreciate amenity, but there has to be a degree of work flexibility.'

Christchurch was recently calculated to have sufficient land for 68,000 new homes in the next 30 years.

In November Housing Minister Chris Bishop agreed with the city council it had done enough to plan for future housing growth, after the council fought back against Government planning rules it criticised as a one-size-fits all approach.

Christchurch construction analyst and consultant Mike Blackburn said reasons for construction are to cater for an increasing population, replacing old and obsolescent homes with new houses or units, and changing demographics meaning smaller families and longer lifespans creating more one-person households.

As well, an increasing number of new homes are used as short term rentals such as Airbnb.

Blackburn said of units built in the city in the past year, about 500 have been in the central city, and 1000 in inner suburbs.

“We are also starting to see more of those going up in the outer suburbs.”

He said while housing is continuing to grow, the shift towards townhouses and smaller sections for free-standing homes, partly because of higher land and building costs, means it is less spread out.

Despite this, there is little appetite for buyers for apartments in tall towers like those seen in Auckland and Wellington, he said.

“As a society, we’re not ready to live in housing like that.

“It’s Canterbury. We generally don’t want to spend all weekend mowing lawns, but we like a bit of space, and we like our parks.

“We’re seeing a demographic change in housing. The quarter-acre dream is long gone, but there’s still demand for a family home with a small back yard.”