Christchurch

Christchurch is New Zealand’s second largest city, with an estimated population of over 380,000 people. It is located on the Canterbury Plains, on the eastern coast of New Zealand’s South Island. The first European settlers arrived to the region in the 1850s, but Te Whenua Ō Te Potiki Tautahi (which is the full and original name for Christchurch) had been home to Māori for centuries. Today, Christchurch is a modern and multicultural Garden City and New Zealand’s gateway to Antarctica.

Christchurch’s Antarctic connections date back to the heroic age of Antarctic exploration. Its role as an Antarctic gateway city has evolved and grown over time. Christchurch concentrates the country’s expertise in polar travel and logistic operations: Antarctica New Zealand is based here, and the city hosts the Antarctic Programmes of the USA, South Korea and Italy. Additionally, the city is the seat for the Secretariat of the Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs (COMNAP). Christchurch’s transport infrastructure and logistics capability to access Antarctica’s Ross Sea region are coupled with public and private stakeholders’ efforts to fulfil the city’s Antarctic gateway role.

Antarctica is important to Christchurch. Its relevance is reflected in the multiple cultural, political, scientific and economic Antarctic-related activities that take place in Canterbury.