Filling the gaps: who owns Christchurch

Christchurch central is pockmarked with vacant land like the pictured site of the future stadium (Image: Oliver Lewis).

Wed, 23 Mar 2022

A supermarket giant, big-name property developers, a car dealer and Ngāi Tahu are among the biggest private owners of vacant land in central Christchurch.More than 11 years after the earthquakes and the ensuing loss of more than 1,000 buildings in the central city, large swathes of land inside the four avenues sit empty, derelict or in temporary use as gravel parking lots.After spending the past few years playing nice with its vacant sites programme, the Christchurch city council is consulting on a proposed change which would mean owners of uni...

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