Christchurch’s growth depends on infrastructure that protects its liveability - Chris Hipkins

Opinion byChris HipkinsNZ Herald·10 Sep, 2026 05:00 AM4 mins to readChris Hipkins is the leader of the Labour PartyThe South Island has enormous strengths in agriculture, tourism, renewable energy, manufacturing, science and technology. Christchurch is an important economic hub for all of it, says Labour leader Chris Hipkins. Photo / Mark Mitchell Christchurch has rebuilt. Now it needs a government willing to back its futureSome may think Christchurch has already had its big infrastructure moment.The earthquakes happened. The rebuild happened. The cranes came down. The new buildings went up.But it’s not job done. Christchurch has rebuilt. Now the challenge