Description:

ChristchurchNZ is the region’s sustainable economic development and destination marketing organisation. Its mission is to build a thriving, resilient region for everyone by driving tourism, supporting business growth, fostering screen production and attracting major events. Their ambition was to create a website that not only serves as the digital face of the city but also effectively supports and showcases ChristchurchNZ as an organisation.

As the site is a digital shopfront for the city of Ōtautahi it required a vibrant, brand-aligned homepage supported by foundational colour and design systems, and transitions and bespoke illustrations that capture local culture while ensuring global polish.

A headless CMS (Storyblok) was chosen to enable editors to feature strategic initiatives as and when necessary without developer overhead. While custom templates spotlight success stories, business support programs, major events and regenerative-economy projects.

To engage and re-energise locals and guide out-of-towners, the site includes an immersive editorial hub with geo-specific content and AI-driven search recommendations. This is supported by intuitive mapping that streamlines trip planning and event discovery.

Growth and investment is enabled through advanced search, filters and API integrations (Dynamics CRM, Eventfinda) that connect investors, businesses and event organisers directly to opportunities. Data-driven insights can be surfaced through dashboards and personalised portals.

Additionally, modular ‘content blocks’ allow ChristchurchNZ to spin up new pages or campaigns in minutes. And a centralised digital-asset library ensures visual consistency and rapid publishing across web, social and email channels.

This is more than a website, it is a digital civic gateway, designed to serve an entire region and its diverse ambitions. It has elevated Christchurch’s online identity into a living, breathing ecosystem that:
• Empowers ChristchurchNZ to publish, respond and grow without technical constraint.
• Connects audiences (residents, visitors, investors and partners) to the right information and opportunities with speed and clarity.
• Fosters regional pride and economic momentum, meeting the moment for post-pandemic recovery.
• Creates tangible value by enhancing discoverability, promoting strategic initiatives, and providing direct access to support systems and data.
• Lays the foundation for future innovation through its flexible architecture and integrations, ensuring longevity and responsiveness to evolving civic needs.

In essence, the platform encapsulates ChristchurchNZ’s mission in digital form - engaging, enabling, and elevating the city and its people.