Christchurch the headline act in the New Zealand property market

As thousands prepare to descend on Te Kaha One New Zealand Stadium this weekend for SIX60’s history-making first concert at the city’s long-awaited new arena, Canterbury’s housing market is also taking centre stage.

Latest data from realestate.co.nz shows the region reached a new 18-year record asking price high of $735,798 in April 2026, up 3.8% year-on-year from $708,645 in April 2025.

This comes at a time when the national average has been flat for more than three years, and some regions continue to decline.

Listings in Canterbury are also up a beat, with 1,271 new properties on the market in April 2026, a 4.8% increase on April 2025’s new listing total of 1,213.

Vanessa Williams, spokesperson for realestate.co.nz says, Canterbury’s property market continues to evolve well beyond its post-earthquake rebuild story.

“There’s a real buzz around Canterbury at the moment. Although Christchurch has been rebuilding for more than a decade, buyers and sellers are now seeing the payoff with major projects opening and people moving to the city as its population growth shows*.”

Christchurch City is setting the tempo  

At a district level, Christchurch City is setting the tempo in the market - asking prices in the city were up 8.5% year-on-year in April to $728,516, although still well below the national average asking price of $869,763.

“Many property seekers are looking at options in Canterbury as they can often get more for their dollar than they would in other main centres,” says Willams.

Website traffic on realestate.co.nz backs this up – 77% of people looking at property in Christchurch on realestate.co.nz are from outside of the city^.

Cameron Bailey, Harcourts Gold Partner, says Christchurch is a busy and buoyant market.

"There have been some real changes in the Christchurch property market in the last six months, with some good sales completing, despite challenging external factors such as the war in Iran. That has meant we aren't seeing the capital gain we'd hoped for at the start of the year, but for those buying and selling in the same market, there is little impact, and plenty of people are doing that. It's a new market here in the city, and it's exciting to see the growth taking place." 

Strong performances: Canterbury districts strike a chord

Average asking prices were also up year-on-year in Mackenzie (up 38.8%), Banks Peninsula (up 22.3%), Ashburton (up 7.8%), and Timaru (up 6.2%).

Not all districts were upbeat, though: average asking prices in April were down year-on-year in Waimate (-12.1%), Hurunui (-9.7%), Waimakariri (-6.4%), and Selwyn (-1.3%).

Williams says it’s encouraging to see growth across a number of Canterbury districts, not just Christchurch itself.

“While Christchurch continues to lead the charge with asking prices up 8.5% year-on-year, areas like Banks Peninsula, Mackenzie, Ashburton and Timaru are also seeing strong momentum as buyers look for lifestyle, value and long-term opportunity across the wider region,” she says.

“Overall Canterbury is striking a really positive chord. The lift in both asking prices and new listings suggests buyers and sellers alike are feeling more in tune with the region’s future.”

The region’s stock levels eased 6.6% year-on-year in April 2026 to 3,785 properties, down from 4,051 in April 2025, but there are still plenty of homes on the market for SIX60 fans travelling to Christchurch this weekend who want to put down roots in the city.

A set list of standout Canterbury homes

• 6 Polish Lane Marshland
• 64 Jeffreys Road, Fendalton
• 66 Fendalton Road, Fendalton
• 6 Mullion Lane, Burwood
• 61 Severn Street, Saint Albans

Explore more homes for sale in Christchurch here.

*According to Stats NZ, during the five-year period from 2020-2025, Christchurch’s population grew by 6.07%. This saw the South Island city outpace Wellington’s growth of ~1.2% and sit remarkably close to that of Auckland’s ~6.5%.

^Source: Internal metrics (March 2025 v March 2026)

For media enquiries, please contact:

Hannah Franklin | hannah@realestate.co.nz

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