Local Government Elections 2025: Business Policy Document

What businesses want to see from councils across the Canterbury Region:

Canterbury is at a pivotal time in its growth story. Our region is thriving and home to innovation, an abundant environment, and one of the most affordable, high-quality lifestyles in the Southern Hemisphere. Sustaining our current success will take bold and coordinated leadership from our local councils.

At present and as a general rule, businesses view their councils as passive at best. The prevailing sentiment is often that councils are “not necessarily doing anything wrong, but not really out there gunning for businesses to succeed either.”

This middle ground is not enough for a region with Canterbury’s potential. To compete on a national and global stage, we need councils that are champions for growth and actively searching for opportunities to build for and enable more success.

That begins with a shift in mindset, and local government must see business not just as a group to consult with or regulate, but as a partner in achieving shared community outcomes. By adopting an enabler mindset, councils will help foster growth that creates jobs, attracts talent and investment, and builds resilience across our region.

To achieve this, councils must focus on their core services to keep Canterbury affordable for both households and businesses, and at the same time be bold and ambitious with capital expenditure. It must be said that across the region some councils do this much better than others.

Every dollar spent should deliver real, tangible value, with resources directed toward the areas of highest economic impact such as the infrastructure and services that underpin our economy.

At the same time, councils themselves must be built for growth. This means operating efficiently, streamlining processes, and removing unnecessary bureaucracy that slows progress. It also means ensuring staffing levels and capability are aligned to deliver core services effectively and responsively, giving businesses confidence to grow.

Finally, this work cannot be done in isolation. To unlock Canterbury’s full potential, councils must work together across the region, showing collective leadership and making bold, future-focused decisions that position us for long-term growth and investment. We have seen councils make progress on this through the Canterbury Ambition work lead by Business Canterbury.

We believe Canterbury has what it takes to become the most connected, prosperous, and future-ready region in New Zealand. The upcoming elections are an opportunity to set our region on that path and to build a future where businesses and communities continue to thrive....

📄 Access the full to-do list for incoming Councillors by downloading the PDF here

Christchurch Mayoral Debate 2025: Business Canterbury Brings the Top Candidates Together

Business Canterbury brought together the top two mayoral candidates, as voted by our members, for a business-focused debate. Moderated by our Chief Executive, Leeann Watson, and supported by NZME, the candidates outlined their vision and responded to the issues that matter most to Canterbury’s business community.