International Students

‘It has been an awesome place to study for me personally because Christchurch is such a beautiful city.

After a hard day of work it’s nice to relax in such a beautiful environment.’

Anthea Arnhambat (Vanuatu)

Christchurch - The Garden City

Christchurch, located in the Canterbury region, is an ethnically diverse city offering an exciting and easy lifestyle for students.

With a population of around 350,000, Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island and the second largest in the country.

Christchurch is not only the second major business centre in New Zealand but as the national centre of Information and Communications Technology (ICT), it has quickly become known as New Zealand’s digital city.

Christchurch is currently undergoing a major rebuilding and is in the process of transforming itself into one of the world’s most modern and sustainable cities.

The city also offers a huge range of exciting recreational options in nearby locations of incredible natural beauty including the rugged beauty of Banks Peninsula, the historic French town of Akaroa, thermal hot springs at Hanmer, snowboarding on the Southern Alps and whale watching near Kaikoura.

Key facts

• New Zealand’s most affordable major city.
• Known as the ‘Garden City’ for its many public parks, uncongested roads and an excellent public transport system.
• A conveniently located international airport which easily connects you to major cities all over the world.
• A leading centre for innovation, research and technology, and home to New Zealand’s largest ICT industry cluster.
• Key business sectors include engineering, biotechnology, avionics, electronics, software engineering, agriculture, education, forestry, nutraceuticals, Antarctic research and tourism.
• Lively arts and entertainment scene with regular festivals, concerts, sports matches and cultural events nearly every week of the year.
• Surf beaches 15 minutes’ drive from the city centre and ten alpine skifields within two hours’ drive.
• A diverse and welcoming city with many international restaurants, a variety of cultural activities and centres of worship for Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu and other religious communities.

To find out more about our beautiful city, visit the following web sites:

• Christchurch and Canterbury
  The official visitors guide and travel planner for Canterbury and Christchurch
• Christchurch City Council
  The official site for the Christchurch City Council - contains the latest Council News, Botanic Gardens info, Library info, Christchurch & Canterbury links etc.
• Be There
  The official site for events in Christchurch, run by the Christchurch City Council