Porters Ski Field is one of the closest ski fields to Christchurch, located 89 kilometres away in the Craigieburn mountain range in the South Island of New Zealand. It began operating in 1968 and has since become recognised as an excellent ski field for those learning to ski and snowboard as well as providing more advanced runs, which has made it popular with families (Markby, 2008). In 2006, the ski field (formally known as Porter Heights Ski Field) was sold to an investment company called Blackfish Limited, and the name changed to Porters Ski Area Limited to reflect the new management (Williams, 2011). In 2010, Blackfish Limited put forward an application for a private plan change to the Selwyn District Plan to allow their proposal for redeveloping the ski field to go ahead (Boffa Miskell Limited, 2010).