Regional development before and after an earthquake: The Canterbury New Zealand experience

Abstract

The authors were responsible for leading the preparation of the Canterbury Regional Economic Development Strategy (CREDS) in September 2009, twelve months before a series of three devastating earthquakes destroyed large parts of the central business district of the region’s largest city, Christchurch. The authors were commissioned to prepare an evaluation of the impact of the first earthquake and to write a report on opportunities for one of the region’s two universities in the post-earthquake environment. They have acted as advisors to planners before and after the earthquakes. Drawing on these experiences, the paper presents the analytical model that was used in 2009 to identify key sectors for regional economic development and reflects on the implications of that analysis for planning after the natural disaster.