It’s Christchurch’s time to shine and geez is it shining.

Living in Auckland right now feels like watching on forlornly while the rest of your whānau drive off on holiday to a sunnier and happier place. The whānau, of course, is the regions, like Otago, Canterbury and Southland, who have lifted themselves out of the recessionary doldrums and seem to be charging ahead. 

A tourism resurgence, a strong primary sector and ongoing construction activity means these regions have their foot on the gas while Auckland rapidly becomes nothing but a speck in the rearview mirror. And we’re not the only ones who have been left behind – Wellington has too. They’re not even sitting on the curb beside us watching the whānau leave, they’re still back in the house.

Auckland has so much that’s great about it – lots of events, plenty of green spaces and outdoor activities to enjoy, wonderful beaches, the soon-to-be-launched City Rail Link, and cleaner air now that no one can afford to drive. But, unless you have loads of dosh, Auckland is a pretty shitty place to be existing in right now. With the ever-escalating cost of living and high unemployment, Aucklanders are still, by and large, doing it tough. Now, doing it tough is one thing (we’re getting pretty good at it after years of practice), but doing it tough with no end in sight is quite another. Auckland feels increasingly like a place where the have-nots have even less and even the so-called middle-class are rapidly sliding down the scale. 

If you’re an Aucklander, it’s difficult not to notice old feelings from that last lockdown in 2021 beginning to resurface. That lockdown where Aucklanders existed in solitary limbo while the rest of the country was back going about their normal lives? The lockdown we thought we had blocked from our memories. So many feelings of abandonment and helplessness. 

Living in Auckland right now feels like perpetually treading water. But, you can’t tread water indefinitely – eventually you drown.

An ASB report (the Regional Economic Scoreboard) released in March found that, economically, Canterbury is the best place in the country to live, once again. The survey – covering the final quarter of 2025 – showed Canterbury outperformed the rest of the country in nearly every measure, including employment, retail spending, housing activity, and population growth. Meanwhile Stats NZ data for the year ending February 2026 showed that Christchurch Airport’s increase in international visitors was only 46 fewer than Auckland’s increase, despite the large size disparity of the airports and cities.

It’s impossible to escape conversations about how great things are in Christchurch. Yes, yes, we’ve heard about the brilliant new stadium, the ongoing construction boom fuelled by the rebuild, and the increase in property values. It’s Christchurch’s time to shine and geez is it shining. 

I, for one, don’t begrudge Christchurch the growth and opportunity it’s currently enjoying, after all the city has been through in recent years, God knows it has earned it. And if this growth brings with it a diversity of culture and thought and we don’t have to talk about the first four ships anymore then I’m all for it. But does this growth have to come at the expense of growth and security in our biggest city? Or even some simple stability? Can we really not all fit in the car?

Perhaps being left behind is simply Auckland’s penance for sitting in the driver’s seat for so long, for all of those years spent dictating the destination and the speed to the rest of the country. Now the other kids have grown up and they want a turn driving too. Fair play to them. 

Whatever it is that’s going on, it doesn’t feel good, because no-one likes being left behind, least of all the biggest kid. Maybe it’s time for a larger car, one that can fit us all?