After years of rebuilding, the core of Christchurch’s CBD has entered a new chapter, and few buildings capture that shift as clearly as 79 Hereford Street.
Recently stripped back to its shell and completely rebuilt, the eight-level building has emerged with an additional storey, a five-star lobby, and a spec that Colliers Christchurch Director of Commercial Leasing Brynn Burrows says will turn heads in a market hungry for quality.
Now, prospective tenants can visualise work life in these superior spaces just east of Oxford Terrace.
Owned by a development group with hospitality expertise, 79 Hereford Street reflects that heritage throughout.
Start your property search
“The owners have a background in hotels, so they’ve carried that through with the level of finishes in the lobby and in the bathrooms,” Burrows says.
The ground floor is earmarked for hospitality or retail, capitalising on its position directly opposite The Terrace.
Above it, seven levels of office accommodation offer good-sized floorplates of around 450sq m.
There’s an option to split lower floors for smaller tenants and to incorporate other uses such as leisure or wellness.
A newly built penthouse level tops the building, with a north-facing balcony and panoramic views stretching to the Southern Alps.
Basement parking and commuter amenities such as showers, lockers, and a bike lock-up are included, supported by nearby options including The Terrace car park across the road and the West End car park on the far side of the river.
Burrows says the building’s economics stack up well.
“From a per-square-metre perspective, 79 Hereford Street is highly competitive against newly constructed buildings,” he says.
“By building within the existing structure, the result is effectively a brand-new interior wrapped in a refurbished shell, with entirely new mechanical services throughout. The tenant experience is that of a new building.”
The Hereford Street location sits at the meeting point of the city’s corporate west end and its emerging, vibrant core, offering tenants proximity to the river precinct, Riverside Market, Cashel Mall, and a growing cluster of hospitality and wellness options, all within a short walk.
In recent years, attracting staff back to the workplace has become a higher priority for corporate tenants, so they ensure both the premises and the neighbourhood entice people into the office rather than working from home, Burrows says.
The budget for kitchens and breakout areas underpins the desire to foster collaboration and social wellbeing.
Demand for offices is being driven largely by Christchurch’s IT and professional services sectors.
“The CBD has a great vibe that people want to be part of,” he says. “We’re bucking the national trend with many tenants expanding.”
Burrows points to strong labour market data behind the trend. Canterbury’s economy showed strong momentum through mid-2026, according to the ChristchurchNZ August briefing.
Unemployment fell to just 3.6 per cent, its lowest since 2023, while the region drove 30 per cent of national employment growth and posted the country’s fastest growth in job advertisements.
The office market is experiencing a second wave of development, driven by the expansion of existing tenants, relocation of businesses from the city fringes, and new entrants to the Christchurch market, Burrows says.
Against that backdrop, he says 79 Hereford Street represents one of the more compelling options due to its modern quality at a price that still makes sense.
- Supplied by Colliers
