Business Insights | Christchurch Shines in Office Occupier Confidence - CBRE Survey

Christchurch office occupiers stand out as New Zealand’s most confident, with organisations in the city leading the country on key measures including expansion plans and office-based work time, according to CBRE’s 2025 New Zealand Office Occupier Sentiment Survey.

Office workers in Christchurch are spending more days per week in the office than their peers in Auckland and Wellington and more businesses & organisations plan to expand their leased space rather than shrink it - the opposite of the trend in the other two main centres.

Christchurch organisations reported staff spending 3.8 days in the office per week on average, versus 3.1 in Auckland and 3.0 in Wellington.

Mitchell Wallace, associate director of office leasing at CBRE, said Christchurch’s higher office attendance rate reflects the prevalence of new, well-designed office spaces following the earthquake rebuild and the relatively easy commute into the CBD. 

“Generally smooth vehicle and bike access, less traffic congestion and good car parking contributes to quicker commutes. Along with our newly-built office stock, this continues to encourage staff in Christchurch to work in the office instead of at home on more days per week than the other main centres.”

Christchurch also stands out as New Zealand’s most economically-confident office market in 2025, with businesses’ expansion plans outpacing contraction. 

39% of surveyed organisations in Christchurch plan to expand their leased footprint - the highest of all three cities. 

In contrast, just 19% of Wellington respondents and 20% of Auckland respondents planned expansion, while more organisations planned contraction (31% in Wellington and 29% in Auckland). Those planning to reduce their footprint cited the impacts of hybrid working and headcount reduction as the key factors.

“Unlike the other main centres, many Christchurch tenants are trying to upsize their leased space. This indicates a strong outlook for the office market and the CBD as a whole, although the main challenge for occupiers is finding suitable space, which is in short supply. Businesses looking to lease more space is also positive for the viability of new office developments,” Wallace said.

The survey illustrates the increased importance organisations place on end-of-trip facilities, which have become a must-have in all cities and are also becoming more important in Christchurch.

“Many organisations in Christchurch now have a significant proportion of their staff cycling to work. The expectation is that their office buildings will incorporate ample secure bike parking, along with showers, locker storage and drying facilities that are part of the building amenity - not within a tenant’s office footprint.”
A key national trend highlighted in this year’s survey is the gap between how much time employers want their staff to spend in the office and how often staff want to be there, said Kirstin Cooper, associate director of workplace consulting at CBRE.

“The survey reveals a desire nationally among organisations to lift office attendance. Staff like hybrid working, but senior leadership teams are asking for more time in the office to support mentoring, workplace culture and collaboration.”

Christchurch has had a stronger response to this aspiration among staff, with the city’s results showing a smaller gap between organisations’ goals for time spent in the office and actual attendance rates than the other two main cities.

The survey also shows that New Zealand as a whole has a much healthier office utilisation rate (the percentage of office space occupied during a typical work week) than Australia and the Americas. 

For investors, this sets our office market apart on a regional level, Wallace said. “The higher baseline of office attendance in New Zealand supports leasing demand and income resilience for office assets, which is positive for attracting capital into our CBD office markets.”