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RLB CRANE INDEX®

Q3 2026 NEW ZEALAND CHRISTCHURCH
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RLB CRANE INDEX®

42
+16 (61.54%)

Christchurch’s RLB Crane Index® rose from 26 to 42 points. The city now has 13 long-term cranes, up from 8 in Q1 2026, with 9 added and 4 removed.

Q3 2026

RLB CRANE INDEX®

CHRISTCHURCH

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Q3 2026

Highlights

The increase in crane numbers was mainly driven by civic developments, with seven cranes now operating across Grace Vineyard Church, the Canterbury Museum Redevelopment and the Christchurch City Council Wall Cladding.

The total value of building work put in place in the 2025-26 financial year in Canterbury rose 4.4% compared to the previous year (to $5.3b). The number of new Canterbury dwelling consents has risen strongly, up 32.6% in the year ended July 2026 (to 8,732 dwellings).

Current activity by sector:

  • Civic: Grace Vineyard Church (3 cranes); Canterbury Museum Redevelopment (2 cranes); Christchurch City Council Wall Cladding (2 cranes)  
  • Health: Forte Health
  • Hotel: Project Ark (1 crane, down from 2)
  • Residential: Student Accommodation, Oxford Terrace; New Accommodation Development, St Asaph Street; The Poplars
  • Mixed Use / Other: Corner of Cambridge and Hereford Street

Cranes were removed from:

  • Health: Christchurch Hospital Waipapa Tower 3 (2 cranes)
  • Civic: Christchurch Casino

Q3 2026

Summary

Region Change
CHRISTCHURCH 5
Sector Change
AGED CARE N/A
CIVIC 6
CIVIL N/A
COMMERCIAL N/A
DATA CENTRES N/A
EDUCATION N/A
HEALTH -1
HOTEL -1
MIXED USE 0
RECREATION N/A
RESIDENTIAL 1
RETAIL N/A
Increase in number of cranes
Decrease in number of cranes
Crane numbers steady

Q3 2026

Crane Activity

By Region

OPENING / CLOSING COUNT COMPARISON

OPENING COUNT MOVEMENT CLOSING COUNT
Q1 2026 % of NZ NET Q3 2026 % of NZ
CHRISTCHURCH 8 7.8% 9 -4 5 13 12.3%

By Sector

OPENING / CLOSING COUNT COMPARISON

OPENING COUNT MOVEMENT CLOSING COUNT
Q1 2026 % NET Q3 2026 %
AGED CARE 0 0.0% 0 0 0 0 0.0%
CIVIC 1 12.5% 6 0 6 7 53.8%
CIVIL 0 0.0% 0 0 0 0 0.0%
COMMERCIAL 0 0.0% 0 0 0 0 0.0%
DATA CENTRES 0 0.0% 0 0 0 0 0.0%
EDUCATION 0 0.0% 0 0 0 0 0.0%
HEALTH 2 25.0% 1 -2 -1 1 7.7%
HOTEL 2 25.0% 0 -1 -1 1 7.7%
MIXED USE 1 12.5% 0 0 0 1 7.7%
RECREATION 0 0.0% 0 0 0 0 0.0%
RESIDENTIAL 2 25.0% 2 -1 1 3 23.1%
RETAIL 0 0.0% 0 0 0 0 0.0%
TOTAL 8 100.0% 9 -4 5 13 100.0%

RLB CRANE INDEX®

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