Canterbury has the strongest regional economy in the country, and National’s Christchurch Central candidate Dale Stephens wants voters to give his party the credit.

Christchurch was experiencing a resurgence, which was exactly why Cantabrians should stick to the plan that was working, Stephens said.

“Under National, Christchurch is booming. There is more construction underway, more jobs being created and higher business and consumer confidence.”

ASB’s latest Regional Economic Scoreboard, released in September, ranked Canterbury first in New Zealand for the June quarter. Core retail sales in the region rose 8.8 percent, the strongest of any region, while employment grew 2.6 percent and unemployment fell to 3.6 percent.

“Canterbury has the full package right now,” ASB acting chief economist Kim Mundy said when the rankings were released.

The Christchurch economy grew 2.6 percent in the year to June, compared with 1.7 percent nationally, according to ChristchurchNZ’s quarterly economic report.

Unemployment in the city fell to 4.3 percent, its lowest level since late 2023, down from 5.8 percent a year earlier and well below the national rate of 5.4 percent.

Construction is accelerating. Residential building consents rose 34.9 percent and non-residential consents 34.4 percent on the same quarter last year, while online job advertisements in Canterbury climbed 17.9 percent, against 6.7 percent nationally.

Visitors are returning in force. About 106,000 international travellers arrived through Christchurch Airport in the June quarter, up 20.2 percent, and accommodation occupancy reached 59.2 percent, compared with 46.3 percent across the country.

The city is not without pressures. Annual inflation sat at 4.1 percent in the June quarter, above the Reserve Bank’s target band, and consumer confidence in Canterbury fell 7.4 points.

Stephens said stronger growth lifted wages, raised living standards and created jobs. He credited National’s income tax relief, tax breaks for businesses investing locally, fast-track consenting and the replacement of the Resource Management Act.

“They would introduce new taxes on your income, your business and your house, which would take a wrecking ball to the Canterbury economy and place everything we have been working so hard to achieve at risk,” Stephens said of Labour and the Greens.

Labour is campaigning on a 28 percent capital gains tax on residential and commercial property gains made after 1 July 2027, with the family home, farms, shares and business assets excluded. The Greens propose a 2.5 percent annual wealth tax on net assets above $10 million and a 45 percent top income tax rate on earnings over $160,000.

“While it is great that the Greens are finally noticing the economic recovery our city is making, National didn’t need to wait until 2026 to place Christchurch at the centre of its plans,” Stephens said.

Born and raised in Christchurch, Stephens is a former police officer and serious crime investigator who wrote his master’s thesis on serial killers. He has been chief executive of New Zealand’s national basketball and touch rugby organisations, has chaired New Zealand Māori Tourism, and chairs the Ministry of Awesome, which supports young Christchurch entrepreneurs.

This is his third campaign for Christchurch Central, a seat long held by Labour. Sitting MP Duncan Webb is retiring, leaving the electorate open.

“National has a plan to grow the economy, spend sensibly and get debt down, with no new taxes. We can’t leave the job half done,” Stephens said.

The general election is on 7 November.