Different business pattern in post-quake Christchurch

A year on from the February 2011 earthquake, the number of businesses in Christchurch had not reduced as much as expected, but localised and industry-specific patterns had begun to emerge, Statistics New Zealand said today.

At February 2012, there were 36,400 businesses in Christchurch, a 2.5 percent drop from the previous year.

"As expected, we've seen the Christchurch central business district lose a significant number of businesses. Interestingly, this has almost been offset by growth in the western suburbs. The mix of industries has also changed," business infrastructure and performance manager Hamish Hill said. "In Christchurch as a whole there were almost 20 percent fewer cafes and restaurants, but over 10 percent more business locations associated with house construction. In the western suburbs, the number of employees in construction services was up by almost a quarter."

Across the country, there were 469,100 businesses at February 2012, down 0.8 percent from 2011. There was a decrease in all regions except Wellington, which increased slightly by 0.1 percent.

"The Auckland region still accounts for almost a third of all business locations, while another quarter are in the South Island," Mr Hill said.

The number of new business start-ups fell 11.2 percent and business closures rose 2.3 percent. The survival rates of businesses were similar to previous years, with 4 in 5 businesses surviving their first year of operation, and close to 30 percent surviving 10 years.

The number of people employed by New Zealand's largest businesses (100 or more employees) increased by 1.1 percent, but the number employed by smaller businesses (one to five employees) fell slightly by 0.1 percent.

See also:  New Zealand Business Demography Statistics: At February 2012  –  Information release

"Almost half of all paid employees work for our largest businesses," Mr Hill said.