Strategic scale in Canterbury’s industrial heart

A significant landholding in Canterbury’s pre-eminent industrial corridor is being offered to the market, presenting a rare opportunity for investors, developers and occupiers to secure scale within one of New Zealand’s most competitive logistics hubs, Bayleys brokers say.

Bayleys Canterbury’s Mitch Ryder, together with colleagues Jesse Paenga and William Wallace, is marketing the freehold land parcel comprising Lots 2 and 3 at 17 Hickory Place, Islington, for sale by deadline, closing at 4:00 pm on Thursday, 11th December 2025 (unless sold prior).

Featuring a combined 8.86ha (more or less), the offering is zoned Industrial Heavy and represents one of the final development-ready bare land parcels of its kind on Christchurch’s western industrial belt.

Ryder says the landholding is positioned with superb motorway access via Aruhe Road, at the gateway to the Islington/Hornby business zone – the South Island’s largest concentration of warehousing, manufacturing, and logistics activity.

“Development-ready land of this scale has become exceptionally scarce. Over the past decade, the greater Hornby area has transformed into Canterbury’s logistics backbone. Occupiers and developers have moved quickly to secure sites, attracted by the area’s connectivity, labour supply and proximity to major transport networks.

“Much of the industrial-zoned land has now been absorbed by developers, institutional investors and long-term occupiers – scarcity, combined with the credentials of neighbouring firms, adds significant weight to the investment case for Hickory Place, and makes it a stand-out opportunity.”

Positioned minutes from Pound Road, Main Road South (State Highway 1) and Christchurch’s Southern Motorway, the site enjoys efficient access to the airport, port and wider South Island freight networks.

Neighbours include national grocery businesses Foodstuffs and Woolworths Group, national logistics giant Mainfreight, leading Japanese packaging business Oji Fibre Solutions, NZX-listed construction firm Fletcher Building, national steel fabricator John Jones Steel and trusted bed and mattress manufacturer Sleepyhead.

Bayleys South Island Director of Capital Markets, Jesse Paenga, says the surrounding industrial ecosystem is anchored by large-format developments, including Calder Stewart’s 150 hectare Hornby Quadrant Business Park, Ngāi Tahu’s 41 hectare Mania Business Park, and Waterloo Business Park – a 100 hectare masterplanned precinct recognised for its benchmark infrastructure and amenity.

“As prime land within those estates has taken shape, adjoining holdings including the subject properties naturally attract heightened attention from those seeking strategic expansion or investment opportunities.”

Paenga says the offering comes as Canterbury continues to outperform many regions on economic resilience and employment growth. “The area’s diversified industrial base and infrastructure investment pipeline underpin strong long-term fundamentals, with sustained demand from logistics, food production, and manufacturing sectors driving competition for high-quality land.”

“Canterbury’s industrial market has been a standout performer throughout recent market turbulence. Occupiers are expanding, vacancy is low, and confidence in the region’s future is robust. Sites offering heavy industrial zoning, scale and connectivity are undoubtedly generational assets.”

With titles to be issued, the brokers say the Hickory Place landholding offers flexibility for immediate development or strategic investment, with favourable zoning that allows intensive operations such as large-scale manufacturing, transport, and logistics.

“Opportunities of this calibre are increasingly rare. For those seeking to position themselves at the centre of South Island industry, Hickory Place provides one of the last true blank canvas options.”