Celebrating Ōtautahi Through Play

The identity describes what sets Christchurch apart from many other cities, in that it offers its residents and visitors time and space for play, which is necessary for achieving balance in everyday life. This builds on our garden city heritage and reflects that ideal of harmony between people and nature.

To mark the launch of the new identity ChristchurchNZ teamed up with Gap Filler to get the local community involved and celebrate through play.

Held in and around Tūranga Library and open for the whole family to come along, participants were encouraged to take a quiz designed to identify their ‘play profile’ which provided them with a play type that best aligns to their personality.

With eight ‘play stations’ set up in and outside of Tūranga, it was a great opportunity to have some fun and get involved with activities that identified with the different play profiles, including face painting, silent disco, sensory tours and crochet workshops.

The Court Jesters came along to bring some laughs through an interactive show, alongside a comedy class. There were also arcade games, colouring activities and a Pedalmania cycling station.

ChristchurchNZ’s Brand Implementation Manager Tracey Wilson was there to chat to guests and answer questions about the identity.

“We are sharing a lot of the really extensive research that was done both from around the globe but importantly with our community. We’ve been listening to how residents see our city and helping build authentic stories, not just about the city of today and the past, but importantly of the future,” - Tracey Wilson.

Find out more about the new city identity here: Ōtautahi Christchurch Story: A City ‘In Pursuit Of Balance’ - ChristchurchNZ.com.