Developers

6 min read18 Mar 2026

Top 5 property developers in Christchurch [2026]

In this article, you'll learn our top 5 picks for developers in Christchurch.

Author: Andrew Nicol

Managing Director, 20+ Years' Experience Investing In Property, Author & Host

Book a session with Andrew

Reviewed by: Ed McKnight

Resident Economist, with a GradDipEcon and over five years at Opes Partners, is a trusted contributor to NZ Property Investor, Informed Investor, Stuff, Business Desk, and OneRoof.

Copied

Listen to this article

•0:00

Our top 5 developers in Christchurch right now are:

Oakridge Homes
Four Avenues
Boutique Living
South Projects
Stockman Group

You’ve got to be cautious when choosing a property developer; investors need to pick the right one. And you need to have confidence the developer will turn those off-the-plan drawings into a fully built house.

At Opes Partners we help over 600 investors buy New Builds each year and have worked with over 100 developers nationwide.

So, a lot of people ask us: “Who are the best developers in Christchurch?”

This is why, in this article, you’ll learn our top 5 picks, in no particular order.

Just so you know, none of the developers on this list paid us to be on it (I didn’t even ask them if they wanted to be on here).

Do you have a question or comment about our top 5 developers? Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comment section at the end of the page.

Why would I use Opes Partners rather than going to a developer directly?

Here at Opes Partners we recommend New Builds properties as investments, and we work with these top 5 property developers.

So you might think … “you’re about to tell me your favourite developers. Why don’t I cut out the middle man and go directly to them?”

The truth is, you could, and some people prefer that.

But if you do go to a developer directly you miss out on a few things. If you work with Opes:

You get a financial adviser
You get a Wealth Plan (a property investment plan)
Your adviser shows you properties from lots of developers (not just the 6 on this list)
Your adviser helps you run the numbers on the properties to make sure you buy an investment that suits you
You get advice on how to buy and set up your investment property.

You don’t get any of that when you go to a developer directly. Click here to see the full list of extras you get.

So, if you want to buy a New Builds investment property we can help you find the right property, from the right developer. It’s all part of the service we offer.

Right, let’s get on to the top 5 developers.

#1 – Oakridge Homes

Builds: Standalone houses
Location: Greater Christchurch – especially Kaiapoi, Rolleston, Halswell, Woodend and Belfast

Oakridge Homes is a young company; they only started in 2021.

But don’t let this put you off. The brand and the company are young, but the team behind Oakridge Homes is extremely experienced.

My team of financial advisers here at Opes have recommended over 500 Oakridge houses to investors.

And I’ve worked with Oakridge director James Parker for years. We have a close relationship, and Oakridge asks my advice about the best locations to build so properties work for investors.

The company primarily builds standalone houses. They focus on building in outer Christchurch suburbs and nearby satellite towns. This includes:

Here’s an example of a recent 4-bedroom property in Rolleston:

#2 – Four Avenues

Builds: Townhouses
Location: Christchurch

Four Avenues was started by 3 brothers in 2019: Jack, George and Rob.

They come from the Clifford family, an established family in Christchurch who have accumulated a lot of land over the years.

The brothers are now developing this land, building townhouses in the Garden City.

Here’s an example of a recent development in Linwood:

Some of these properties were priced at $519,000. This is one of the more affordable New Builds I’ve seen for a while.

That doesn’t mean they just build cheap shoe boxes; their properties are good quality.

I find these guys one of the easiest developers to work with. They come to me saying: “I’ve got this piece of land, what should we build? What’s going to work for property investors?”

Tom, from Opes Property Management, says Four Avenues properties are consistently popular. Tenants love them because they are affordable for the quality.

#3 – South Projects

Builds: Townhouses
Location: Christchurch

South Projects is led by two directors, Mitch and Josh. We’ve been working with them since 2023, and their philosophy is simple: build clean, well-executed projects.

By “clean” they mean what you see is what you get. Once the properties are finished, they often look better than the renders.

A great example is their Gresford Street development in Edgeware, Christchurch:

When we first presented the project internally, the reaction was basically, “wow.”

And when it launched it had the same response from tenants. All eight units in total (with one owner-occupier), all rented within a week. The average vacancy was just two days.

That said, not all of their projects are suited for investors.

They also deliver higher-end homes. These tend to include garages and more owner-occupier nice-to-haves. Those properties just don’t quite stack up for investors … and that’s OK.

From start to finish their projects feel sharp, considered, and well put together.

#4 – Stockman Group

Builds: Townhouses
Location: Spreydon and Sydenham

Shaun Stockman leads Stockman Group.

Shaun’s son, Matt Stockman, is also a director and runs Stockman Builders, the construction arm of the group.

That’s the one that builds all the residential townhouses in places like Spreydon and Sydenham.

Here’s a recent development at 127 Lyttelton Street, Spreydon:

This 6-unit development was a mix of 2 and 3 bedrooms, each with a car park.

Stockman Group owns a significant portfolio of commercial property across Christchurch.

That includes high-profile sites on Barrington, Kilmore and Manchester streets. This lets you know the scale and financial strength behind the group.

On the residential side their townhouses are some of the most in-demand rentals we see. Tom, from Opes Property Management in Christchurch, says Stockman Group has, collectively, the fastest renting properties.

They’re also some of the highest spec. He says each new project builds on the last, and the end product keeps getting better.

#5 – Boutique Living

Builds: Townhouses in smaller developments (3-6 units)
Location: Christchurch

As the name suggests, Boutique Living produces smaller, boutique-sized projects in Christchurch. They usually build 3-6 units at a time.

They tend to build their townhouses in inner-city suburbs. Places like Spreydon, Somerfield, St Albans and Addington.

Most of their properties have 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.

Trent Brown, Boutique Living’s director, says he doesn’t want to make projects too big for 2 reasons:

He likes the idea that future owners won’t have too many neighbours
And that investors won’t be competing with each other for tenants

Boutique Living has been around since 2011, but it has only recently started working with us at Opes. I find Boutique Living so easy to deal with.

We recently recommended 112 Warden Street, Richmond:

This was a small development of 5, 2-bedroom townhouses. All but one came with a garage.

Why aren’t the big names on this list?

You might notice that we haven’t included some of the big names on this list. People like Mike Greer Homes, G.J. Gardner, Williams Corporation, Wolfbrook and Brooksfield.

All these developers build a lot of properties in the Christchurch property market.

But we find that the bigger developers have bigger teams. They spend more money on offices. They have bigger brands, and so their properties tend to have a bigger price tag.

Here at Opes Partners we focus on property investors, so the numbers have to stack up.

That’s why choosing a smaller developer often makes sense; they tend to be more affordable than the bigger ones.

That doesn’t mean the bigger developers never build good investment properties, but they’re not the companies we’d recommend first.

This list is based on our experience, and the numbers we see when evaluating properties.

Andrew Nicol

Managing Director, 20+ Years' Experience Investing In Property, Author & Host

Andrew Nicol, Managing Director at Opes Partners, is a seasoned financial adviser and property investment expert with 20+ years of experience. With 40 investment properties, he hosts the Property Academy Podcast, co-authored 'Wealth Plan' with Ed Mcknight, and has helped 1,894 Kiwis achieve financial security through property investment.

Book a session with Andrew View Profile

Ok, now for the legal bit:

This article is for your general information. It’s not financial advice. See here for details about our Financial Advice Provider Disclosure. So Opes isn’t telling you what to do with your own money.

We’ve made every effort to make sure the information is accurate. But we occasionally get the odd fact wrong. Make sure you do your own research or talk to a financial adviser before making any investment decisions.

You might like to use us or another financial adviser

Reviews

Top 6 property developers in NZ

Discover the top 6 developers we work with here at Opes Partners and why they have made our list.

Developers

Top 5 Auckland property developers

Here are our top 5 developers in Auckland in no particular order.

Developers

The developers Opes recommends (and the ones we don't)

Who are all the developers you work with? Well, we counted them. In total there are 123 developers that we have had a relationship with over the last 3 years.

Opes

What’s the difference between Opes and buying from a developer directly?

Many investors who focus on New Builds ask: “Why would I use a company like Opes Partners? Why not go to a developer directly?”

Developers

The 3 red flags that show when to run from a developer

You’ll learn the 3 red flags that suggest a developer might have a bit more risk so you can weigh up the risks before making your investment decision.

Developers

3 ways to check if a developer’s cashback is dodgy

Learn how to spot a grubby cashback from a legitimate one. That includes the 3 tests you can use to see if you’re getting a good deal (or if a developer is pulling the wool over your eyes).

New Builds

Can developers increase the price of new builds?

Developers raising the price of in-construction properties have seen a lot of heat in the media. Yes, it is true - they can and do.

OM 3316 How can Opes tell whether a developer is good or not

Developers

How does Opes tell if a developer is good or not? (8-step process revealed)

Before any property reaches an investor, Opes puts each developer through a strict 8-step review to make sure only top-quality projects make the cut.

Developers

What happens if the developer liquidates and something is wrong with my New Build?

You’ll learn why developers liquidate companies and how to get your property fixed if something goes wrong.

Top 5 property developers in Christchurch [2026]

Why would I use Opes Partners rather than going to a developer directly?

#1 – Oakridge Homes

More from Opes:

#2 – Four Avenues

#3 – South Projects

#4 – Stockman Group

#5 – Boutique Living