Re:START

Re:START was a temporary shopping mall established in Christchurch, New Zealand, after the 22 February 2011 Christchurch earthquake devastated much of the central city. The project was created to restore retail activity to City Mall, particularly the Cashel Street and High Street area, after building collapses, dangerous façades, demolition work, and public cordons made the traditional shopping district inaccessible. The initiative was driven by the Restart The Heart Trust, which was established to help bring retail and public life back to the central city. The trust received an interest-free loan of NZ$3.36 million from the Christchurch Earthquake Appeal Trust. Rather than waiting for permanent buildings to be rebuilt, the organisers assembled a temporary retail environment from shipping containers. The containers were selected because they were comparatively strong, could be fitted out as shops, and could be moved if redevelopment requirements changed. The initial scheme accommodated 27 retailers, while Ballantynes, Christchurch's surviving department store, served as an important retail anchor. Re:START opened on 29 October 2011 in a ceremony involving Christchurch mayor Bob Parker and New Zealand prime minister John Key. Approximately 10,000 people reportedly attended the opening, which gave the damaged central city an unusually visible sign of recovery. The mall combined everyday retail with a distinctive urban design based on brightly painted and adapted containers. Its unconventional appearance attracted residents, visitors, and international media, and helped turn the project into a symbol of Christchurch's post-earthquake renewal. Lonely Planet subsequently included Christchurch among its recommended cities for 2013 and described Re:START as one of the city's notable sights. The mall was initially conceived as a short-term intervention, and its operating life was shaped by the competing demands of recovery, land ownership, and permanent reconstruction. In late 2013, the impending expiry of a lease over part of the site raised the possibility that Re:START would close in 2014. Public and stakeholder support encouraged negotiations for a relocation. The northern section was moved westward in June 2014, adjacent to the southern section, after the Crown provided a NZ$1.27 million grant to assist the Restart The Heart Trust. The relocation took ten days, and the reconfigured mall reopened on 13 June 2014. Re:START remained in operation while Christchurch's central-city recovery progressed. Although the mall's temporary character was central to its identity, it also made the project dependent on land availability and future development plans. The Restart The Heart Trust was wound up in 2017, and its assets were sold to Riverside Ltd. Re:START closed on 31 January 2018, after more than six years of operation. Its tenants dispersed to other central-city locations. The site was subsequently associated with a larger Riverside development proposal, including several buildings and an indoor farmers' market. Re:START is remembered less as a conventional retail brand than as a civic recovery project, a temporary commercial platform, and an influential example of container-based urban redevelopment.

Re:START emerged from the exceptional circumstances created by the Canterbury earthquake sequence and the destruction of Christchurch's central shopping district. City Mall, consisting principally of sections of Cashel Street and High Street, had already suffered damage in the September 2010 earthquake and the December 2010 Boxing Day earthquake. The 22 February 2011 earthquake caused far more severe destruction. Historic façades collapsed, buildings were demolished or assessed for safety, and the central city was placed behind public cordons. Retailers in the traditional mall were therefore unable to trade normally even though demand for shopping and social activity remained. In April 2011, plans were announced to reopen part of Cashel Street later that year. The Restart The Heart Trust was formed to help restore retail activity, and it obtained an interest-free NZ$3.36 million loan from the Christchurch Earthquake Appeal Trust. The temporary mall model allowed the organisers to act before permanent reconstruction was complete. Shipping containers were converted into retail premises and arranged to form a pedestrian shopping environment. Their structural strength and relocatability were particularly useful in a city still experiencing aftershocks and in a redevelopment area where land arrangements could change. The first configuration included 27 shops, with Ballantynes providing a major established retail presence nearby. Re:START opened on 29 October 2011, shortly before Canterbury's Cup and Show Week. Mayor Bob Parker and Prime Minister John Key took part in the opening ceremony, which attracted an estimated 10,000 visitors. The development was quickly recognised as both a commercial venue and a public symbol of recovery. Its container architecture, colourful presentation, and unusual location amid damaged buildings made it popular with local residents and tourists. The organisers initially promoted it as a pioneering pop-up mall, although similar container-based retail projects had existed elsewhere. International attention followed, including recognition in Lonely Planet's recommendations for Christchurch for 2013. The mall's continuation was not straightforward. In December 2013, the possible expiry of the lease on its northern section created the prospect of closure in 2014. Much of the affected land was associated with Lichfield Holdings, and permanent construction was planned. Public reaction favoured retaining Re:START, and negotiations explored moving the threatened section rather than ending the project. In March 2014, Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee announced a NZ$1.27 million Crown grant for relocation to a site involving both Crown and private land. The northern section was moved westward over ten days and reopened beside the southern portion on 13 June 2014. Re:START continued operating as central Christchurch gradually reopened. The wider central-city cordons were not fully removed until 30 June 2013, so the mall's early years coincided with restricted access and extensive demolition. Its manager, Paul Lonsdale, became a prominent local figure through the initiative and later entered Christchurch local politics. The trust was wound up in 2017, and its assets were sold to Riverside Ltd, a development company led by Richard Peebles. Re:START closed on 31 January 2018, with tenants relocating elsewhere in the city centre. Riverside subsequently pursued a larger redevelopment of the site, including five buildings and a seven-day indoor farmers' market. Re:START's historical importance lies in its role as a temporary retail institution that helped reactivate Christchurch's centre during a prolonged recovery, rather than in a conventional product or corporate brand structure.

• 2018

  Mall closes

  [1]Re:STARTen.wikipedia.org

  Re:START ceased trading on 31 January, and its tenants moved to other locations.

• 2017

  Restart The Heart Trust wound up

  [1]Re:STARTen.wikipedia.org

  The trust was wound up and its assets were sold to Riverside Ltd.

• 2014

  Northern section relocated

  [1]Re:STARTen.wikipedia.org

  After lease and redevelopment pressures, the northern section was moved westward and reopened on 13 June with Crown financial support.

• 2013

  Re:START gains international travel attention

  [1]Re:STARTen.wikipedia.org

  Lonely Planet included Christchurch among its recommended cities for 2013 and identified Re:START as a notable sight.

• 2011

  Restart The Heart Trust established

  [1]Re:STARTen.wikipedia.org

  The trust was formed to help restore central-city retail activity after the Christchurch earthquake and received an interest-free loan of NZ$3.36 million from the Christchurch Earthquake Appeal Trust.

• 2011

  Temporary container mall opens

  [1]Re:STARTen.wikipedia.org

  Re:START opened in City Mall on 29 October with 27 container-based shops and Ballantynes as a nearby retail anchor.

A resilient, highly visible temporary retail destination designed to restore commerce and public activity to Christchurch's earthquake-damaged central city.

• Temporary shopping mall · 2011

  Re:START Container Mall

  The core Re:START offering was a pedestrian retail environment assembled from converted shipping containers in Christchurch City Mall. It accommodated independent retailers and food or lifestyle businesses in temporary premises, providing a functioning commercial destination while permanent central-city buildings were being repaired, demolished, or rebuilt. The mall's relocatable construction allowed part of the development to move when redevelopment plans affected its original site.

• 2018

  Close the temporary mallOther

  Background

  The trust had been wound up, its assets transferred, and the site was being considered for a larger permanent development.

  Action taken

  Re:START closed on 31 January 2018 and its tenants dispersed to other central-city locations.

  Aftermath

  Riverside Ltd pursued redevelopment plans for the site, including multiple buildings and an indoor farmers' market.

  Source

• 2014

  Relocate the northern sectionStrategy

  Background

  The lease on the northern part of the mall was nearing expiry and planned construction threatened the original location.

  Action taken

  The northern section was moved westward to land adjacent to the southern section, with assistance from a Crown grant.

  Aftermath

  The moved section reopened on 13 June 2014 after a ten-day relocation, allowing the temporary mall to continue operating.

  Crown relocation grant. NZ$1.27 million (2014)

  Source

• 2011

  Use shipping containers for temporary retailStrategy

  Background

  Christchurch's central shopping district had been severely damaged and remained affected by demolition, safety restrictions, aftershocks, and uncertain redevelopment timelines.

  Action taken

  The Restart The Heart Trust created a temporary mall from fitted-out shipping containers so retailers could return before permanent premises were available.

  Aftermath

  The concept reopened a central retail destination, attracted strong public interest, and became a visible symbol of the city's recovery.

  Interest-free loan to Restart The Heart Trust. NZ$3.36 million (2011)

  Source

1. 1Re:STARTen.wikipedia.org