An IT business centre has opened in Christchurch's central city on Thursday giving technology companies a home on the edge of the city's quake-devastated red zone.
The Enterprise Precinct and Innovation Campus (EPIC) is the first of several industry hubs set out in the master plan for the city's rebuilding.
Co-founder of the centre Wil McLellan says more than 30 companies helped fund the project.
The Christchurch City Council is providing the land at no cost for the first five years.
Economic Development and Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce formally opened the centre.
Mr Joyce says Christchurch has always had a really good hi-tech industry and such companies have continued to grow following the earthquakes.
He says technology-focused business will lead the city's rebuild and attract young people to the city.
The minister says the centre is the beginning of a wider innovation hub in the blueprint for the city's rebuild, which could incorporate the nearby Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology.
