IURC Mission to Christchurch, New Zealand, Strengthens Cooperation on Hydrogen, Urban Innovation and Cleantech

An IURC Asia & Australasia team mission to Christchurch, New Zealand, from 24–26 August 2026 strengthened cooperation with key local partners and identified new opportunities for collaboration with European cities, regions, universities and businesses. Meetings with Christchurch City Council (CCC) leadership and the ChristchurchNZ team confirmed strong interest in using the IURC to deepen international cooperation across hydrogen, smart and resilient cities, cleantech and other strategic growth sectors. The programme also explored Christchurch’s strengths in aerospace and future transport, bioeconomy and its role as an Antarctic gateway. The agenda was coordinated by Julianne Hughey, Tony Moore, Jane Morgan and Roslyn Kerr from the CCC team. It was supported on-site by IURC New Zealand coordinator Paul Dalziel.

A particular focus was placed on green hydrogen and its role in the energy transition. Exchanges with the University of Canterbury’s Sustainable Energy Research Group (SERG), including Prof. Jannik Haas, explored opportunities for stronger research and innovation cooperation with European partners, including hydrogen ecosystem development. The discussions highlighted the potential to connect Christchurch’s emerging hydrogen ecosystem more closely with the IURC’s European partners. The discussion included the SERG’s possible participation in EU Hydrogen Week in October 2026. This was complemented by a visit to Fabrum NZ, where exchanges with Mark Hoskins focused on the company’s expertise in liquid hydrogen systems and the potential for international innovation and business cooperation within the existing IURC partnerships.

Urban intelligence and climate resilience were another important area of cooperation. Discussions involving Christchurch’s climate adaptation team and Urban Intelligence addressed natural hazards, climate risk, regulation and the future development of tools such as Risk Explorer. Site visits were undertaken to three climate adaptation projects implemented by Christchurch City Council:

1. A visit to Christchurch’s Residential Red Zone demonstrated how areas profoundly affected by the earthquakes are being used as living laboratories for innovative approaches to urban resilience.
2. A visit to Te Kuru stormwater facility, designed to manage sediment-laden floodwater by treating and storing it until it is safe to release.
3. A visit to a CCC Natural Hazard Monitoring Post by Attentis at Christchurch Adventure Park. On this site, the technology is provided for real-time information about natural/man-made hazards, including storms, heatwaves, bushfires and pollution.

Importantly for EU–New Zealand cooperation, these best practices are part of demo labs in two ongoing Horizon Europe projects, offering a concrete bridge between Christchurch, European research partners and IURC activities.

The mission also highlighted Christchurch’s growing cleantech and circular economy ecosystem. A visit to Aspiring Materials showcased innovative approaches to producing critical minerals and essential materials locally, with potential applications in low-carbon industrial inputs and circular processing.

Together with exchanges on smart-city solutions, urban forestry, stormwater management and resilience technologies, the mission confirmed Christchurch City Council and ChristchurchNZ’s strong engagement in the IURC. It also identified several promising areas for follow-up cooperation between Christchurch and IURC partners in Europe. Overall, the mission provided a valuable overview of targeted IURC activities involving cities, research institutions and innovative companies from Christchurch and the EU.

Disclaimer: This news item has been elaborated with IA support