The Brief

We needed to make Australians realise that Christchurch is a better tourist destination now than it was before the earthquakes. Australians made up 50% of Christchurch’s tourism market before the devastating 2011 earthquakes. Afterwards, that number dropped by half. The reason being was Australians no longer thought that Christchurch was safe or worth visiting. But three years later, residents have managed to rebuild parts of Christchurch in truly inspirational ways, recreating a stronger, more beautiful city than ever before.

Creative Execution

‘Christchurch – Repaired with gold’ celebrates a city that is stronger after being broken. By repairing pieces broken in the earthquake with gold, we show that not even a natural disaster can break this city. Each piece tells a different story of the strength and the desire to breathe new life into a city bought to its knees, and to show Australians a side of Christchurch they never knew existed. While they are always looking for ways to rethink, revitalize and renew their city, this exhibition also demonstrates that New Zealand will never forget.

Describe the creative solution to the brief/objective.

We needed a unique way to demonstrate to Australians that Christchurch is now stronger and more beautiful since the repairs began. So we created ‘Christchurch Repaired with Gold’, an exhibition made from pieces broken in the earthquakes and carefully repaired with gold. This technique was inspired by a Japanese philosophy called Kintsukuroi; The art of repairing with gold and understanding that the piece is more beautiful for having been broken. Each piece was supported by an inspirational story about how Christchurch is rebuilding itself today, and how creativity and innovation has been injected into the city three years later.

Results

83% of Australians who have seen the campaign have a much better opinion of the Christchurch region as a holiday destination (vs. 71% of those who haven’t seen the campaign). Arrival numbers from Australia are now 4.5% greater than they were pre-earthquake. The artwork is now on permanent display at the Christchurch Museum.