Christchurch is a key participant in the RISE-IN project, which pioneers innovative green financing solutions.
RISE-IN (external link)is part of the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme – the world's largest multilateral research and innovation initiative.
The RISE-IN project aims to propose a set of climate-resilient solutions and a set of financing and business options that can be paired together. These will be assessed during the project and tailored to each demonstrator city in a way that the solution bankability-by-design is ensured.
The Christchurch partnership is a collaboration between Christchurch City Council’s Parks Unit, Christchurch City Council's Smart Christchurch team, ChristchurchNZ, the Bioeconomy Science Institute and the University of Canterbury | Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha.
Ōtākaro Avon River Corridor (OARC)
Through the RISE-IN partnership, Christchurch City Council is receiving approximately $2.9 million in funding to deliver two research projects in the Ōtākaro Avon River Corridor (OARC), a key project site for ecological restoration and climate resilience.
The earthquake-impacted OARC land is being transformed into a 600-hectare green corridor that manages flooding, restores ecosystems, and supports cultural, recreational, and educational uses.
The two research projects in the OARC are focused on:
- Testing soil amendments like biochar and microbial additions to enrich depleted soils, enhance carbon sequestration and measure changes in soil health.
- Establishing plantings of native species to improve biodiversity and climate resilience, while developing models for renewable harvesting in the biomaterials sector.
Demonstrator and replicator cities
Christchurch is a key demonstrator city in the project, alongside cities in Italy and Portugal. Findings from the demonstrator projects will be adapted by replicator cities in Turkey, Belgium, and Ukraine.
The outcomes are expected to provide significant local environmental and economic benefits, including potential carbon credits, and create replicable models for climate resilience and green investment.
RISE-IN is a five-year project being co-ordinated by the Polytechnic of Milan.
Partners
Christchurch City Council’s Parks Unit, Christchurch City Council's Smart Christchurch team, ChristchurchNZ, the Bioeconomy Science Institute and the University of Canterbury | Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha each have different roles within the RISE-IN project.
ChristchurchNZ
ChristchurchNZ is focused on the financial viability of the projects, exploring how to attract investment into innovative ecological restoration. This shows Christchurch is a place where businesses can prosper by developing solutions to global challenges.
The Bioeconomy Science Institute
The Bioeconomy Science Institute’s role in the project will involve investigating opportunities to enhance soil carbon and associated ecosystem services in the red zone.
The University of Canterbury | Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha
The University of Canterbury (UC) contributes to the RISE-IN project by developing and testing strategies to build soil carbon stocks to improve the resilience of the soil to extreme climatic events brought on by climate change.
The Christchurch red zone, parts of which dropped by approximately one metre during the Christchurch earthquake sequence in 2010 – 2011, represents an effective living laboratory for climate-affected soils worldwide.
UC investigates materials made from the city's waste, including composts (from municipal green waste) and biochar (from waste vegetation) to accelerate plant growth and increase natural carbon storage capacity.
Two PhD students are investigating the role of vegetation on soil carbon and determining the effects of soil conditioners, specifically composts made from municipal green waste and biochar manufactured from organic waste, on the long-term persistence of carbon in soil.
The project will develop soils with improved drought resistance while simultaneously drawing down atmospheric carbon. Harvestable buffers physically mitigate flood extremes.
UC's work establishes financial viability. By structuring ecological restoration to generate carbon market income or commercial fibre yields, this research targets the chronic funding deficits that cause most climate adaptation projects to fail. Proving the bankability of these solutions ensures they persist beyond initial public grant funding.
October 2025 launch
Christchurch City Council hosted the official launch of RISE‑IN New Zealand in September 2025(external link), marking an important step in advancing environmental innovation in the city.
Read the Newsline article(external link).
EU ambassador to New Zealand Lawrence Meredith attended the launch, alongside other Christchurch officials.
Image courtesy of Delegation of the European Union to Aotearoa New Zealand.
Acknowledgement
RISE-IN receives funding from the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) and Horizon Europe, under Grant Agreement no. 101214441.
Disclaimer
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however, those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or CINEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
