Shipping Containers for Sale and Hire in Christchurch
New and used shipping containers for Christchurch, Selwyn and Waimakariri. Tell us the size, condition and delivery address, and we pass your request to suppliers and transport operators who service Canterbury. They quote you directly.
Backed by the team behind Shipping-Containers.com.au
Christchurch supply
Where Christchurch containers come from
Port and inland ports
Lyttelton Port, CityDepot and MidlandPort
Lyttelton Port Company runs the largest port in the South Island. In the year to 30 June 2025 Lyttelton handled 253,802 TEU, about 11% of New Zealand’s container trade excluding transhipment. LPC also operates two inland facilities for empty container pick-up and drop-off: CityDepot in Christchurch and MidlandPort at Rolleston. MidlandPort opened in June 2016, now has about 37 train movements a week, and rail carries 21% of the containers that arrive at Lyttelton. MetroPort Christchurch, also at Rolleston, is rail-linked to Timaru.
Retired and one-trip containers move through Christchurch and Rolleston all year, so a 20ft shipping container or 40ft unit can usually be sourced within Canterbury. The last leg is by road, on a HIAB truck or a swinglift.
Local conditions
Nor’west gales, frost and quake-affected ground
NIWA records a mean wind speed of 14.4 km/h at Christchurch Airport and about 52 days a year with gusts over 61 km/h. The record gust was 172 km/h on 1 August 1975. A loaded container on firm ground is very stable. An empty unit on an open Selwyn paddock, a stacked pair or a container with a roof built across it should be tied down.
The airport averages about 88 ground frosts a year, and cold nights cause moisture to form under the steel roof. Vents and moisture absorbers prevent most damage, as our container condensation guide explains.
After the 2011 earthquakes about 7,400 flatland and 700 hillside homes were red-zoned, from Avonside and New Brighton to Redcliffs and parts of Kaiapoi. On soft or filled ground, check the bearing capacity first, and read our guide to container foundations if the unit is staying long term.
Local uses
How Canterbury uses containers
Re:START and the rebuild
The Re:START mall on Cashel Street opened on 29 October 2011 with 27 shops trading from modified containers. The brand ended on 30 April 2017 and the site closed in January 2018. The same container modifications are still used for pop-up shops and site kiosks.
Rockfall protection at Sumner
After the February 2011 earthquakes, stacked containers shielded roads at Sumner and Redcliffs from falling rock until they were removed in December 2016. Using a container as a barrier or retaining wall on a private section needs an engineer and council input first.
Dairy farms on the plains
Canterbury had 20.1% of New Zealand’s dairy cows in 2022/23, second only to Waikato. Farmers use 20ft and 40ft units as feed stores and workshops, often with a roof spanning two containers. Our farm storage containers page shows common layouts.
Building sites and Rolleston industry
Industrial growth around MidlandPort and steady house building in Selwyn and Waimakariri keep demand for site storage high. See construction site storage for sizes and security.
Rules and delivery
Consent, road use and delivery areas
Christchurch City Council
Council rules for containers
Christchurch City Council administers the operative Christchurch District Plan. We found no council page written specifically about containers, so the national position applies. Placing a container on your property is not building work, and a container used for storage on the ground or on sleepers generally needs no building consent. A slab with fixings, services, a roof, a fit-out or an occupied use brings in building consent, as our building consent guide explains.
District Plan rules still apply. At the Port-link Industrial Park in Woolston, container storage is permitted in the Industrial General Zone but must meet rules on height, setbacks, noise and earthworks.
A container that has to sit on the road needs the council’s temporary use of legal road approval. It costs $53 per m² per month ($210 minimum) and needs a traffic management plan, $500,000 public liability cover and a spot at least 30 m from corners.
Delivery areas
Selwyn, Waimakariri and the Port Hills
Suppliers who service Christchurch deliver across the city and out to Rolleston, Templeton, Lincoln, Prebbleton, Rangiora, Kaiapoi and Amberley. In an Amberley case, MBIE found that placing containers needed no consent but a roof built over them did. Flat sites on the plains usually suit a swinglift, which needs a long, level strip beside the truck. The Port Hills, Sumner and the Lyttelton Harbour basin have steep, narrow roads where a HIAB is often the only option. Our HIAB vs swinglift comparison explains the space each truck needs.
Delivery for a purchase or for container hire in Christchurch is quoted per address. Local prices are in the FAQ below, and the NZ shipping container price index covers every size.
Container types
Browse your container options
Ask Canterbury suppliers for a quote
Send the size, condition, buy or hire, and your delivery address. Suppliers who service Christchurch and the surrounding districts reply with prices that include delivery.
Get a free quoteFAQ
Shipping containers in Christchurch: common questions
Shipping containers for sale in Christchurch come from suppliers and yards that deliver across Christchurch, Rolleston, Rangiora, the rest of Canterbury and south to Timaru. Shipping-Containers.co.nz does not run its own depot here. We pass your request to suppliers and transport operators who service your address, and they quote you directly with the container price and delivery. A 20ft container for sale in Christchurch is the most common request, followed by 40ft and high cube units. Send your size and address to compare quotes.
Not for plain storage. Placing a container on your section is not building work, and a container on the ground or on sleepers for storage generally needs no building consent. Consent applies once you add a slab with fixings, services, a roof or a fit-out, or use it as a sleepout or office. District Plan rules on setbacks and site coverage still apply, so check your zone with the council.
In the Shipping-Containers.co.nz NZ price index, October 2026, the South Island median for a new 20ft container was $4,795 incl. GST, and Christchurch one-trip 20ft listings ranged from $4,250 to $4,900 incl. GST. Used wind and watertight 20ft units had a national median of $3,680 incl. GST. Delivery is extra and quoted per address, so ask for a delivered price when you request quotes.
For short jobs, yes. Published NZ hire rates for a 20ft container run from $90 to $276 per month, with a median of $145 (GST excluded or not stated), plus delivery and collection. At the median rate, hire passes the $3,680 incl. GST median price of a used 20ft after about two years. Our hire vs buy guide compares both options in detail.
Often, but it depends on the road. Steep streets and tight bends on the Port Hills and around Lyttelton Harbour limit what a swinglift can do, so suppliers usually send a HIAB truck. Measure the access width, check for overhead power lines and trees, and attach photos of the driveway to your quote request. The supplier then confirms which truck can place the container safely.
A 20ft container, about 6.06 m by 2.44 m outside, is the usual choice for household storage and fits most driveways. A 10ft unit suits tight townhouse sites, and 40ft containers are mainly used on farms and commercial yards. Storage containers in Christchurch are available new or used; our container size guide helps you choose.