‘We will be the ones who will or won’t stay’
Whilesomeyoung people fled Christchurch after the earthquakes, manytalented and determined people have decided to stay and help shape their city’s future. In this Steppingupseries, will profile under- making a difference. GEORGINA STYLIANOU reports.
CAROLINE COOPER-DIXON,
property development and marketing manager.
C24, aroline CooperDixon got her break in commercial sales and leasing at Harcourts Holmwood and ‘‘never looked back’’.
She took on a new role at the former Spotlight Plaza in Colombo St in Sydenham just before the February 2011 earthquake.
Cooper-Dixon, who is also involved with the Christchurch Heritage Trust, said the effect of the earthquakes on the property industry had been ‘‘mindblowing’’.
‘‘Don’t get me wrong; it’s an exciting future but, at present and over the last yearand-a-half, it’s been a difficult process for everyone,’’ she said.
‘‘You take your hat off to a lot of people in the industry and the hurdles they’ve crossed.’’
After the quakes, the Spotlight Plaza was redeveloped into The Colombo.
‘‘I think we’ve done our best to develop a great place for the people of Christchurch and we’re continuously developing new things here and we try to always do something different,’’ CooperDixon said.
She ‘‘inherited the passion’’ for property development from her mother and grandfather. The family is working on a new office and retail development near The Colombo, expected to be finished early next year.
‘‘I think young people should be embraced more out there because that’s what brings fresh, new ideas, innovative thinking, energy and drive.’’
Cooper-Dixon said she loved nothing more postquake than walking into a new place in Christchurch.
‘‘You look at it all, how they’ve done it, what they’ve done and where their ideas came from, and I hope we’re contributing a place for people to come and enjoy. That’s always been the focus.’’
She felt strongly about the need to retain heritage
Exciting future: buildings in Christchurch, but there were plenty of ‘‘influential property decisions’’ to be made.
‘‘I’d like to see our generation have a huge input into this rebuild as well. That’s really important as we will be the next ones who will or won’t choose to live here as a result of the decisions made.’’