How the Christchurch Business Directory works
How to find a business, how listings are added, reviewed and claimed, what free and Premium listings include, and how Premium ordering and its daily rotation work.
Finding a business
- 1
Start with a category or a search
Pick a category from the homepage or the full category list, or type what you need into the search box.
- 2
Narrow it by suburb
Choosing a suburb shows businesses based there and businesses that list it as a service area. A business that works at your address does not need premises near you.
- 3
Contact the business directly
The directory does not take bookings, quotes or messages. Use the website, phone or email shown on the listing. You do not need an account to browse or to use those links.
Getting listed
- 1
Create an account and confirm your email
Confirming your email sets up your account. It does not by itself prove that you own a business.
- 2
Search for your business first
If it is already listed, submit a claim instead of creating a duplicate.
- 3
Add your details
A free listing needs a business name, a short description of up to 300 characters, a website link, one category, and your suburb and service areas.
- 4
We review it before it goes live
Submissions are checked by hand. Once approved, your listing is public and you can edit it from your dashboard. Routine edits publish straight away.
What each listing shows
A free listing shows three things: the business name, a short description and a website link. It is listed in one category, and automatically appears in that category’s parent category too, which does not use up an allowance.
A Premium listing adds a longer description, a logo and up to 10 photos, a public phone number and optional email, a public address and map link where the business has premises, displayed suburb and service areas, opening hours, social links and displayed categories. Premium businesses can select one primary category plus up to 2 more, 3 in total.
Suburb and service area are collected for every business so search and filtering work, but they are only displayed on Premium listings.
How results are ordered
On a category page, matching published Premium businesses are shown first, then matching published free listings, in one continuous list. There are no separate sponsored blocks or exclusive featured slots.
Premium order rotates. Each business has a fixed place in a base order, and that order shifts by one position every day against the New Zealand calendar date. With ten Premium businesses in a category, each one is top of the list on one day in every ten. The order is the same for every visitor that day and stays consistent across pages of results.
Free listings are sorted alphabetically. Monthly and annual subscribers are treated identically. This ordering is a function of listing plan and a daily rotation. It is not a ranking, a rating or an independent assessment of any business.
Claiming and moderation
Some listings are added by the directory and are unclaimed. An unclaimed listing shows the same three fields as any other free listing. If it is your business, submit a claim with supporting information and we will review it by hand. Only one claim can be approved per business.
New submissions and claims are reviewed before they take effect. Listings can be suspended if they turn out not to be a genuine Christchurch business. Every change is recorded.
Questions about the directory
- What does this directory cover?
- It lists businesses that serve Christchurch, New Zealand. There is one city at launch, organised into 12 main categories and the services within them. Nothing outside Christchurch is listed.
- Does the directory check or vet the businesses it lists?
- No. Listings are reviewed before they appear, which is a check that the submission is a genuine, relevant business rather than spam. That is not a check of qualifications, licences, insurance, pricing or quality. Confirm anything that matters directly with the business.
- Why do some businesses appear above others?
- Premium listings appear above matching free listings. Among Premium listings the order rotates by one position each day, so over time each one takes a turn at the top. Free listings follow in alphabetical order. The order reflects listing plan and a daily rotation only, not any assessment of a business.
- How much does a listing cost?
- A listing is free. Premium costs NZ$10 a month or NZ$100 a year. The annual option is charged as a single payment of NZ$100, which is NZ$20 less than twelve monthly payments. Both give identical features and identical listing priority.
- What happens if I stop paying for Premium?
- Your listing stays published and shows your business name, short description and website link. Premium priority ends, only your primary category stays active, and the enhanced fields stop being displayed. Your saved Premium content is kept privately and comes back if you resubscribe.
- Can I claim a listing that is already here?
- Yes. Open the listing, choose to claim it and tell us how you are connected to the business. Claims are reviewed by hand. Knowing a business name or its public email address is not enough on its own to be given control of a listing.
Put your business on the local map.
Start with a free listing, or unlock more with Premium.