To make your 2025 shopping experience amazing, we’ve put together the top five malls in Christchurch you should visit in this post. These malls offer massive discounts and all the essentials you need in one place, saving you time while ensuring you have a great time out. They are also accessible to people with disabilities and are perfect for parents and caregivers.

At number one is Westfield Riccarton. Just last month, Ilana Atlas, Chairwoman of Scentric Group (which manages the mall), shared in an interview with business journalist Madison Reidy that Westfield creates extraordinary, localized malls that enrich communities. She highlighted the mall’s welcoming atmosphere, including fabulous bathrooms and fun-filled experiences, attracting shoppers.

Let’s explore Westfield Riccarton and some other great malls more.

5 Best Shopping Malls in Christchurch in 2025

1#:- Westfield / Riccarton Mall

  • Location: 129 Riccarton Road (9 minutes drive from CBD, via St Asaph Street and Riccarton Avenue)
  • Number of Retail Stores: 181+
  • Operating Hours: Thursday and Friday: 9 am to 9 pm; Sunday 10 am to 6 pm; Other days: 9 am to 6 pm

You do not need to drive round the city to shop all you need! Westfield Riccarton is the answer. A one-stop shopping mall for all you possibly want to buy. The mall is also loaded with lots of fun, good food, and relaxation spaces. Westfield Riccarton, formerly known as Riccarton Mall is Christchurch’s oldest and largest shopping mall housing a lot of top brands and with up to 200 stores under one roof. What an awesome shopping experience you are in for.

What can you shop for at Westfield? Practically everything! Electronics, home supplies, renovation materials, jewellery, clothes, fashion accessories, groceries, food ingredients, etc. Name it! Popular brands, including Foot Locker for Footwear, Cotton On, Lorna Jane, Bailey Nelson for fashion, Sunglass Hut for eyewear, Jay Jays for youth clothing, JB Hi-fi, and K-mart for consumer electronics are all represented in the complex. You can also buy fresh food and groceries from the Pak n Save supermarket, Katsubi, and many other stores.

Is that all? No! You can also get your hair done, massages, and enjoy movies at the cinema. There is also an interesting amusement park where your kids can play. Head to the food court when hunger strikes, where various restaurants and cafes await you. KFC, McDonald’s, Katsubi, and the coffee club sell tasty meals and drinks there.

Regarding amenities, there is free Wi-Fi access, restrooms, and limited wheelchairs and strollers for customers. Interestingly, they have several car parks for up to 2,400 cars, including parks for parents with prams, motorcyclists, and people who are shopping for an extended period (about four hours). Check their website for the best park for you. A fee will be charged if you spend more than four hours shopping while your car is parked.

Shoppers rate the mall 4.2/5, with over 11000 reviews already. They believe the mall has a great selection of items and foods, is clean and tidy, and has beautiful architecture and displays. Also, it might be difficult to find a space to park because of how busy the area is.

Check out their website.

#2:- Northlands Shopping Centre / Northlands Mall

  • Location: 55 Main North Road, Papanui (9 minutes drive from CBD via Papanui Road)
  • Number of Retail Stores: 112+
  • Operating Hours: Same as Westfield Riccarton

The second-biggest shopping mall in Garden City is Northland Shopping Center. With 112+ stores on a single level, this retail complex is an amazing alternative to Westfield Riccarton.

Though it has fewer retail stores, many shoppers have pleasant experiences there. The food served at its food court – the Langdons quarters have about 13 dining options (including McDonald’s, katsubi, Sushi, and the coffee club) is better off. Also, the centre is less noisy and busy. You will even find a place to park your ride in its 1700 parking spaces, including outdoor and underground parking spaces. The mall also has a superior cinema experience at its 6-screen multiplex Hoyts Cinema space – the perfect haven of fun.

The shopping complex is also a one-stop mall with two major supermarket brands, the Pak N’ Save and Countdown. There are also the farmers’ spot and several international and local brands in fashion, cosmetics, home retail, electronics, and greengrocers stores for you to shop from. And just like Westfield, they have a news agency, massage parlour, and hair makeover stores.

For convenience, restrooms, caregiver rooms, mobility scooters, and five-wheelchairs are available for customers’ use, and all entrances are wheelchair accessible. The complex also allows dogs in, except those under therapy or acceptable conditions. The kids‘ playground, just beside the dining area, is also filled with amusement, though it is suitable for kids from 2 to 6 years old.

There’s also free Wi-Fi once you are at the mall, and it is important to say that EV bikes and cars charge on level one of the Langdons and Sisson Drive parks building. Northlands is the best for all in Christchurch’s northwestern area and surroundings. Shoppers rate 4.3/5 on the average from over 6000 reviews.

Check out their website.

#3:- The Palms Shopping Centre / Shirley Mall

  • Location: Corner Marshland & New Brighton Road, Shirley (10 minutes drive from CBD via N’ Parade)
  • Number of Retail Stores: 95+
  • Operating Hours: Thursday and Friday: 9 am to 9 pm; Sunday 10 am to 6 pm; Other days: 9 am to 6 pm

The Palms Shopping Center is a very popular mall in the city. It was opened in 1997 and is a one-stop shopping destination and offers a lot of fun, especially in its cinema experience. It is also the best in terms of accessibility. You can watch suspense-filled crime, drama, and thriller movies in the Reading Cinemas multiplex and access the Shirley Library. You can also have fun playing with kids at the playground.

While shopping, you can also get your car 100% hand-washed and groomed by professionals at an espresso car wash. Banks, a post office, and supermarkets are also on the 2-floor mall. Its anchor tenants include Farmers, Chemist Warehouse, and Countdown. Apart from these stores, there are so many popular local and international brands catering for Fashion, Food & Drink, Health, Hobbies (Books, Cards & Stationery, Gifts), Home & Lifestyle (Homewares), Auto Services, Banks & ATMs, Gyms, Travel), Sports & Adventure (Camping & Outdoors, Sports), Technology (Gaming, Music & Electrical, Mobile Phones).

You will also enjoy the dining experience, as you can choose from about 20 different dining spots to have tasty meals and drinks, including Sushi Express, Pita Pit, and McDonalds. There is also a big room for parents to care for their babies. The mall has 1450 free car parking slots, including 650 undercover. Shoppers talk much about how clean the mall is and rate it 4.2/5 on average for it’s over 6000 reviews. It is the perfect mall for those in the city’s eastern part.

Check out their website.

#4:- Barrington Mall

  • Location: 256 Barrington Street, Spreydon suburb (7 minutes drive from CBD via Colombo Street)
  • Number of Retail Stores: 50+
  • Operating Hours: Monday to Saturday: 9 am to 6 pm; Sunday: 10 am to 5 pm

Barrington Mall offers all the essentials you need in one spot. You will likely wonder how it’s possible to have a clinic, warehouse, bank, pharmacy, gift stores, post shop, electronics, groceries, fashion stores, supermarket, and cinema in just slightly over 50 stores. Popular stores include Verizon, Supercuts, CVS Pharmacy, Philips, Talbots, Loft Fashion, Moda Bella, Shaw Supermarket, FreshChoice, The Warehouse Spreydon, and BNZ and Westpac banks. Enjoy meals and drinks at Starbucks, Gre3n Superfood & Juice Bar, Subway, Pizza Hut, Mara Cafe, and Mosaic Cafe.

The mall has a fantastic design and is an open-air mall where you can see everything inside. It is the perfect place in southwest Barrington or southwest of Christchurch for family and friends to have fun in indoor or outdoor spaces. Caregivers and parents can take care of their kids in a dedicated parent room alongside the toilet and bathroom facilities close to Moda Bella. Parking is available for 550 cars, with EV chargers and free wheelchair hire. The mall rates 4.1/5 from 2300+ reviews. If you do not get all you want, you can also visit Colombo, a nearby mall within a five-minute drive.

Check out their website.

#5:- South City Shopping Centre / South City Mall

  • Location: 555 Colombo Street, Christchurch Central City (4 minutes drive from CBD via Colombo Street)
  • Number of Retail Stores: 30+
  • Operating Hours: Monday to Saturday: 9 am to 6 pm; Sunday: 10 am to 5 pm

South City shopping centre is an exciting place to visit now, with the new arrivals of some top brands, including Reduce to Clear and Shamiana. These brands have given the mall a different and exciting look. Other brands, such as JB Hi-Fi, Chemist Warehouse, Pagani, Maher outlet, Phone Zone, $2 Things Plus, Cotton On Mega Outlet, Bank, and Pita Pit, also make the mall worth visiting.

You can shop for beautiful outfits at Pagani and Cotton On retail stores. You can also eat at many other places. The chemist warehouse offers sushi or a variety of Asian, Mediterranean, and Western cuisines at Sushi, Pita Pit, Muffin Break, and Subway, among others. People can also get cheap and sometimes free prescriptions. The mall also has recreational spaces, including an indoor playground for families.

While the mall has about 35 retailers, which is small compared to Westfield Riccarton and Northland, its location is fantastic. It has 550 free parking slots and is close to many shops and supermarkets, including the New World supermarket, formerly in the mall. The mall is also within walking distance of The Crossing shopping mall and not far from McDonald’s along Moorhouse.

The mall has a 3.9/5 rating on average and close to 5000 ratings. It is a must-visit for people living in the southern part of the city.

Check out their website.

Wrap Up

Here is the list of the top five shopping malls you should visit this year, 2025, in Ōtautahi. They have everything you might need, and we want to hear about your shopping experience in any of these malls in the comment section.

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