We’re out there at the moment (Christchurch, so this might affect my thoughts, and what people are saying).
Lots of comments elsewhere about lifestyle, weather etc elsewhere but have to say it’s the first time I’ve had a bike out here for quite a few years and the riding’s fantastic- there’s been big improvements to the trail networks.
Economically the government and press have been pushing the line that things aren’t great (nationally), and are going to get worse, since before the first quake. Obviously the outlook hasn’t improved lately. Check out stuff.co.nz for the news.
As far as town planning goes, the last ChCh quake may have been a game changer. It looks like the city is going to be completely redesigned- some areas will be abandoned and reverted to wetland, others relocated, buildings restricted to 3/4 stories etc- but starting planning for this could be a year or so off. It’s a big task, and will affect hugely what happens in the rest of the country- most available resources could be diverted to ChCh, leaving things pretty static in the rest of the country for the next few years, in which case potential work for you could just dry up. There’s a possibility that big projects may just get put on hold or abandoned. I guess you’d want to really check that you could get work before packing up, unless you want a career change.