Christchurch School of Music secures $4M council grant toward permanent home

The Christchurch School of Music - Te Kura Puoro (CSM) has secured a $4 million commitment from Christchurch City Council toward the construction of a permanent home in the city’s Arts Precinct.

The funding was approved on 26 June as part of the Council’s Annual Plan 2026/27. The grant is tied to a condition that CSM raises a further $4 million in match funding, with the school still needing to secure $4.6 million to meet its full $12.6 million target.

CSM music director Celia Stewart said the decision marked a major step forward for music education in Aotearoa.

The school has spent 70 years providing music education across Christchurch, serving around 1,500 enrolments at any one time. Its programmes cover a wide range of instruments and ensembles, including symphony orchestras, concert bands, chamber groups, choirs, jazz bands, rock bands, percussion groups, ukulele, and guitar.

CSM also runs outreach programmes in strings, band, ukulele, and recorder for local schools.

The permanent site will mark the first long term home for the school since the Christchurch earthquakes. Before 2011, CSM operated from rented premises at the Music Centre on Barbadoes Street. Since then, its teaching, rehearsals, performances, and administration have been spread across temporary spaces including portacabins, warehouses, industrial offices, churches, and primary schools.

Stewart said the school’s building plans are already developed and ready to move forward once fundraising goals are met.

The new central city base is expected to improve access for students across Christchurch and strengthen CSM’s role as a hub for community music education.

CSM has played a role in the early development of several New Zealand musicians, including Bic Runga, clarinettist Mark Walton, and violinist Benjamin Morrison, along with many music teachers, composers, and performers working across the country.