Bigger, better and stronger: Global Office celebrates return to Christchurch CBD

Central Christchurch is slowly becoming a hub for tech activity again, after the disruption and devastation caused by the February 2011 earthquake.

Global Office, a local software development company, is one business that has made the move back to the city, after setting up in a newly refurbished art deco building.

When many businesses lost their offices during the earthquakes, it required an entirely new way of doing business, according to Global Office CEO Chris Tacon.

"When the ground shook, it also shook up local businesses, who started looking at new ways of working. They weren't so dependent on physical offices and many come to understand that their value lay in what was happening outside their four walls – how long deliveries were taking, how they were communicating with their clients, and how efficient they were in general," he says.

However the company was not put out by disruption, as customers were only interested in going forward.

"They came to us looking for new technology that could help them see what was going on in their businesses in real-time and to make them more competitive," he says.

Global Office overcame significant disruption, it's now bigger, better than stronger than before. The return to Christchurch CBD is also a great way to celebrate its 20th birthday, the company says.

"The timing couldn't have been better. And being creative types, we think the arts precinct is the perfect new home for us," Tacon says.

Global Office is a small business that provides software for local and international clients, including the New Zealand College of Midwives, Access, MOVE Logistics, Accessman and GVI Logistics.

"In the last 20 years, we've expanded, retracted and expanded again along the way. We were once a jack-of-all-trades, right down to supplying cables and building websites," Tacon says.

"Specialising in software development – the thing we love most – has been the best thing we ever did," he concludes.