In April 2011 , it was announced that part of Cashel Street was to reopen on 29 October 2011 . The date was set just prior to Cup and Show Week , where the Canterbury A&P Show is held in the week that coincides with the provincial anniversary day . The initiative was driven by the Restart The Heart Trust , which was set up for the purpose of getting retail back into the central city . The Restart The Heart Trust was given an interest-free loan of $ 3.36 million by the Christchurch Earthquake Appeal Trust . Temporary shops made from shipping containers were fitted out as retail premises , to accommodate 27 shops branded as Re : START . Ballantynes , Christchurch 's remaining department store , also reopened and is the retail anchor . Prime Minister John Key officiated at the opening ceremony . The original proponent of the concept , Paul Lonsdale of the Central City Business Association , became the manager of the mall initiative . Lonsdale and others initially claimed that it was the world first pop-up mall , but there were already container malls in other places , for example Cholula ( Mexico ) and Bishkek ( Kyrgyzstan ) . Organisers of the Christchurch mall project were threatened with legal action by organisers of a similar project in London ( Boxpark ) that was yet to open . Shipping containers were chosen because they were " strong " ( the mall was developed while Christchurch still experienced strong aftershocks , e.g. the June 2011 earthquake ) , and due to agreements with land owners , it may be necessary to relocate the mall to make way for building reconstruction . The initial 27 tenants were given six-months contracts
June 2011 earthquake
June 2011 Christchurch earthquake
Re:START