About us
We are creative placemaking agency operating at the crossroads of community development, urban design, art and public intervention. Creating the conditions for engaging, experimental and playful encounters to connect people to place.
Globally-acclaimed
Gap Filler is a creative placemaking agency operating at the crossroads of community development, urban design, art and public intervention. We use all these means to explore how to involve and engage people in creative ways to shape and reimagine the places where they live.
We make unique and place-specific creative events, interactive installations and other sorts of interventions to grow a sense of identity and make places more exciting, sociable and diverse. We use these experiences to inform an urban strategy and placemaking consultancy.
Gap Filler is a leading placemaking organisation in Aotearoa New Zealand, with more than a decade of worldwide experience in activating the public realm with innovative and fun installations and events – and developing the strategies that underpin these outcomes. We strive to make the act of reimagining the world joyful, tangible and infectious.
Gap Filler is an Ākina-certified social enterprise and registered charity.
New Zealand-based
Our testing ground is Ōtautahi Christchurch, where since 2010 our prolific and diverse output has invited people to experiment, engage in and reshape a place undergoing vast and rapid change. Our work has helped shift the identity of our conservative Garden City to “a city where anything is possible” (Christchurch City Council Strategic Framework, 2018). Drawing on this evolutionary experience, we deliver strategies, installations and support services all around Aotearoa New Zealand and the world.
Check out our Portfolio to see some of our work and click on Products & Services to see what we can do for you.
Our Way
We typically involve significant others in the development and creation of placemaking projects, from inception to delivery. Occasionally, Gap Filler creates ‘propositional’ projects that grow from within our team and the reach of the project expands as it unfolds – bringing in designers, fabricators, industry experts and professionals as required. The public are the final benefactors, through taking part in an event or experience that has developed from an identified need.
Our Vision
Healthy and thriving communities of active and proactive citizens working together to shape their places.
Our Mission
To design and create the conditions for engaging, experimental and playful encounters to connect people to place.
Vision into Being
We implicitly (and sometimes explicitly) remind people of their rights and responsibilities as citizens charged with keeping communities, towns and cities alive and thriving – and we provide more accessible opportunities for people to participate. Interventions are developed and realised by engaging with the people who care about the place.
Gap Filler identifies a social need, a desire that requires a different ‘take’, a new perspective, a twist on the familiar that attracts people to participate. Through participation, needs are met, citizens are seen and heard, and the status quo is challenged in such a way that people come back for more, expect similar experiences, or are motivated to participate in future projects. Gap Filler wants people to be vocal and visible with respect to how they are represented in the places they live and work.
We want to independently or collaboratively engage citizens in experiences of/in/with their places that has them say: “This is us – this is who we are; we are active decision-makers in our communities; we play in the streets; we are willing to try something new, in public, and we do that because we see others doing it as well. We seek the communal experience because it makes us feel good; we are alive to ourselves and where we live. These experiences encourage us to seek out more of them; they encourage us to ask for more, to ask ‘Why not?’, to expect that our cities, our streets and our public realm represent and reflect us, in all our beliefs and cultures.”
Awards
- Ryan Reynolds, New Zealander of the Year nominee, Sanitarium New Zealand Innovator of the Year, 2019
- Best Soft Power Activation, nominee, 2016, by Lord Culture (London)
- City to City Barcelona FAD Award, 2016, for Eyes on the City as one of the top three global Learning Initiatives in the City
- International Award for Public Art, finalist, for the Pallet Pavilion, 2015 (China/US)
- New Zealand Innovator’s Awards, finalist, for Innovation in Media, Music and Entertainment, 2015
- Coralie Winn, New Year’s Honour list, Queen’s Service Medal for Service to the Arts, 2015
- Coralie Winn (Gap Filler Director and Co-Founder), Finalist for NEXT Woman of the Year (Arts) 2015
- BEST Design Awards, Silver (Exhibitions and Temporary Installations category) for the Pallet Pavilion, 2013
- Australasian Dulux Colour Award, for Manchester St Monopoloy, 2013
- Tertiary Education Union Award of Excellence to co-founder Ryan Reynolds, 2012
- SHAC (Sustainable Habitat Challenge) Award, 2012
- Sustainable Business Network Social Innovation Awards, 2012
- Resene Architectural Design Awards, Finalist for Dance-O-Mat, 2012
- Civic Trust Award 2011
- Mayor’s Earthquake Service Award, 2011
Gap Filler People
Gap Filler staff, Board members and the People behind the projects
In the Media
In the Media 2020
- Waikato councils encouraged to use art as part of their Covid-19 recovery plans – Stuff – 24 August 2020
- Free locking, charging ‘Locky Docks’ launch in Christchurch – Stuff – Jun 11 2020
- Low cost holiday fun: Activities to keep the kids entertained – Otago Daily Times 02 July 2020
- Coronavirus: Lessons from Christchurch for the Covid-19 rebuild – Stuff – 13 June 2020
- Coronavirus: Cantabrians seek normality as Covid-19 Alert Level 2 begins – Stuff – 14 May 2020
- Coronavirus: Playgrounds undergo preparation for Covid-19 level 2 – Stuff – 13 May 2020
- Coronavirus: New game has players navigating the logistics of Covid-19 – Stuff – 18 April 2020
- Dancing goodbye to the Dance-O-Mat – SunLive – 23 March 2020
In the Media 2019
- Christchurch’s Tūranga is a library ‘that rocks’ on the world stage Stuff – 28 December 2020
- Tool Lendery Lets You Borrow Things So You Don’t Need To Buy Them – Pop up City – September 10 2019
- An ode to Christchurch of the late 90s Stuff – August 28 2019
- 21 Things to do in Christchurch – The New, old and funky – The Planet – August 17 2019
- Engaging Christchurch through architecture – Architecture Now – July 29 201
- Tool Lendery helps people without a shed – Stuff – July 26 2019
- Tool library opens in central Christchurch – CCC Newsline – July 18 2019
- Tool Lendery: a new community resource – Scoop – July 18 2109
- Getting into the swing of things: Christchurch art piece attracts ‘Instagram generation’ – Stuff – June 22 2019
- Swinging from Sunrise to Sunset in the central city – Scoop – June 20 2019
- Revamped Christchurch Arts Festival to bring ‘sharp winter jolt’ to city – Stuff – June 14 2019
- Giant swing spot in central Christchurch an Instagram-friendly hang out for teens – Stuff – May 16 2019
- Hang out in Hammock Forest – Metronews – April 9 2019
- This is not a drill – Metronews – April 4 2019
- Ambitious Lyttelton project Collett’s Corner reaches crowdfunding goal early – Stuff – March 6 2019
- High profile US peace and climate expert visit today – Voxy – February 25 2019
In the Media 2018
- Christchurch city pump track to be completed before Christmas – The Press – 18 December 2018
- Five days a week, from 7am, ‘hippy’ car park volunteer cheers commuters – The Press – 12 October 2018
- Gloucester Green bringing crowds back to central Christchurch – The Press – 28 September 2018
- Socially conscious car park scheme set to bring in more than $250,000 – The Press – 14 August 2018
- Mike Yardley: Momentum in Christchurch rebuild needs to be kept up – The Press – 13 March 2018
- Christchurch’s little car park that could – The Press – 2 February 2018
- Super Street Arcade: into the ‘Dragon’s Den’! – Education Gazette – 29 January 2018
- Central city mini-golf course features earthquake damaged footbridge – Star Kiwi – 19 January 2018
- Empty central Christchurch sites cover land three times the size of Botanic Gardens – The Press – 8 January 2018
In the Media 2017
- Former gas station getting a makeover just in time for a community Christmas – Dominion Post – 21 December 2017
- Future Outlook: A socially-conscious car park opens in central Christchurch – The Press – 19 December 2017
- Fences to come down on public park in central Christchurch east frame – The Press – 17 December 2017
- Let’s hear it for the graffiti artists behind Christchurch’s thriving mural scene – The Press – 8 December 2017
- Eight giant spray cans provide street art canvas in Christchurch – The Press – 3 December 2017
- Christchurch’s ‘twisty’ earthquake-damaged bridge to form part of mini golf course – The Press – 23 November 2017
- Canterbury students design new games for CBD street arcade – The Press – 23 November 2017
- Future perfect: – The Press – 23 September 2017
- What’s with the giant spray paint cans in central Christchurch? – The Press – 22 September 2017
- The currency of kindness online – ChCh Mail – 7 September 2017
- Bringing a city to life – Metropol – 20 July 2017
- Open cities with Coralie from Gap Filler – RDU – 7 July 2017
- Open cities with Coralie from Gap Filler – Metropol – July 2017
- Helpful old parking meter in Christchurch’s Cathedral Square issuing tourist tips rather than tickets – TV One – 7 July 2017
- The parking meter unlocking Christchurch’s best kept secrets – Radio New Zealand – 6 July 2017
- Evaluative Case Study: Gap Filler a creative urban regeneration initiative: A public health perspective (PDF) – Canterbury District Health Board – May 2017
- Timaruvians top big-city gamers – Mainland Live – 8 May 2017
- Gap Filler hosts giant video game tournament ahead of new release – The Press – 7 May 2017
- From Re:Start to finish: Pop-up mall winds up – The Press – 29 April 2017
- A new dawn for central city – The Press – 29 April 2017
- Linking urban tactics to strategy – Architecture Now – March 2017
- Filling gaps in the deep South – The Southland times – 22 March 2017
- How can temporary projects be a part of the planning framework? – Architecture AU – 22 March 2017
- Gap Filler workshops come to Invercargill – Voxy – 10 March 2017
- Christchurch designer in town this weekend – Gisborne Herald – 2 March 2017
- Christchurch’s Victoria Square closed for a year for earthquake restoration – The Press – 28 February 2017
In the Media 2016
- Christchurch East Frame gets $1M bonus for transitional activities – The Press – 24 December 2016
- Big fun as giant arcade game arrives – The Press – 16 December 2016
- Computer game produced in Westport helps Christchurch take on potholes, traffic cones – NZ Herald – 15 December 2016
- Oversized 1980s-style, public video game to launch in central Christchurch – The Press – 14 December 2016
- Pop-up shop project helps to ‘ReNew’ Sheffield’s retail scene – Sheffield Telegraph – 13 December 2016
- New ping pong tables to bring communities together – The Press – 12 December 2016
- Christchurch’s East Frame gets $1m bonus for transitional activities – The Press – 4 December 2016
- ‘Dungers’ turned into pride and joy – The Press – 23 November 2016
- Melanie Lynskey on Heavenly Creatures changing Christchurch and The Changeover – The Press – 11 October 2016
- Christchurch revisited five years after the earthquake – The Telegraph, U.K. – 10 November 2016
- Christchurch police jump in icy water for Heart Kids – The Press – 10 October 2016
- Many exciting plans for Christchurch but money remains the issue – The Press – 2 June 2016
- Behind the lens – The Press – 7 May 2016
- Get ready to rock on the Dance-O-Mat – Bay of Plenty Times – 6 May 2016
- Dance-O-Mat for Tauranga waterfront – Bay of Plenty Times – 3 May 2016
- Archaeologists reveal findings from rubble of quake damaged buildings – The Press – 1 May 2016
- Collaborative transition: Enhancing creative community resilience – 100 Resilient Cities – 30 April 2016
- Can we co-design in a crisis – Impact Design Hub (USA) – April 2016
- An experimental model for commercial property development in Christchurch – Architecture Now – March 2016
- Public blackboard at art park – The Press – 11 March 2016
- Disaster as an opportunity – Christchurch, five years after the quake – German radio broadcast – 23 February 2016
- Christchurch’s heart still missing – The Bangkok Post – 22 February 2016
- ‘Long way to go’: Christchurch fights to emerge from shadow of 2011 earthquake – The Guardian – 22 February 2016
- The heroes who are fixing our broken city – The Press – 18 February 2016
- Commons design by the people – Christchurch Mail – 11 February 2016
- Artist returns to fix tagged artwork – The Press – 8 February 2016
- Culprits tracked down as artist returns to repair vandalised Christchurch mural – Christchurch Mail – 26 January 2016
- Filming of short movie over – Christchurch Mail – 14 January 2016
- Tagger destroys public artwork – The Press – 7 January 2016
In the Media 2015
- Add colour, life and fun, mix well – The Christchurch Mail – 24 December 2015
- It’s time to re-engage, listen to the people – The Press – 25 November 2015
- Funding cut puts end to Body Festival – The Press – 19 November 2015
- Colourful do to celebrate Gap Filler turning Five – The Press – 15 November 2015
- Gap Filler team celebrates making things happen – The Star – 15 November 2015
- A spiritual restoration – Star Times – 15 November 2015
- New cafe fits with creative arts theme – Christchurch Mail – 22 October 2015
- Christchurch’s friendly Dragon’s Den – Christchurch Mail – 16 October 2015
- Nourishing body and soul in rebuild – The Press – 16 October 2015
- Vacant Spaces – Design Blog – 19 October 2015
- People and places brought together – The Press – 13 October 2015
- City-making project grows people and places together – The Press – 9 October 2015
- The “Good Death” of Buildings: Filling Gaps in Post-Earthquake Christchurch – P[art]icipatory Urbanisms – October 2015
- On the rise – AA Directions – Summer 2015
- Five things the San Francisco bay area can learn from the Christchurch, NZ earthquakes – Medium (U.S.) – 28 September 2015
- Off to town for arts sake – Christchurch Mail – 24 September 2015
- Christchurch’s “Transitional” phase is over, where to for transitional 2.0? – The Press – 20 September 2015
- Canterbury quake 5 questions: Life in a post-apocalyptic wasteland – The Press – 1 September 2015
- Garden city goodies – Taste magazine – September 2015
- Community input could go further – The Press – 24 August 2015
- Christchurch recovery documentary debuts tonight – The Press – 15 August 2015
- Street eats – Avenues – August 2015
- Popular Christchurch Dance-O-Mat could travel the world – The Press – 25 July 2015
- Central city holiday fun – Christchurch Mail – 2 July 2015
- Dancer takes it to the streets – The Press – 6 June 2015
- Heading to New Zealand? Here’s the Lost at E Minor Guide to Christchurch – Lost at E Minor (USA/Australian global culture site) – 3 June 2015
- Christchurch now – Jetstar magazine – June 2015
- Saving Christchurch Cathedral Square – The Press – 9 May 2015
- A tale of two recovering cities – Japan’s recovery and Christchurch’s rebuild – Newstalk ZB – 5 May 2015
- After disaster, tactical urbanism builds resilience – Resilience (Resilience.org is a program of the Post Carbon Institute (PCI) – 1 May 2015
- After disaster, tactical urbanism builds resilience – The Press – May 2015
- Taking it to the streets – Qantas magazine (Australia) – May 2015
- Shiny new city – The Planner (U.K.) – April 2015
- Desire for the gap, building community after disaster in Christchurch – Issue 8, Axon Journal (Australia) – March 2015
- The Ealing Challenge – Ealing in London (UK) – March 2015
- Putting colour in their lives – The Press – 21 March 2015
- Is interactive art our future? – The Southland Times – 5 March 2015
- Creating our future – The Press – 2 March 2015
- Creative ways artists improve communities – The Guardian – 12 February 2015
- Stand tall giraffes auctioned for charity – TV3 – 11 February 2015
- Quake experiences told through tweets – The Press – 4 February 2015
- Get a grand view of city’s rebuild – The Press – 2 February 2015
- Lack of theatres prompts new collective – The Press – 27 January 2015
- Photographic reminder of quake-hit buildings – The Press – 3 January 2015
- Quake zone in transition – The Press – 3 January 2015
In the Media 2014
- To be made Officers of the NZ Order of Merit – The Star – 31 December 2014
- Honours for Gap Filler, SPCA, Food-bank volunteers – The Press – 31 December 2014
- A powerful force for arts by any name – The Press – 31 December 2014
- Red tape stymies projects – The Press – 27-28 December 2014
- Albion square tribute to community spirit – The Press – 10 November 2014
- The final chapter – The Press – 3 November 2014
- Design a city – Avenues – 1 November 2014
- Gap filling projects reach crucial juncture – Scoop (Press Release – Lincoln University) – 30 October 2014
- The people’s Christchurch – One Quarter Journal (Australia) – 28 October 2014
- City of lights – The Press – 27 October 2014
- Spectators drawn to the light – The Press – 27 October 2014
- Spectacular and fun, by design – The Press – 25 October 2014
- Watch a demolition from the grandstand – The Press – 23 October 2014
- Congress focuses on adaptive urbanism – The Press – 22 October 2014
- Plenty for kids to get stuck into at Festa – The Press – 22 October 2014
- Christchurch a model of adaptive urbanism – The Press – 22 October 2014
- Carnival of shape and light – The Press – 18 October 2014
- Some cities are just far too tempting – The Press – 17 October 2014
- Focus on cycling, not stadium – expert says – The Press – 16 October 2014
- Neighbourhood association was not consulted – The Press – October 2014
- Gap Filler teaches the world – The Press – 29 September 2014
- Festa plans outrageous spectacle in central city – The Press – 15 September 2014
- Kamua Kamuri – Te Karaka – 1 September 2014
- Transitional artworks helping to heal city – The Press – 30 August 2014
- Views of a city – The Press – 30 August 2014
- Engineering solutions for Christchurch – The Press – 30 August 2014
- Transitional projects colour vacant spaces – The Press – 25 August 2014
- Christchurch Gap Filler sees scope for Hamilton empty spaces – Waikato Times – 25 August 2014
- Beautifying Christchurch’s empty gaps – The Waikato Independent – 17 August 2014
- State of art – The Press – 23 August 2014
- A trap for art lovers – The Press – 29 July 2014
- Some impressions on coming home – The Press – 28 July 2014
- Making a spectacle of Christchurch demos – The Press – 15 July 2014
- Letters to the Editor – re D. Lynch and Gap Filler – Christchurch Mail – 3 July 2014
- Letters to the Editor – re D. Lynch and Gap Filler – Christchurch Mail – 26 June 2014
- Filling important gaps – Christchurch Mail – 26 June 2014
- Johnny Moore: Gap Filler criticism ‘absurd’ – The Press – 26 June 2014
- ‘Messy’ Gap Filler site should go – Christchurch Mail – 19 June 2014
- Making space for place – Landscape Architecture NZ – June 2014
- Gap Filler – Landscape Architecture Korea – June 2014
- Let the city play – The Fuller Issue – May 2014
- Christchurch communities create a modern take on the convenience store – Emailbox.co.nz – 29 May 2014
- Amphitheatre for the former Pallet Pavilion site – The Press – 26 May 2014
- Coming up with great gap fillers – The Press – 20 May 2014
- Christchurch – The value of a city – Christchurch Film-maker Julian Vares – April 2014
- Transitional projects boost economy – The Press – 27 April 2014
- Christchurch after the earthquake: risen from the rubble – The Guardian – 11 April 2014
- Coming to grips with bike rebuild – The Press – 11 April 2014
- Pallet Pavilion goes out with a bang – The Press – 7 April 2014
- Calm after the quake – Scotland on Sunday – 6 April 2014
- Pallet Pavilion to shut doors in style – The Press – 4 April 2014
- After earthquakes, a creative rebirth in Christchurch – New York Times (USA) – 4 April 2014
- The art of renewal – KiaOra (Air NZ inflight magazine) – April 2014
- Showing their true colours – and forgetting problems – The Press – 24 March 2014
- Pavilion’s demise a relieves Gap Filler – The Press – 22 March 2014
- Total rebuild – The Sydney Morning Herald – 22 March 2014
- Colourful festival guaranteed – The Press – 20 March 2014
- Kakapo sculptures hidden in Christchurch – The Press – 17 March 2014
- NZ – Society – Inconvenience Store – Radio New Zealand – 14 March 2014
- A pop-up shop that sells ‘inconvenient’ products – DesignTaxi (USA) – 10 March 2014
- The Inconvenience Store – Radio Rhema – 10 March 2014
- Hands-on help, a chair and a beer – The Press – 8 March 2014
- Quirky shop focus on inconvenience – The Press – 8 March 2014
- Pop-up shop embraces products of inconvenience – PSFK (USA) – 7 March 2014
- Turning inconvenience into an art – The Press – 3 March 2014
- Soundscapes of the city – The Press – 28 February 2014
- This City Was in Ruins 3 Years Ago. Look at it now – Men’s Health Online Magazine (US) – 24 February 2014
- Rising from the cracks – Your Weekend – The Press – 22-23 February 2014
- Out of the rubble – The Weekend Australian (Magazine) – 22-23 February 2014
- The city that survived – The Advertiser (South Australia) – 22 February 2014
- Creative living in a transitional city – Your Weekend (The Press) – 16 February 2014
- Freemasons fill a gap – Scoop, Independent News – 11 February 2014
- Man-made stressors hinder ChCh quake recovery – The NZ Herald – 7 February 2014
- Craft Kakapo an exhibition of kindness – The Press – 2 February 2014
- Christchurch: after the earthquake, a city rebuilt in whose image? – The Guardian (UK) – 27 January 2014
- Voices of the people – The Press – 17 January 2014
- City’s vibrancy comes from its free thinkers – The Press – 16 January 2014
- The Rebels just keep on with the swing – The Press – 16 January 2014
- B-boy breakdancing hits Christchurch – The Press – 3 January 2014
- 52 Places to go in 2014 – The New York Times (USA) – January 2014
In the Media 2013
- Rising up in the red zones of Christchurch – The Age (Australia) – 20 December 2013
- Roll up, roll up for taste treats – The Press – 5 December 2013
- Helping see the bigger picture for Christchurch – The Christchurch Mail – 4 December 2013
- ‘Feel good’ factor drives volunteers – The Press – 23 November 2013
- Enhancing creative community resilience (Page 31) – Volume 2, Enabling Cities (Canada) – November 2013
- Why you should visit Christchurch NOW – Travel Talk (Australian Travel Magazine) – November 2013
- Matchmaker to the arts – The Press – 18 November 2013
- Call for more cyclists in city – The Press – 28 October 2013
- Weather no hindrance on Festa – The Press – 28 October 2013
- Puppets parade through city streets – The Press – 28 October 2013
- Canterbury crowds set pledging bar higher – The Press – 28 October 2013
- Sweet sounds a contrast to demolition – The Nelson Mail – 27 October 2013
- If these walls could talk – a roundtable discussion with Good’s global fellows – GOOD – October 2013
- What I gained from my GOOD Pop-Up Fellowship – GOOD – 23 October 2013
- A Canterbury tale of rebirth – The Press – 18 October 2013
- Influentials: Unlocking potentials – The Listener – 19 September 2013
- Micro-village sprouts in city – The Press – 17 September 2013
- A successful city that we can be proud of – The Press – 13 September 2013
- New Zealand: New ways to see Christchurch – NZ Herald – 28 August 2013
- Fellows working for change experience Downtown Farmers’ Market – Santa Monica Daily Post (USA) – 21 August 2013
- Mural-poem honours victim – The Press – 19 August 2013
- Tipping Point (Human Scale) – The Press – 1 August 2013
- The Pallet Pavilion – Landscape Architecture Australia – August 2013
- Outside the square – The Press – 30 July 2013
- City groups unearth new openings – Christchurch Mail – 25 July 2013
- Christchurch’s lessons for a better world – The Press – 22 July 2013
- Become lost in a fake natural paradise – The Press – 8 July 2013
- Pallet palette – The Press – 28 June 2013
- Shifting landscapes in-between times – Harvard Design Magazine (America) – Winter 2013
- Landscape is temporary – Architecture (Australia) – 27 June 2013
- Pallet pavilion ready for summer events – 24 June 2013
- Reprieve for venue – The Press (Australia) – 10 June 2013
- After the quakes – ABC Radio (Australia) – 9 June 2013
- Excellent result on the Pallet Pavilion – The Press – 7 June 2013
- Christchurch city update – Travel Blackboard (Australia) – 6 June 2013
- Christchurch rushes to save the Pallet Pavilion – 3 News – 5 June 2013
- Dance like a city depends on it – Rotorua Daily Post – 4 June 2013
- Too many car parks in the city – Gap Filler – The Press – 3 June 2013
- Christchurch: badly shaken but far from deterred – The Telegraph (UK) – Winter 2013
- Support Pallet Pavilion and back the city’s creative future – The Press – 30 May 2013
- How far have we come since September 2010? – The Press – 30 May 2013
- Christchurch, une ville en transition – Traces (Switzerland) – 29 May 2013
- Dance-O-Mat to hibernate for winter – The Press – 29 May 2013
- Spirits soar when people share soup – The Press – 22 May 2013
- Saving pavilion aim of campaign – Mainland Press – 20 May 2013
- Future of pallet pavilion up to the public – The Press – 20 May 2013
Quake thrusting young people into leadership – The Press – 16 May 2013 - Global push to save Pallet Pavilion – The Press – 15 May 2013
- Gap Filler creator calls for use of vacant sites – Taranaki Daily News – 29 April 2013
- Pleas to retain Pallet Pavilion longer – The Press – 27 April 2013
- Let’s help get temporary buildings off the ground – The Press – 24 April 2013
- What shall we do with the pint-sized pirate? – The Press – 15 April 2013
- Who is really rebuilding Christchurch? – The Press – 15 April 2013
- Keeping calm, carrying on – Guardian News (U.K.) – 15 April 2013
- Poetry projects pop up around city – The Press – 11 April 2013
- Out of the rubble: Christchurch Christchurch still bears the scars of earthquake devastation but is finding creative ways to get back on its feet – The Daily Mail (U.K.) – 11 April 2013
- Blackadder star spotted around Christchurch – The Press – 11 April 2013
- Mini-golf comes to central city – The Press – 10 April 2013
- Vacant space a gap for growth – The Press – 8 April 2013
- Creating Spaces – AA Directions – April 2013
- Heartbeat City – North and South – April 2013
- Rebuilding the community spirit of Christchurch – Flight Centre Travel Blog (Australia) – 27 March 2013
- Colour out of confusion – Habitat, the Resene magazine – Winter 2013
- A city reborn – Australian Geographic – March 2013
- Gap Filler Summer Pallet Pavilion – Future Christchurch, Christchurch City Council – 26.03.13
- Placeshakers and Earthquakers – Desktop Magazine (Australia) – 20.03.13
- Quake gaps prove fertile fields for creativity – Newcastle Herald (Australia) – 14.03.13
- Exhibition marks wealth of restoration projects – Newcastle Herald (Australia) – 13.03.13
- Gap Filler invited to pass on creative knowledge The Press – 9.03.13
- Dance-O-Mat’s new city beat The Press – 8.03.13
- Four questions for the future – The Press – 22.02.13
- Christchurch’s Journey to Recovery – BBC travel – 22.02.13
- Christchurch earthquake second anniversary memorial services – TV3 – 22.02.13
- Christchurch Revisited: Two years after the quake – Sherman Travel (blog), courtesy of Christchurch and Canterbury Tourism – 20.02.13
- Night owls wanted to fill gaps – The Press – 13.02.13
- Hop across the ditch for a pop-up adventure – Time Out (Melbourne) – 12.02.13
- Viva la Volunteer – The Press – 3.02.13
- Quake shakes up cultural ambitions and inspires a broken city – New Europe (Belgium) – 3.02.13
- Christchurch’s Gap Filler – Design Assembly (Wellington) – 3.02.13
- Summer Pallet Pavilion – a Community Venue – Zeppelin (Romania) – February 2013
- Altitude: six degrees – Jetstar – February 2013
- Town lit up by winning designer – The Press – 21.01.13
- Making Christchurch so remarkable it can’t fail – The Marlborough Express – 4.1.13
- Christchurch Rising – Coralie Winn – Voyeur Magazine, Virgin Australia – January 2013
- Christchurch Liminal City – “LALA” – Melbourne, Australia – January 2013
- Lonely Planet’s top 10 cities – Lonely Planet – January 2013
In the Media 2012
- Filling the gaps – UC Research Report – 2012
- Stacks of space for summer events at city site – The Press – 26 December 2012
- Rethinking the Margins – Surface Asia magazine – December 2012
- The Pallet Pavilion by Gap Filler – The Press – 24 December 2012
- Put a coin in a converted washing machine for an instant dance party” – PSFK (U.S.A.) – 7 December 2012
- Up Beat: Coralie Winn – Radio New Zealand – 5 December 2012
- Cool things to do in Christchurch – Grab Your Fork (Sydney, Australia) – 3 December 2012
- Bob Parker on ABC Radio talking about Gap Filler – Australia – November 2012
- Exodus of young is a game changer – The Press – 26 November 2012
- Dance ‘completes destiny’ – The Press – 18 November 2012
- Prince Charles and Camilla, ballroom dance to jazz in New Zealand – The Huffington Post (U.K.) – 18 November 2012
- New initiative to fill city’s gaps – The Press – 17 November 2012
- Splash of colour for central city – The Press – 12 November 2012
- Explosive artwork takes shape – The Press – 10 November 2012
- Lecturer’s Gap Filler work awarded – The Press – 9 November 2012
- Jetstar magazine – November 2012
- Gruen Planet excerpt – YouTube – 29 October 2012
- Christchurch: Lonely Planet boost for tourism – The NZ Herald – 23 October 2012
- Making dreams reality: celebrating temporary public art – Scoop – 23 October 2012
- Christchurch praised in Lonely Planet’s best travel guide – TVNZ – 22 October 2012
- Global travel guide hails ChCh as top destination – The Press – 22 October 2012
- Christchurch red zone lights up – The New Zealand Herald – 21 October 2012
- Luxcity 2012 – lighting up Christchurch – The Listener – 20 October 2012
- Christchurch should be transition capital – The Press – 18 October 2012
- Waste not want not for Gap Filler’s latest project – The Press – 12 October 2012
- Putter around the city – Family Times – October 2012
- ‘Dinosauna’ open to public – Bay Harbour News – 26 September 2012
- Body Festival’s rolling start – The Press – 22 September 2012
- Volunteers muck in to remove fences – The Press – 15 September 2012
- Tony Burns “Motivation Man” interviews Coralie Winn – Plains FM – 10 September 2012
- Big veggie gardens each side of the Avon proposed – The Press – 9 August 2012
- Ideas for the future residential red zone – The Press – 9 August 2012
- Out of a city’s silence flows poetry – The Press – 7 August 2012
- ChCh teens celebrate return to heart of city – The Press – 5 August 2012
- Filling the Gaps – CC Magazine – July 2012
- Vacant lots being turned into city bright spots – The Press – 28-29 July 2012
- Playing Favourites with Kim Hill – National Radio – 28 July 2012
- Poetry scribbled on CBD wall – The Press – 27 July 2012
- Property purchase follows adoption of Lyttelton Master plan by Council – Akaroa Mail – 27 July 2012
- Lyttelton to get new heart – The Press – 19 July 2012
- Monopoly for Manchester Street – The Press – 13 July 2012
- Creative New Zealand Earthquake Grants Announced – Scoop – 10 July 2012
- Gap Filler given $100k lifeline – The Press- 10 July 2012
- Can Christchurch be revitalised? – The Listener – 16 June 2012
- A temporary long-term solution – The Press – 26 May 2012
- Two Takes on Christchurch- The City Transformed – Art New Zealand – Winter, 2012
- Is corporate culture choking the creative? – The Press – 5 May 2012
- French announced as 7th SCAPE curator – Scoop – 23 April 2012
- Graffiti artists bring colour to Christchurch – The Press – 14 April 2012
- Arts scene centre stage – Avenues Magazine – 28 Mar 2012
- The Superhero Dance Squad – YouTube – 28 Mar 2012
- Dance-o-mat – The Salt Blog – 28 Mar 2012
- Coralie Winn radio interview – 95bFM – 26 Mar 2012
- Gap Filler – Mode de Vie – 23 Mar 2012
- Roger Sutton: Work & Play – The Star – 23 Mar 2012
- Dance-o-Mat – South Island Dance Network – 16 Mar 2012
- Gap Filler – The Tindall Foundation – 16 Mar 2012
- Cycle Powered Cinema video – Youtube – 16 Mar 2012
- Public art workshops for Christchurch – Scoop Independent – 15 Mar 2012
- Lecture highlights human reaction to natural crises – Vermont Cynic (USA) – 14 Mar 2012
- Coralie on The Arts on Sunday – RadioNZ – 11 March 2012
- Coralie on the BBC – BBC – 6 Mar 2012
- Use of Vacant Land pondered – The Press – 2 Mar 2012
- Gap Filler struggles for activity sites – The Press – 1 March 2012
- A temporary fix – Architectural Record – 23 Feb 2012
- Gap Filler: urban renewal in Christchurch – Heritage Hill – 23 Feb 2012
- Taking a city from shell to shipshape – Brisbane Times (Aus) – 22 Feb 2012
- Christchurch one year on – The Listener – 22 Feb 2012
- Christchurch: Australia’s up & coming capital – Wanderlust (UK) – 22 Feb 2012
- Silver lining to earthquake devastation – TV3 (video) – 22 Feb 2012
- Art – CANTA Magazine – 22 Feb 2012
- Christchurch earthquake one year on – Guardian (UK) – 19 Feb 2012
- Creative projects undertaken in Christchurch – Travel & Tour World (US) – 14 Feb 2012
- Cycle Cinema on TVOne Breakfast (video, starts at 2:08:50) – 10 Feb 2012
- On yer bike to see the movies in Christchurch – The Press – 12 Feb 2012
- Popcorn and pedalling: cycle-powered cinema in Christchurch – Telegraph (Australia) – 10 Feb 2012
- Civic Spirit helps Lyttelton rebuild – The Press – 10 Feb 2012
- What to do in Christchurch: your post-quake guide – Lonely Planet – 10 Jan 2012
- Christchurch City, My Home Town – YouTube music video featuring three Gap Filler sites – Jan 2012
- Return of eateries, music lifts Lyttelton – The Press – 12 Jan 2012
- Office set to rise up from the rubble – The Press – 11 Jan 2012
- Tea Party Fills a Gap After Mad Year – The Press – 2 Jan 2012
In the Media 2011
- 2011 in Review – The Listener – 30 Dec 2011
- Berlin Through Christchurch Coloured Glasses – Art News – Summer 2011
- Shadowboard Mural Sees the Light of Day – The Press – 20 Dec 2011
- Painted Pianos Spring Up in Empty Sites – The Press – 9 Dec 2011
- Mayor to Contact Owners of Eyesore – The Press – 7 Dec 2011
- Sydenham Wall Gets New Look – The Press – 5 Dec 2011
- Berlin through Christchurch coloured glasses – Art News – Summer 2011
- Giant chess on TVNZ breakfast – TVNZ Breakfast, 30 Nov 2011
- Giant Chess Set for Sydenham – The Press – 25 Nov 2011
- Positive Attitude Brings Rewards – The Press – 17 Nov 2011
- Coralie and the Book Fridge on tv – Media7 – 3 Nov 2011
- Newcastle Renew Project Shows Way – The Press – 28 Oct 2011
- A Bodice Ripper without the Bodice – Blog Idle – 8 Sept 2011
- Colouring a Corner – Blog – 4 Sept 2011
- Gap Filler scheme a success in Christchurch – The Listener (Hamish Keith) – 16 Aug 2011
- Silt used to strengthen spirit – The Press – 10 Aug 2011
- Editorial: Another Challenge – The Press – 26 July 2011
- Fridge a Magnet for Book Lovers – The Press – 24 July 2011
- Loved Books get an Outing – The Press – 18 July 2011
- A little retail therapy and a lot of laughter – The Press – 18 July 2011
- Gap Filler and Greening the Rubble to Benefit from CCC Annual Plan – CCC website – 30 June 2011
- Mind the Gaps – The Press – 26 June 2011
- School makes gap-filler city their classroom – The Press – 2 June 2011
- Clever Ideas Lift Spirits at sad sites – The Press – 28 May 2011
- Filling Earthquake Gaps the Creative Way – The Press – 26 May 2011
- CPIT students fill in Gaps in Chch city – THE BIG IDEA – 26 May 2011
- Huge Opportunity to Restore Chch as the Best Garden City in the World – InfoNews – 20 May 2011
- Gap Filler and Greening the Rubble – RadioNZ National, Nights with Bryan Crump (mp3 audio, 20 minutes)
- The Young and Not So Restless – The Press – 28 April 2011
- Breathing Life into the Void – The Press – 21 April 2011
- Get Local – 12 April 2011
- Delaney Davidson video – April 2011
- Rebuilding Christchurch – 1 April 2011
- Garden City Quake – Blog – 8 March 2011
In the Media 2010
- Mind this Gap – 26 Nov 2010
- GardenCityQuake Article about Gap Filler #2 – 63 Worcester Boulevard
Our Values
We encourage and promote strong and flourishing communities, by giving people a chance to participate in creative projects that shape the places around them. Communities are strongest when members are working together.
We are leaders, expressing our values through fearless implementation. Whether blazing a new trail, keeping it in good order, motivating people to follow it, or telling stories along the way – we lead from the front, middle or back with clear purpose and intent.
Resourcefulness to us means a commitment to all R’s and full lifecycle thinking in everything we do. It also means valuing people’s time and energy (often beyond project budgets), and constantly searching for ways to develop community resources.
We value trying out new things and not repeating ourselves, taking calculated risks to lead by example. We challenge ourselves to keep stretching boundaries, and innovating in new ways to grow community in any context.
Collaboration unlocks creative potential. We believe in seeking out partners to implement ideas together, as well as cooperating to realise others’ ideas. We often act as ‘translator’ to bring disparate groups together, finding a common language and promoting shared understanding.
We esteem the spirit of innovation, exploring new ways of engaging, creating and realising ideas, honouring and promoting creative practice and process. Playfulness is our niche: we use surprise and delight in abundance, and try to merge optimism and critical thinking.
We strive to honour the Treaty of Waitangi/Te Tiriti in our projects, approach and relationships. We believe in honouring the stories and histories of our places – Ōtautahi Christchurch and Aotearoa New Zealand. We seek to always do better and understand that we still have much to learn.
We recognise the importance of mana whenua as kaitiaki of Aoteaora. We seek to practice kaitiaki tanga in our placemaking work to make our places and people healthier and better connected to one another.
There are, these days, a lot of people interested in the area of placemaking. A vitally important part of what it needs to be, in order to be truly effective, is to know the why. Gap Filler have been a compass point for me since I started in this work – reminding me of the importance of humour, generosity, deep thinking and courage. Their ability to straddle strategic thinking and effective on-the-ground outputs, and everything in between, make them a unique and vital leader in this, ever expanding, field of trying to make places better for people.