Finding the best equipment hire in Christchurch starts with knowing whether your job needs a trailer and a post hole borer for the weekend or a 41 metre knuckle boom on a commercial site for a month. Equipment hire in Christchurch covers everything from DIY tool hire, portaloos and temporary fencing to diggers, rollers, scissor lifts and telehandlers, with branches spread from the central city to Sockburn and Harewood. HireKING and Kennards Hire Christchurch City suit mixed general hire, while the specialists below focus on earthmoving plant and access equipment.
1HireKING
HireKING is a South Island owned and operated general hire company based at 30 Fitzgerald Avenue in central Christchurch, with a second branch in Cromwell. It supplies tools, earthmoving and access equipment alongside portable toilets and temporary fencing, and suits builders, landscapers, event organisers and homeowners across wider Canterbury.
Services
- Mini excavator, skid steer and tipper truck hire
- Scissor lift and access equipment hire
- Portaloo, luxury loo and temporary fence hire for building sites and events
- Concrete tools, compaction, generators, pumps and heaters
- Lawn and garden gear including stump grinders, chippers, post hole borers and rotary hoes
Highlights
- Over 15 years in the hire industry
- Locally owned, with staff based in the communities they serve
- Sanitary bins offered in portable toilets to support women in trade
- Instructional videos published for generators, breakers, concrete saws and other gear
Location & Contact
Name: HireKING
Address: 30 Fitzgerald Ave, Christchurch (entrance and parking off Leeds Street)
Phone: 0800 30 30 20
Website: hireking.co.nz
2Kennards Hire Christchurch City
Kennards Hire Christchurch City operates from Moorhouse Avenue and supplies rental equipment and tool hire for residential, commercial, industrial and DIY projects across Canterbury. The branch is staffed by accredited and trained hire professionals who help match the right machine to the job.
Services
- Earthmoving and compaction equipment
- Tools and saws
- Cleaning and floor care
- Pumps, lifting and materials handling
- Test and measure equipment and vehicles
Highlights
- After hours returns available
- Opens at 6:30am on weekdays and trades on Saturdays
- Accredited and trained staff offering project advice
Location & Contact
Name: Kennards Hire Christchurch City
Address: 458 Moorhouse Avenue, Christchurch 8011
Phone: 03 366 3751
Website: kennardshire.co.nz/branch/christchurch-city
3Hirepool Christchurch City
Hirepool’s Christchurch City branch sits on Moorhouse Avenue in Waltham and serves Phillipstown, Sydenham, Woolston and Linwood. It handles everything from weekend DIY hire to large construction contracts, drawing on a national fleet.
Services
- Diggers, loaders and mini excavators
- Scissor lifts, cherry pickers and boom lifts
- Paint sprayers, scaffolding and ladders
- Trailers, including furniture and transport trailers
Highlights
- Hirepool brand operating for over 60 years
- National network of around 70 branches, with Bromley and Hornby branches nearby
- Free quotes from the Christchurch City team
- Instructions for use sheets published for hire equipment
- Related Hirepool services for portaloos, event hire and excavation shoring
Location & Contact
Name: Hirepool Christchurch City
Address: 488 Moorhouse Avenue, Waltham, Christchurch 8011
Phone: 03 366 0385
Website: hirepool.co.nz/branches/christchurch-city
4Porter Hire Christchurch
Porter Hire Christchurch is an earthmoving and civil plant hire branch in Harewood, minutes from Christchurch Airport. It serves contractors from the Rakaia River to Kaikoura, including Rolleston, Darfield, Rangiora and Amberley, on short and long-term projects.
Services
- Excavator hire
- Roller hire
- Grader hire
- Trucks and watercarts
Highlights
- Porter Group established in 1945
- Part of a group that also provides parts, mechanical servicing, heavy haulage and finance
- Backed by over 20 Porter Hire branches nationwide
Location & Contact
Name: Porter Hire Christchurch
Address: 16 McLeans Island Road, Harewood, Christchurch 8051
Phone: 03 359 9368
Website: porterce.com/locations/porter-hire-christchurch
5Accessman Christchurch
Accessman Christchurch is an access equipment hire branch on Alloy Street in Sockburn, working alongside a Christchurch City branch. It services Canterbury north of the Rakaia River up to Cheviot, including Banks Peninsula and Rangiora, and across to the West Coast.
Services
- Electric and rough terrain scissor lifts
- Knuckle booms and telescopic boom lifts
- Cherry pickers and vertical mast lifts
- Telehandlers and spider booms
- EWP operator training and HIANZ Silvercard courses
Highlights
- Over 550 machines at the Sockburn branch
- Knuckle booms including two 41 metre machines
- Accessman has operated since 1994
- Sockburn site also houses Accessman Scaffolding and a telehandler division
Location & Contact
Name: Accessman Christchurch
Address: 2 Alloy Street, Sockburn, Christchurch
Phone: 03 343 7560
Website: accessman.co.nz/christchurch
Equipment Hire in Christchurch at a Glance
| Business | Highlight |
|---|---|
| HireKING | Over 15 years in the hire industry |
| Kennards Hire Christchurch City | After hours returns available |
| Hirepool Christchurch City | Hirepool brand operating for over 60 years |
| Porter Hire Christchurch | Porter Group established in 1945 |
| Accessman Christchurch | Over 550 machines at the Sockburn branch |
How to Choose the Right Equipment Hire in Christchurch
- Match the hire company to the machine. General hire yards cover tools, trailers and small diggers, while earthmoving and access specialists carry larger excavators, graders, booms and telehandlers.
- Check delivery and service area. Heavier plant usually arrives on a transporter, so confirm the branch delivers to your suburb or rural site and what that costs.
- Ask about operator requirements. Elevating work platforms, telehandlers and excavators may need trained operators, and some branches run their own training.
- Confirm hire terms. Compare daily, weekly and long-term rates, fuel and cleaning charges, damage waivers and whether after hours returns are allowed.
- Get advice on sizing. Tell the branch your working height, ground conditions and load so they can recommend the right machine the first time.
Frequently Asked Questions About Christchurch Equipment Hire
What equipment can I hire in Christchurch?
Christchurch hire companies supply most construction, landscaping and DIY gear, including mini excavators, compactors, concrete saws, generators, water blasters, trailers, portaloos, temporary fencing, scissor lifts, knuckle booms and telehandlers. Large civil plant such as graders and watercarts is usually hired from an earthmoving specialist.
Do I need a licence or training to operate hired equipment?
It depends on the machine. Elevating work platforms and telehandlers generally call for operator training, and the person in charge of the site must make sure plant is used safely. WorkSafe New Zealand publishes guidance on plant and working at height.
Can I tow a hire trailer or machine on a standard car licence?
Many light trailers can be towed on a car licence, but heavier trailers and loaded plant can exceed the limits of a class 1 licence or your vehicle’s towing capacity. Check the weights with the hire branch and the rules from NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi before you hook up.
Where can I find an equipment hire yard near me in Christchurch?
Hire branches are spread across the city. Moorhouse Avenue in Waltham and the Fitzgerald Avenue area serve the central city and eastern suburbs, Sockburn covers the west and Hornby side, and Harewood near the airport suits northern and rural Canterbury jobs.
How much does equipment hire cost?
Rates depend on the machine, hire length and whether delivery or an operator is needed. Small tools and garden gear are usually priced by the day, while diggers, lifts and telehandlers often have weekly and monthly rates that work out cheaper for longer jobs. Ask for a written quote that includes delivery, fuel and damage waiver.
Can I hire equipment for an event in Christchurch?
Yes. Several hire companies supply portaloos, luxury toilet units, temporary fencing, lighting towers, generators and heaters for events, and many offer delivery, servicing and pick-up.
Is long-term equipment hire available?
Most hire companies offer long-term rates for projects running a month or more, which suits builders and contractors who need a scissor lift, excavator or site equipment for the length of a build.
How We Chose the Best Equipment Hire in Christchurch
Every business in this guide was found by searching for equipment hire in Christchurch, then checked against its own website. Names, addresses and phone numbers are taken from the business’s own site rather than a directory feed, so what you see here is what they publish themselves. We also check that each one is actually based in or genuinely serving Christchurch, rather than a national operator running a local landing page. A business with no website of its own is not listed, because there is no primary source to verify it against.