Christchurch vs Hamilton
Tree cover and air quality for both, measured the same way: Sentinel-2 imagery at 10 m detail over a 2 km radius from each city centre, and the live US EPA air quality index. Same radius and same index, so the two numbers compare directly.
Hamilton has more tree cover — 51.1% against 33.9%.
Hamilton has cleaner air right now — AQI 21 against 26.
- Tree cover gap
- 17.2 points
- Hamilton is ahead.
- Air quality gap
- 5 AQI
- Hamilton is cleaner.
- Trees between them
- 47.2K
- Hamilton has more standing.
New Zealand
New Zealand
Tree cover
Share of the 2 km radius under canopy.
33.9%
51.1%
Air quality index
US EPA index, live, with its band. Lower is better.
26 · Good
21 · Good
Trees standing
Estimated from the measured canopy area.
106K
154K
Trees still needed
To reach the same canopy target. Fewer is better.
0
0
CO₂ absorbed each year
By the trees already standing.
2.3M kg
3.4M kg
Air quality in detail
What each city is breathing
Concentrations in µg/m³, measured at the same moment as the index above. Lower is better in every row. Christchurch is read from nearby ground stations and Hamilton is modelled — worth knowing, since the two are not quite like for like.
PM2.5
Fine particles, the pollutant that usually sets the index.
6.2 µg/m³
5 µg/m³
The last week, day by day
A single reading can catch a city on a bad afternoon. The week says whether it was the weather or the place.
| Day | Christchurch | Hamilton |
|---|---|---|
| 23 Sept | 24 | 33 |
| 24 Sept | 22 | 17 |
| 25 Sept | 22 | 26 |
| 26 Sept | 21 | 24 |
| 27 Sept | 20 | 27 |
| 28 Sept | 19 | 45 |
| 29 Sept | 18 | 21 |
Reading these numbers
What is actually being measured
Tree cover
The share of ground under canopy inside a 2 km radius of each city centre, read from Sentinel-2 satellite imagery at 10 m detail. It is a measurement of that circle, not of the whole municipality — which is exactly what makes the two comparable, since city boundaries are drawn to wildly different rules around the world. Hamilton leads here at 51.1%.
Air quality index
The live US EPA index, computed from current pollutant concentrations — ground stations where a city has them nearby, and a model everywhere else. It moves hour to hour, so this is a snapshot rather than a verdict on either place: Christchurch reads 26 (good) and Hamilton reads 21 (good) right now.
Frequently asked
Christchurch and Hamilton, answered
Which has more trees, Christchurch or Hamilton?
Hamilton, with roughly 153,632 trees inside its 2 km radius against 106,393. Tree cover tells a slightly different story from raw count: Hamilton has the denser canopy at 51.1%.
Which has better air quality, Christchurch or Hamilton?
Hamilton right now, at AQI 21 against 26 — a gap of 5 points. This is a live reading rather than an annual average, so it can reverse within a day.
How many more trees does each city need?
Christchurch needs about 0 more to reach its canopy target, and Hamilton about 0. The target is the same share of ground for both, so the figures are directly comparable.
Are these two measured the same way?
Yes — that is the point of the page. Identical radius, identical satellite source at 10 m detail, and the same US EPA index for air. Nothing here is adjusted for population, city limits or climate, so the numbers describe the same-sized circle of ground in each place.
Keep going
Other comparisons nearby
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- Christchurch vs Lower Hutt55% tree cover · AQI 23Compare
- Christchurch vs Tauranga47% tree cover · AQI 21Compare
- Christchurch vs Manukau City30% tree cover · AQI 52Compare
- Christchurch vs Auckland32% tree cover · AQI 38Compare
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