The airport will start trialling the Ohmio LIFT, New Zealand's first kiwi-made self-driving commercial vehicle, from mid 2018.
Vicki Buck says Christchurch is the perfect testing ground for new technologies like this.
"Actually a lot of the geography and the attitude and the willingness to co-operate works really well for that sort of thing in Christchurch."
She says the city is welcoming the future, not hiding from it.
"It's coming at us whether we like it or not, and we obviously want to embrace it."