A paraglider has died after crashing on the Port Hills above Christchurch, near the Christchurch Gondola.

A horrified friend watched as a paraglider died after crashing into a road barrier in the hills above Christchurch.

Emergency services went to the scene, near the top of the Christchurch Gondola, shortly after 11.30am on Tuesday.

The crash happened on Summit Rd, near Mt Pleasant Scenic Reserve.

New Zealand Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association Canterbury president Dan Campbell said the man was a member of the club and a fully qualified pilot.

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It was the second time he had flown on Tuesday. He and a friend had gone up together, he said.

"There was another pilot at the scene of the crash. He hadn't taken off yet so he witnessed it from the top of the hill . . . saw it all happen. He might be able to explain what went wrong.

"We're a club of 150 odd members, so we're very small and close-knit. It will be a very heartfelt loss, it already weighs quite heavy on us and we're thinking about his family."

The spot, along with the hills above Taylors Mistake, had been popular in the paragliding community for years but conditions in the area near where the man crashed could have been unsafe, he said.

"If it was northeast winds up there, which I'm told it was, it probably wasn't the right time to be flying."

MetService meteorologist Angus Hines said winds across the Canterbury region were light at the time of the crash.

"There was a light northeasterly developing at the time, but not more than 10 kilometres per hour," he said.

A Fire Service spokesman said they were called after a paraglider "hit a barrier near the gondola".

Police said the paraglider crashed and died at the scene.

"No-one else was involved in the incident, which will be referred to the relevant authorities," a statement said.

A paraglider was taken to Christchurch Hospital's emergency department last September following in accident in Mt Pleasant scenic reserve in the Port Hills.