We've driven around there a few times. It's pretty much identical to all the other outer suburbs--Lincoln, Prebleton, etc. There's the mix of older residential and newer development. As usual, there's ten thousand acres of open space and houses built on postage stamp sized plots.
There's easy access to most of the amenities, though I don't think there's a Warehouse or Pak'n'Save.
I haven't lived there, but I can't think of any reason not to except for the potential problems commuting into the city. There are really only two roads to get from Kiapoi into Chch and they seem to get pretty busy--but, then again, that could be a problem no matter where you live in Chch.
Here's an interesting article from The Press:
Historic rivalry still divides towns - South Island