Christchurch (/ˈkraɪs.tʃɜːrtʃ/ⓘ;Māori:Ōtautahi) is the largest city in theSouth Island and thesecond-largest city by urban area population inNew Zealand.[a] Christchurch has an urban population of 415,100, and a metropolitan population of over half a million. It is located in theCanterbury Region, near the centre of the east coast of the South Island, east of theCanterbury Plains. It is located near the southern end ofPegasus Bay, and is bounded to the east by the Pacific Ocean and to the south by the ancient volcanic complex of theBanks Peninsula. TheAvon River (Ōtākaro) winds through the centre of the city, witha large urban park along its banks. With the exception of thePort Hills, it is a relatively flat city, on an average around 20 m (66 ft) above sea level. Christchurch has a reputation for being anEnglish city, with its architectural identity and nickname the 'Garden City' due to similarities with garden cities in England, but also has a historicMāori heritage. Christchurch has atemperate oceanic climate with regular moderate rainfall.
The area of modern-day greater Christchurch was first inhabited by the historic MāoriiwiWaitaha in the mid-thirteenth century. Waitaha, who occupied theswamplands with patchworks ofmarshland, were invaded byKāti Māmoe in the sixteenth century, and then were absorbed byKāi Tahu a century later. Ōtautahi was inhabited seasonally, and a major trading centre was established atKaiapoi Pā.British colonial settlement began in the mid-nineteenth century. TheFirst Four Ships were chartered by theCanterbury Association and brought the Canterbury Pilgrims from Britain toLyttelton Harbour in 1850. It became a city byroyal charter on 31 July 1856, making it officially the oldest established city in New Zealand. Christchurch was heavily industrialised in the early 20th century, with the opening of theMain South Line railway and the development ofstate housing saw rapid growth in the city's economy and population.
Christchurch has strong cultural connections with its European elements and architectural identity. Christchurch is also home to a number of performing arts centres and academic institutions (including theUniversity of Canterbury). Christchurch has hosted numerous international sporting events, notably the1974 British Commonwealth Games at the purpose-builtQueen Elizabeth II Park. The city has been recognised as an Antarctic gateway since 1901, and is nowadays one of the fiveAntarctic gateway cities hosting Antarctic support bases for several nations. Christchurch is served by theChristchurch Airport inHarewood, the country's second-busiest airport.
The city suffered a series ofearthquakes from September 2010, withthe most destructive occurring on 22 February 2011, in which 185 people were killed and thousands of buildings across the city suffered severe damage, with many central city buildings collapsing, leading to ongoing recovery and rebuilding projects. Christchurch later became the site ofa terrorist attack targeting two mosques on 15 March 2019.
The nameChristchurch was adopted at the first meeting of theCanterbury Association on 27 March 1848. The reason it was chosen is not known with certainty, but the most likely reason is it was named afterChrist Church, Oxford, the alma mater of many members of the association, includingJohn Robert Godley.[8] Christ Church college had similarities with the planned new city, including its own cathedral, the smallest in England.[9] Other possibilities are that it was named forChristchurch, Dorset, or forCanterbury Cathedral. Many of the early colonists did not like the name, preferring instead the name Lyttelton, but the Colonists' Council resolved to stick with the name of Christchurch in 1851, because it had been used by surveyors and distinguished the settlement from the port.[10]
TheMāori name for modern-day Christchurch isŌtautahi, meaning'the place of Tautahi'. It was adopted as the Māori name for the city in the 1930s. Ōtautahi precisely refers to a specific site by theAvon River / Ōtākaro in Central Christchurch.[11][12] The site was a seasonal food-gathering place ofNgāi Tahu chief Te Pōtiki Tautahi. A different account claims the Tautahi in question was the son of the Port Levy chief Huikai.[13][14] Prior to that, Ngāi Tahu generally referred to the Christchurch area asKaraitiana, a transcription ofChristchurch in theMāori language.[15][16][17]
Prior to European occupation of the modern-day greater Christchurch area, the land was originallyswampland with patchworks of marshland, grassland, scrub and some patches of tall forest of mostlykahikatea,mataī andtōtara.[21] The inner coastal sand dunes were covered in hardier scrub bush, includingakeake,taupata,tūmatakuru,ngaio,carmichaelia, andcoprosma.[21] Christchurch was rich in birdlife prior to European colonisation, as they burned down forests and introduced predators, it led to local extinction of native birds.[22][23]
Evidence of human activity in the area begins in approximately 1250 AD,[24] with evidence of prolonged occupation beginning no later than 1350 AD.[25] These first occupants lived in coastal caves around modern-daySumner, and preyed upon local species ofmoa.[26][27] The early settlers and their descendants became known as the historicWaitaha Māoriiwi.[28] Aroundc. 1500 theKāti Māmoe iwi migrated south from the east coast of theNorth Island and invaded the Christchurch basin, ultimately gaining control of much of Canterbury.[28]Kāi Tahu arrived a century later,[28] and the two ultimately absorbed Waitaha through a mixture of conflict and marriage.[28][29]
Most of the Māori settlement was along the coast.[30] Other areas of Christchurch were also important foraging grounds and a seasonal settlements.[31] Several Māori settlements were within Christchurch during the early-nineteenth century, such as Pūtarikamotu in modern-dayRiccarton,[b][34][35] andPapanui.[29] In both cases these were located in areas of surviving tall forest.[29] InSouth New Brighton there was a major Māori settlement namedTe Kai-a-Te-Karoro, this was an important food-gathering area to Ngāi Tūāhuriri that hadkelp gull presence andmānuka scrub.[36][37] Te Ihutai (TheAvon Heathcote Estuary) was an important food source for local iwi andhapū, the estuary providing food such as, flounder and shellfish.[38][39]Kaiapoi Pā was the most important trading area, and the centre of a thriving economy. The pā was located at the nexus of the major rivers of Christchurch, the Avon River / Ōtākaro,Ōpāwaho / Heathcote River and theStyx River. It was the likely richesteel fishery in the country at that time.[40] Sugar was produced from plantations ofcabbage trees.[40]
John Deans and his family were some of the early settlers in Christchurch, they settled inRiccarton Bush.
European settlement of the Canterbury region was largely influenced by brothersWilliam andJohn Deans in 1843.[41][42] The Deans farm located inRiccarton Bush was a crucial factor in the decision of where to place the settlement of Christchurch, as it proved that the swampy ground could be farmed.[41] The Deans brothers named their farm after their former parish inAyrshire, Scotland; they also named the river near their farm after theAvon Water inSouth Lanarkshire, which rises in the hills near to where their grandfather's farm was located.[43][9][44]
TheCanterbury Association's Chief Surveyor, CaptainJoseph Thomas, surveyed the area in 1849 and 1850. Working with his assistant,Edward Jollie, they named the various ports and settlements in the area, and chose a simplegrid pattern for the streets of Christchurch.[45][46] TheFirst Four Ships were chartered by the Canterbury Association and brought theCanterbury Pilgrims toLyttelton Harbour in 1850.[c] These sailing vessels were theRandolph,Charlotte Jane,Sir George Seymour, andCressy.[49] The journey took three to four months, and theCharlotte Jane was the first to arrive on 16 December 1850.[50] The Canterbury Pilgrims had aspirations of building a city around a cathedral and college, on the model ofChrist Church inOxford.[51][52]
Transport between the port and the new settlement at Christchurch was a major problem for the early settlers. By December 1849, Thomas had commissioned the construction of a road from Port Cooper, laterLyttelton, to Christchurch via Evans Pass andSumner.[53][54][55][56] By the time thatJohn Robert Godley arrived in April 1850, all of the funds for public works had been used up in constructing the road.[54][55][56] Godley ordered that all work on the road should stop, leaving the steep foot andpack horse track that had been hastily constructed over the hill between the port and the Heathcote valley as the only land-access to the area of Christchurch.[55] This track became known as theBridle Path because the path was so steep that pack horses needed to be led by thebridle.[57] Goods that were too heavy or bulky to be transported by pack horse over the Bridle Path were shipped by small sailing vessels some 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) by sea around the coast and up theAvon Heathcote Estuary toFerrymead.[58][56] Overturned boats at theSumner bar were a frequent cause of new arrivals to the colony losing all their luggage.[59] The Sumner Road was completed in 1857, though this did not alleviate the transport problems.[60] In 1858 the provincialsuperintendentWilliam Sefton Moorhouse announced that a tunnel would be dug between Lyttelton and Christchurch.[60][61] While the tunnel was under construction, New Zealand's first public railway line, theFerrymead Railway, opened from Ferrymead to Christchurch in 1863.[62][63]
Between 1853 and 1876 Christchurch was the administrative seat of theProvince of Canterbury.[64] While slow at first, growth in the town began to accelerate towards the end of the 1850s, with a period of rapid growth between 1857 and 1864.[65] Christchurch became the first city in New Zealand byroyal charter on 31 July 1856, andHenry Harper was consecrated by thearchbishop of Canterbury as the local Anglican bishop. He arrived in Christchurch a few months later in December 1856.[66][67] In 1862 theChristchurch City Council was established.[68][69] By 1874, Christchurch was New Zealand's fourth-largest city with a population of 14,270 residents.[70] Between 1871 and 1876 nearly 20,000 immigrants arrived in Canterbury,[71] and through the 1880s frozen meat joined wool as a primary export.[72] The last decades of the nineteenth-century were a period of significant growth for the city, despite the national economic depression.[73] Many of the city's stoneGothic Revival buildings by provincial architectBenjamin Mountfort date from around this period, includingCanterbury University College,[74]ChristChurch Cathedral,[75]Canterbury Museum,[76] and theCanterbury Provincial Council Buildings,[77] among others. Mountfort oversaw construction of a prison on Lincon Road in 1874, which operated until 1999.[78]
Christchurch experienced a number of minor natural disasters during this period. Heavy rain caused theWaimakariri River to flood Christchurch in February 1868.[79][80]Victoria Square (known as Market Place at the time) was left underwater with "the whole left side of the [Avon] river from Montreal-street bridge to Worcester street was all one lake, as deep as up to a horse's belly".[81][82][83] Christchurch buildings were damaged by earthquakes in1869,1881 and1888.[84] The 1888 earthquake caused the highest 7.8 metres of theChristchurch Cathedral spire to collapse, manychimneys were broken, and theDurham Street Methodist Church had its stonework damaged.[85][86] In November 1901,a magnitude 6.9 earthquake, centred nearCheviot, caused the spire on top of ChristChurch Cathedral to collapse again, but this time only the top 1.5 metres fell. On this occasion, it was rebuilt with timber and metal instead of stone.[85][87]
First aerial photograph of Christchurch taken byLeslie Hinge in January 1918
Christchurch was heavily industrialised in the early 20th century, particularly the suburbs ofWoolston andAddington, with Woolston housing a large amount of New Zealand's rubber industry. Many warehouses, factories and large premises ofrailway workshops were built along theMain South Line.[93][94] There was notable development of breweries,flour mills, and light-commercial in Christchurch.[95][96] This significantly increased the population of workers in the city, which soon spread industrialisation toSydenham.[97] As central Christchurch grew, many cottages were demolished to make way for light-industrial and retail premises near Moorhouse Avenue as they expanded south.[93] Many churches were also built to compensate for its growing Christian population.[98] The population of Christchurch exceeded 100,000 for the first time in 1919.[99]
Post and Telegraph Department, Christchurch, New Zealand (1942)
Despite the central city remaining relatively unchanged between 1914 and 1960,[100] Christchurch grew rapidly during the 20th century in part due to the construction of manystate houses. The earliest state houses were built in Sydenham in the 1900s, to house workers that were employed in nearby factories, with more houses built in 1909 near theAddington Railway Workshops.[101] Part of this period of growth included the annexation of surrounding municipalities — in 1903 the boroughs ofLinwood,St Albans, andSydenham were annexed into Christchurch City.[102] In 1921, two more boroughs were annexed:Spreydon andWoolston. In 1941, theNew Brighton Borough was annexed and in 1945 theSumner Borough was annexed. In 1953, an urban part ofHeathcote County was incorporated into the city.[103]
In November 1947, a basement fire at theBallantynes department store on the corner ofCashel andColombo Streets unexpectedly burned out of control, resulting in New Zealand'sworst fire disaster. Despite being initially thought to be under control, the fire suddenly spread to the upper floors and consumed the entire building within minutes. The speed of the fire trapped 41 staff members on the upper floor, all of whom were killed. The department store was actually a combination of seven or eight different buildings, joined to form a "perplexing maze"[104] with no sprinklers or alarm system.[105] A subsequentRoyal commission of enquiry resulted in changes to the building code to improve fire safety.[106][107] Thousands of mourners, including the Prime Minister, attended a mass funeral in the aftermath.[104][108]
During the 1960s Christchurch experiencedurban sprawl, with much of the retail business of the central city moving out to urban shopping malls. These typically included largecar parking areas to suit the growing shift towards personal car ownership, and away from public transport.[109][110]Hornby became a significant industrial suburb in the 1960s, with industrial and residential premises expanding westwards.[111] TheLyttelton road tunnel between Lyttelton and Christchurch was opened in 1964.[112] Television broadcasts began in Christchurch on 1 June 1961 with the launch of channel CHTV3, making Christchurch the second New Zealand city to receive regular television broadcasts.[113] The channel initially broadcast from a 10-kilowatt transmitter atop theGloucester Street studios until it switched to the newly built 100-kilowattSugarloaf transmitter in the Port Hills on 28 August 1965.[114][115] In 1969, the one-way system running through central Christchurch was established. The first two streets to be made one-way were Lichfield and St Asaph streets. They were followed by Barbadoes, Madras, Salisbury and Kilmore streets.[116]A police station opened in 1973 on Hereford street, it was imploded and demolished in 2015.[117][118]
Aftermath of the February 2011 earthquake in the city centre on Colombo Street
On Saturday, 4 September 2010,a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Christchurch and the central Canterbury region at 4:35 am. With itshypocentre nearDarfield, west of the city at a depth of 10 kilometres (6.2 mi), it caused widespread damage to the city and minor injuries, but no direct fatalities.[121][122] This was followed by theBoxing Day earthquake a few months later, which occurred directly under the city centre and also caused widespread damage, but this was less severe.[123]
Nearly two months later, on Tuesday 22 February 2011,an earthquake measuring magnitude 6.3 struck the city at 12:51 pm. Its hypocentre was located closer to the city, near Lyttelton, at a depth of 5 km (3 mi).[124] Although lower on themoment magnitude scale than the previous earthquake, the intensity and violence of the ground shaking was measured to beIX (Violent), among the strongest ever recorded globally in an urban area, which killed 185 people.[125][126][127] On 13 June 2011 Christchurch was again rocked bytwo more large aftershocks. This resulted in more liquefaction and building damage, but no more lives were lost.[128]
There were further earthquakes on 23 December 2011; the first, of magnitude 5.8 according to the US Geological Survey, 26 km (16 mi) north-east of the city at a depth of 4.7 km (2.9 mi), at 13:58, followed by several aftershocks and another earthquake of magnitude 6.0 and similar location 80 minutes later.[129][130]
On 13 February 2017,two bush fires started on thePort Hills. These later merged and the single large wildfire extended down both sides of the Port Hill almost reachingGovernors Bay in the south-west. Eleven houses were destroyed by fire and over 2,076 hectares (5,130 acres) of land was burned.[131]
In 2024, a secondfire on the Port Hills burned 700 hectares (1,700 acres).[132] The fire was also started under similarly suspicious circumstances. Lessons from the 2017 fire contributed to a more effective emergency response, and the fire was more-quickly contained.
On 15 March 2019, fifty-one people died fromtwo consecutive mass shootings at theAl Noor Mosque andLinwood Islamic Centre by an Australianwhite supremacist.[133][134][135][136][137] Forty others were injured.[138] The attacks were described by then prime ministerJacinda Ardern as "one of New Zealand's darkest days".[139] Just days after the attacks the live-streamed footage became classified as objectionable by the Chief Censor, making the footage illegal to possess and distribute within New Zealand.[140] On 2 June 2020, the attacker pleaded guilty to multiple charges of murder, attempted murder, and terrorism.[141][142] On 27 August, he was sentenced tolife in prison without the chance of parole, the first time such a sentence was handed down in New Zealand.[143][144][145]
Christchurch is halfway along the east coast of theSouth Island, facing the South Pacific Ocean. With the exception of thePort Hills onBanks Peninsula to its south, the city sits on flat land, on average around 20 m (66 ft) above sea level.[146]
The present land mass of New Zealand split from the super continent ofGondwana around 85 million years ago. Prior to that time, mudstone and hardened sandstones commonly known asgreywacke was deposited and deformed bytectonic movement. Following the split from Gondwana, during the period between 80 and 23 million years ago, the land became eroded and subsided below sea level. Marine and terrestrial sediments were deposited, leaving the greywacke as the oldest and deepest layers (basement rock). Around 11–6 million years ago, volcanic eruptions created theBanks Peninsula volcanic complex. Over the last two million years as theSouthern Alps were rising, there were multiple periods ofglaciation. Rivers flowing from the mountains carriedalluvial gravels over the area that is now theCanterbury Plains, covering the underlying rock to depths of between 200 and 600 metres. Continuing tectonic movement created faults that penetrate from the greywacke rock into the layers above. These faults remain beneath Canterbury and Christchurch.[147]: 21
The glacial/interglacial cycles of theQuaternary Period led to multiple rises and falls in sea level. These sea level changes occurred over a period when there was also slow subsidence in the eastern coastal plains of Canterbury and Christchurch. The result has been the deposition of sequences of mostlyfluvial gravel (occurring during periods of low sea level and glaciation), and fine deposits of silt, sand and clay, with some peat, shells and wood (occurring during interglacial periods when the sea level was similar to the present).[148]: 13
The layers of gravel beneath the easternCanterbury Plains and Christchurch area form anartesian aquifer with theinterbedded fine sediments as an impermeable layer, or aquiclude. Water pressure from the artesian aquifer has led to the formation of numerous spring-fed streams. In Christchurch, the Avon River / Ōtākaro and Ōpāwaho / Heathcote River rivers have spring-fed sources in the western suburbs of Christchurch, and theHalswell River begins north-west of the Port Hills on the periphery of Christchurch and flows toLake Ellesmere / Te Waihora.[148]: 14
As a consequence of the flat terrain and spring-fed streams, large parts of the area now occupied by Christchurch City were originally a coastal wetland, with extensive swamp forests. Much of the forest was destroyed by fire, mostly likely by the earliest inhabitants, from around 1000CE. When European settlers arrived in the 19th century, the area was a mixture of swamp and tussock grasslands, with only remnant patches of forest. An early European visitor wasWilliam Barnard Rhodes, captain of the barqueAustralian, who climbed the Port Hills from Lyttelton Harbour in September 1836 and observed a large grassy plain with two small areas of forest. He reported that "All the land that I saw was swamp and mostly covered with water".[149] Most of the eastern, southern and northern parts of the city were wet areas when European settlement began.[150]
Over the period since European settlement commenced, land drainage works have enabled development of land across the city. There are now only small remnants of wetland remaining, such asRiccarton Bush,Travis Wetland, Ōtukaikino wetland, and the Cashmere Valley.[151]
Durham Street in central Christchurch (April 2019)
Christchurch Central City is defined as the area centred onCathedral Square and within theFour Avenues (Bealey Avenue, Fitzgerald Avenue, Moorhouse Avenue and Deans Avenue).[152] It includesHagley Park, and theChristchurch Botanic Gardens. The design of the central city with its grid pattern of streets, city squares and parkland was laid out by 1850.[45]
The central city was among the most heavily damaged areas of Christchurch in the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes.[153] Following the second earthquake, theCentral City Red Zone was set up as an exclusion zone for public safety reasons, and many parts remained closed to the public until June 2013.[154] A large number ofheritage buildings were demolished following the earthquake, along with most of thecity's high rise buildings.[155][156] TheChristchurch Central Recovery Plan was developed to lead the rebuild of the city centre, and featured 17 "anchor projects".[157][158] There has been massive growth in the residential sector in the central city, particularly in the East Frame development.[159]
A typical residential street in a neighbourhood in Christchurch (photographed in St Albans)
There are currently no legal definition of the boundaries of suburbs in Christchurch. The suburb boundaries are largely defined by third-party agencies, such asStatistics New Zealand andNew Zealand Post, and may differ between agencies or sources.[160]
The earliest suburbs of Christchurch were laid out with streets in a grid pattern, centred onCathedral Square. Growth initially took place along the tramlines, leading to radial development.[161] Major expansion occurred in the 1950s and 60s, with the development of large areas ofstate housing. Settlements that had originally been remote, such asSumner,New Brighton,Upper Riccarton andPapanui eventually became amalgamated into the expanding city.[162]
The Christchurchfunctional urban area, as defined by Statistics New Zealand, covers 2,408.1 km2 (929.8 sq mi).[163] Towns and settlements in the functional urban area include:
Christchurch has atemperateoceanic climate (Köppen:Cfb) with a mild summer, cool winter, and regular moderate rainfall. It has mean daily maximum air temperatures of 22.6 °C (73 °F) in January and 10.9 °C (52 °F) in July.[164] Summer in the city is mostly warm, but is often moderated by asea breeze from the north-east. A notable feature of the weather is thenor'wester, a hotföhn wind that occasionally reaches storm force, causing widespread minor damage to property.[165] Like many cities, Christchurch experiences anurban heat island effect; temperatures are slightly higher within the inner-city regions compared to the surrounding countryside.[166] The highest temperature recorded in Christchurch was 41.6 °C (106.9 °F) on 7 February 1973,[167] however the highest for the Christchurch metropolitan area was 42.4 °C (108 °F) recorded inRangiora on the same day.[168]
In winter, subfreezing temperatures are common, with nights falling below 0 °C (32 °F) an average of 50 times a year at Christchurch Airport and 23 times a year in the city centre.[169] There are on average 80 days of ground frost per year.[170]Snowfall occurs on average three times per year, although in some years none is recorded.[171] The lowest temperature recorded in Christchurch was −9.4 °C (15 °F) in the suburb ofWigram in July 1945.[172]
On cold winter nights, the surrounding hills, clear skies, andfrosty calm conditions often combine to form a stableinversion layer above the city that traps vehicle exhausts and smoke from domestic fires to cause smog.[173] While not as bad as smog in Los Angeles or Mexico City, Christchurch smog has often exceededWorld Health Organisation recommendations for air pollution. To limit air pollution, the regional council banned the use ofopen fires in the city in 2006.[174]
Christchurch City covers a land area of 1,415.15 km2 (546.39 sq mi)[181] and had an estimated population of 415,100 as of June 2024,[5] with a population density of 293 people per km2.
This is the second-most populous area administered by a single council in New Zealand, and the largest city in theSouth Island. The population comprises 403,300 people in the Christchurchurban area, 3,310 people in theLyttelton urban area, 1,720 people in theDiamond Harbour urban area, and 6,770 people in rural settlements and areas.
Historical population for the territorial authority
Christchurch City had a population of 391,383 in the2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 22,377 people (6.1%) since the2018 census, and an increase of 49,914 people (14.6%) since the2013 census. There were 192,684 males, 196,557 females and 2,139 people ofother genders in 150,909 dwellings.[185] 4.5% of people identified asLGBTIQ+. The median age was 37.5 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 64,722 people (16.5%) aged under 15 years, 84,633 (21.6%) aged 15 to 29, 178,113 (45.5%) aged 30 to 64, and 63,912 (16.3%) aged 65 or older.[184]
Of those at least 15 years old, 70,764 (21.7%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 160,440 (49.1%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 73,659 (22.5%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $40,400, compared with $41,500 nationally. 35,010 people (10.7%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 163,554 (50.1%) people were employed full-time, 47,463 (14.5%) were part-time, and 8,913 (2.7%) were unemployed.[184]
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 75.9%European (Pākehā); 11.2%Māori; 4.3%Pasifika; 17.1%Asian; 1.9% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 2.2% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 95.8%, Māori language by 2.4%, Samoan by 1.3% and other languages by 16.8%. No language could be spoken by 2.1% (e.g. too young to talk).New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.6%. The percentage of people born overseas was 27.8, compared with 28.8% nationally.
At the 2018 census, Europeans formed the majority in all sixteen wards, ranging from 57.7% in the Riccarton ward to 93.1% in the Banks Peninsula ward. The highest concentrations of Māori and Pasifika people were in the Linwood ward (18.3% and 9.0% respectively), followed by the Burwood ward (15.5% and 6.6%), while the highest concentrations of Asian people were in the Riccarton ward (34.9%) and Waimairi ward (26.7%).[202]
Christchurch urban area covers 294.43 km2 (113.68 sq mi)[181] and had an estimated population of 403,300 as of June 2024,[5] with a population density of 1,370 people per km2.
The urban area had a population of 380,079 in the2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 22,011 people (6.1%) since the2018 census, and an increase of 49,434 people (15.0%) since the2013 census. There were 187,086 males, 190,911 females and 2,082 people ofother genders in 146,055 dwellings.[204] 4.5% of people identified asLGBTIQ+. The median age was 37.1 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 63,138 people (16.6%) aged under 15 years, 83,217 (21.9%) aged 15 to 29, 172,314 (45.3%) aged 30 to 64, and 61,413 (16.2%) aged 65 or older.[203]
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 75.4%European (Pākehā); 11.3%Māori; 4.4%Pasifika; 17.5%Asian; 1.9% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 2.2% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 95.7%, Māori language by 2.4%, Samoan by 1.3% and other languages by 17.0%. No language could be spoken by 2.1% (e.g. too young to talk).New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.6%. The percentage of people born overseas was 27.9, compared with 28.8% nationally.
Of those at least 15 years old, 68,472 (21.6%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 155,583 (49.1%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 71,943 (22.7%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $40,400, compared with $41,500 nationally. 33,714 people (10.6%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 158,859 (50.1%) people were employed full-time, 45,678 (14.4%) were part-time, and 8,727 (2.8%) were unemployed.[203]
In 2023, the gross domestic product (GDP) of Christchurch City was $31.5 billion, representing 8.4% of New Zealand's total GDP. The sector with the largest contribution to the Christchurch City GDP was professional, scientific and technical services, at 12%. This is higher than the 9.6% contribution that these services make to the national economy. The next highest contribution to the city GDP was from healthcare and social assistance at 8.8%, versus 6.5% in the national economy. Manufacturing contributed 8.1%, compared with 8.2% in the national economy.[205]
Christchurch City provides a diverse range of services for the Canterbury Region, but there are significant differences in the ranking of the sectors with the greatest contribution to GDP, when comparing the city GDP with the Canterbury Region GDP. Manufacturing and construction are the top two ranked sectors for the Canterbury region, but these two sectors are ranked third and fourth for the contribution to the city GDP. Conversely, professional, scientific and technical services are top ranked for the city, but third in the Canterbury Region GDP. Healthcare and social assistance is ranked second in the city GDP, but only seventh in the Canterbury Region GDP. Agriculture remains a significant contributor to the Canterbury Region GDP (sixth placed at $3.3 billion).[206]
The four largest industries in the city, based on the percentage of filled jobs were healthcare and social assistance, professional scientific and technical services, construction, and retail trade. Christchurch City had a higher proportion of people in employed in healthcare and social assistance (12.9%) than the national average (10.3%), but the proportions employed in professional, scientific and technical services, construction and retail trade were close to the national averages.[207]
Christchurch is the second-largest manufacturing centre in New Zealand behindAuckland, the sector being the second-largest contributor to the local economy,[208] with firms such as Anderson's making steel work for bridges, tunnels, andhydroelectric dams in the early days of infrastructure work. Now manufacturing is mainly of light products and the key market is Australia, with firms such as those pioneered by the Stewart family among the larger employers. Before clothing manufacture largely moved to Asia, Christchurch was the centre of the New Zealand clothing industry, with firms such as LWR Industries. The firms that remain mostly design and market, and manufacture in Asia. The city also had five footwear manufacturers, but these have been replaced by imports.
In the last few decades, technology-based industries have sprung up in Christchurch.[209]Angus Tait foundedTait Electronics, a mobile-radio manufacturer, and other firms spun off from this, such as Dennis Chapman's Swichtec. In software, CantabrianGil Simpson founded a company that madeLINC andJade programming languages, and amanagement buyout spawned local firmWynyard Group.
There have also been spin-offs from the electrical department of the University of Canterbury engineering school. These included Pulse Data, which became Human Ware (making reading devices and computers for blind people and those with limited vision) and CES Communications (encryption). The Pulse Data founders had moved from the Canterbury University engineering school to work for Wormald Inc. when they set up Pulse Data through aManagement buyout of their division.[citation needed] Spin-off company Invert Robotics developed the world's first climbing robot capable of climbing on stainless steel, aimed at the dairy tank inspection market.[210]
In recent times, theUniversity of Canterbury engineering school and computer science department play an important role in supplying staff and research for the technology industries, and theChristchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology provides a flow of trained technicians and engineers. Locally and nationally, the IT sector is known not for its size (the third largest in New Zealand) but for producing innovative and entrepreneurial solutions, products and concepts.[211]
Theagricultural industry was originally the economic core of Christchurch.[213] Its surrounding farming countryside was originally the basis of its industry, part of the original "package" sold to New Zealand immigrants.[214]PGG Wrightson, New Zealand's leading agribusiness, is based in Christchurch.[215] Its local roots go back to Pyne Gould Guinness, an old stock and station agency serving the South Island.[216]
Other agribusinesses in Christchurch have included malting, seed development and dressing, wool and meat processing, and small biotechnology operations using by-products from meat works.[213] Dairying has grown strongly in the surrounding areas, with high world prices for milk products and the use of irrigation to lift grass growth on dry land. With its higher labour use, this has helped stop declines in rural population. Many cropping and sheep farms have been converted to dairying. Conversions have been by agribusiness companies as well as by farmers, many of whom have moved south from North Island dairying strongholds such asTaranaki and theWaikato.
Cropping has always been important in the Canterbury Region. Wheat and barley and various strains of clover and other grasses for seed exporting have been the main crops. These have all created processing businesses in Christchurch. Agriculture in the region has diversified, with a wine industry developing atWaipara, and the beginnings of new horticulture industries such as olive production and processing. Deer farming has led to new processing using antlers for Asian medicine and aphrodisiacs. The high-quality local wine in particular has increased the appeal of Canterbury and Christchurch to tourists.[217]
An important component of the regions agricultural calendar is theCanterbury A&P Show. The first show took place in Christchurch on 22 October 1862[218] and is now the largestagricultural and pastoral show in New Zealand featuring a combination of agriculture presentations, trade stalls, competitions and entertainment over three days. The Friday of the A&P Show had since at least 1918 been the People's Day or Show Day, and sometime between 1955 and 1958,Christchurch City Council moved the anniversary day to coincide with Show Day, as this allowed banks and businesses to close and people to attend the A&P Show.[citation needed]
Tourism is also a significant factor in the city economy. As a city with a major international airport and the largest city in the South Island, Christchurch is a gateway for international tourists visiting the South Island attractions ofAoraki / Mount Cook National Park,Queenstown, theWest Coast andKaikōura. However, the city is also a destination in itself because of its gardens, its history and heritage, galleries and museums, the scenery of the Port Hills, and the stories of the impact and recovery from the 2011 earthquakes.[219] The tourism sector contributed 3.7% of the GDP of Christchurch in 2023, a significant increase over the 2.1% contribution in 2000. Annual growth in the tourism GDP since 2000 has been an average of 5.9%, slightly below the national average growth rate of 6.9%.[220] The largest category of tourism expenditure in 2023 was sales at $780m (31.6% of total tourism spending). The next highest category was passenger transport, at $392.5M (15.9% of total).[221]
Christchurch's local government is a democracy with various elements, including:
Christchurch City Council, comprising theMayor of Christchurch, and 16 councillors elected in 16 wards: Spreydon, Cashmere, Halswell, Riccarton, Hornby, Fendalton, Waimairi, Papanui, Innes, Central, Linwood, Heathcote, Harewood, Burwood, Coastal, and Banks Peninsula.
Community boards, currently six, typically covering 3 wards with 2 members elected, and one councillor appointed from each (9 members): Waihoro Spreydon-Cashmere-Heathcote, Waipapa Papanui-Innes-Central, Waipuna Halswell-Hornby-Riccarton, Waimaero Fendalton-Waimairi-Harewood, Waitai Coastal-Burwood-Linwood; the exception to this rule being the one covering Te Pātaka o Rākaihautū Banks Peninsula where all members are elected from 4 subdivisions within the Banks Peninsula Ward (Akaroa, Mount Herbert, Lyttelton, Wairewa) alongside the Ward Councillor.
District councils in surrounding areas:Selwyn, andWaimakariri. The Banks Peninsula district council was amalgamated into Christchurch City in March 2006 after a vote by the Banks Peninsula residents to disestablish in November 2005.
Canterbury Regional Council, known as 'Environment Canterbury', including four Christchurch constituencies with two members from each constituency.[228]
The architecture of Christchurch has been said to be distinctly English; however, it contains various European elements, with strongGothic Revival architecture.[232] As early settlers of New Zealand,Māori culture is also prevalent in the city. It features many public open spaces and parks, river beds and cafés and restaurants situated in the city centre and surrounding suburbs.[example needed]
Historically, most cinemas were grouped around Cathedral Square.[233]
One of the first generation of suburban cinemas still operating as a cinema, the Hollywood in Sumner, operated from 1938 until 2022; before closing to be refurbished and becoming part of the Silky Otter cinema chain[234] which also runs a cinema in Wigram. The largest multiplexes were theHoyts 8 in the oldrailway station on Moorhouse Avenue (now replaced by EntX)[235] andReading Cinemas (also eight screens) inthe Palms Shopping Centre in Shirley. Hoyts in Riccarton opened in 2005[236] with one of its screens for a time holding the record for the largest in New Zealand.
The Rialto Cinemas on Moorhouse avenue specialised in international films and art house productions. The Rialto also hosted the majority of the city's various film festivals and was home to the local film society. The Rialto was closed following the February 2011 earthquake.
The Alice Cinema first operated as a specialised video store, now has two screens and a comprehensive library foreign films, documentaries, cult and arthouse films to rent.[237]
The Canterbury Film Society is active in the city, operating every Monday evening from theChristchurch Art Gallery.[238]
Christchurch has been described asThe Garden City because of the large number of public parks and well-developed residential gardens with many trees. A British lawyerJohn Eldon Gorst, stated that Christchurch reminded him of the garden cities in England, and he called it as such.[240][241]Hagley Park and the 33-hectare (82-acre)Christchurch Botanic Gardens, founded in 1863,[242] are in the central city, which is an active habitat forkererū.[243] TheHagley Oval is a popularcricket field. Other sports such as association football, andrugby are popular in Hagley Park, and open-air concerts by local bands and orchestras.[244] North Hagley Park is known for itscherry blossoms, planted along Harper Avenue onArbor Day in 1936.[245] During the flowering season the trees are popular with visitors.[246]
To the east lies Rāwhiti Domain, in New Brighton, and to the north lies Spencer Park. And there are many inner city urban parks such as,Latimer Square,Cranmer Square, andVictoria Square.[247] To the north of the city is theWillowbank Wildlife Reserve.Travis Wetland, an ecological restoration programme to create a wetland, many native plants and birdlife thrive there, notablyroyal spoonbills andspotless crake[248][249] and recent plantings offork-leaved sundew.[250] It is located to the east of the city centre near the suburb ofBurwood and North New Brighton. There has been recent work to restore Papanui Bush, it began in 2018, with recent plantings of native wildlife such asrimu andtōtara to restore this area like it was pre-European urbanisation.[251][252]
Orana Wildlife Park is New Zealand's only open-range zoo, sitting on 80 hectares of land, located on the outskirts of Christchurch.[253]
The Isaac Theatre Royale, with Edwardian-style architecture
Christchurch has a long history with performing arts, dating back to December 1861, when the first theatre opened on the current site of The Press building on Gloucester Street.[254] Across the road from that building is theIsaac Theatre Royal, originally opened in 1863, and has since been rebuilt four times, most recently the building was moderately damaged following the 2011 earthquake.[255][256] The Isaac Theatre Royal reopened to the public on 17 November 2014.[254]
Christchurch has one full-time professional theatre, theCourt Theatre,[257][258] founded in 1971. Originally based in the Christchurch Arts Centre, the Court Theatre has been located in the suburb of Addington in temporary accommodation following the 2011 earthquakes.[259] Construction of a new premises located in thePerforming Arts Precinct is due to be complete in 2025.[260]
TheFree Theatre Christchurch was established in 1979 and based in the Arts Centre from 1982,[261] and Showbiz Christchurch, an incorporated society established in 1938 and primarily producing musical theatre.[262][263] There is also an active recreational theatre scene with community-based theatre companies, such as the Christchurch Repertory Society,[264] Elmwood Players,[265] Riccarton Players,[266] and Canterbury Children's Theatre,[267] producing many quality shows.
The city is known for its many live acts,[268][269][270][271] including a professionalsymphony orchestra.[272] After the closure of Canterbury Opera in 2006, due to financial reasons, in 2009 another professional opera company, Southern Opera, was founded. After the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes, it suspended its activities, before merging withNew Zealand Opera in 2013.[273]Christchurch is a home for the experimental music scene of New Zealand.
There are usually buskers around the town square, and Christchurch also hosts theWorld Buskers Festival in January each year.[274] Singer-songwriterHayley Westenra launched her international career by busking in Christchurch.[275]
Some of New Zealand's acts, such asShapeshifter,Ladi6,Tiki Taane andTruth are from Christchurch. Promoters, Venues and clubs such as Bassfreaks, The Bedford and Dux Live regularly have international, and New Zealand acts within the Drum and Bass scene performing live in Christchurch, along with dance parties, raves and gigs all featuring NZ and local Drum and Bass DJs, with often two or three happening on a single night or weekend (e.g. 2010 when UK Dubstep DJDoctor P with Crushington was playing at The Bedford, while simultaneouslyConcord Dawn featuringTrei and Bulletproof was playing at Ministry).[citation needed]
In recent developments, hip hop has effectively landed in Christchurch.[276][277] In 2000, First Aotearoa Hip Hop Summit was held there.[278] And in 2003, Christchurch'sScribe released his debut album in New Zealand and has received five times platinum in that country, in addition to achieving two number one singles.[279][280]
Since 2015 the city has hostedElectric Avenue, a two-day music festival in Hagley Park which is the largest held in Australasia.[281] Taking place annually in February, the festival hosts international and domestic acts, such asLorde,The Chemical Brothers, andThe Prodigy being amongst recent headliners.
Situated in Addington, theWolfbrook Arena is the city's major multipurpose indoor arena.[282][283] The venue has capacity for nearly 9000 people when configured for concerts.[283] In sports, it is one of the home venues of theMainland Tactixnetball side[284] and was the venue for the 1999 World Netball championships.[285]
TheChristchurch Town Hall auditorium opened in September 1972, it was the first major auditorium design by architectsWarren and Mahoney and acousticians Marshall Day.[286][287] It is still recognised as a model example of concert-hall design with an excellent modernpipe organ.[288] The hall was reopened on 23 February 2019, after being closed for eight years for repair after the significant damage caused by the February2011 Christchurch earthquake.[289][290]
Christchurch also hasa casino,[291] and there are also a wide range of live music venues[268][292] – some short-lived, others with decades of history. Classical music concerts were held at theChristchurch Music Centre until it was demolished as a result of earthquake damage. The Piano was built to offer a variety of performance spaces for music and the arts.[293][294]
In late 2014 it was announced that a 475 million dollar project was underway to build a convention centre located on the block defined by Armagh Street, Oxford Terrace, Worcester Street and Colombo Street.[295] Gloucester Street becomes part of the Centre itself, but allows for retail use and public access. The convention centre, now called Te Pae, hosts several events at the same time; starting with space for up to 2,000 people, this complements facilities in Auckland and Queenstown. Te Pae opened on 17 December 2021.[296][297]
Christchurch had a biennial Festival of Transitional Architecture (FESTA) from 2012 to 2018 founded by architectural historianJessica Halliday.[299] This has turned into an annual festival of architecture events called Open Christchurch since 2019 run by Te Pūtahi Centre for Architecture and City Making.[300]Word Christchurch is a long running literary festival, the director in 2023 is Steph Walker.[301]
Sport in Christchurch has developed from the time of the initial settlement ofCanterbury by British migrants, and remains an important part of community life.Cricket andrugby union have been popular team sports since the early years of settlement, with the first cricket club established in the city in 1851, and the first rugby club in 1863. Interest in organised sports has diversified and now includes a wide range of codes.[302] In 2022, the top five sporting codes in Canterbury based on club membership werenetball,touch rugby, rugby union, golf and cricket.[303]
There are around 1,200 sports clubs and associations,[304] and in 2022 there were 140,000 affiliated members.[85] Most of the sporting codes remain amateur, and rely upon volunteers as administrators and officials.[305] However, there are some professional teams. Notable teams representing Christchurch or the Canterbury region include theMainland Tactix (netball),Crusaders (rugby) and theCanterbury Kings (cricket).
The city has hosted many international competitions including championship events. A particularly notable international event held in Christchurch was the1974 Commonwealth Games.
Christchurch Brill Tram No 244 on the heritage tramway in inner-city ChristchurchLooking down High Street while cyclists cross the intersection of Colombo and Hereford Streets (c. 1910)
Christchurch has an extensive bus network, with bus routes serving most areas of the city and satellite towns. The local bus service, marketed asMetro, is provided byEnvironment Canterbury.[316] The topology of the network broadly follow aspoke–hub distribution paradigm, with major routes intersecting the city and crossing at the centralChristchurch Bus Interchange.[316] Less-frequent 'connector' and 'link' services provide journeys between suburbs not on the major routes.[316] Additionally, a service called theOrbiter connects the suburban mall hubs by running in a ring around the outside of the central city.[316] Before the 2011 earthquakes, in addition to normal bus services, Christchurch also had azero-farehybrid bus service, theShuttle, in the inner city. The service was suspended following the earthquakes.[317] As of 2023[update] public transport mode share in the Greater Christchurch area was 2.8%, with daily journeys still well-below pre-earthquake levels.[316][311]
Historically, Christchurch has been known as New Zealand's cycling city,[318] even earning the nickname "Cyclopolis" around the turn of the 20th century.[319][320][321]Mark Twain described Christchurch in 1895 as a place "where half the people ride bicycles and the other half are kept busy dodging them".[322] The central city has very flat terrain and the Christchurch City Council has established a network ofcycling infrastructure in the form of both dedicated and shared paths,[323] such as the majorNorthern Line Cycleway. Post-quake public consultation on rebuilding the city expressed a strong desire for a more sustainable transport system, particularly greater use of cycling; this was reflected in the council's 2012–42 strategic transport plan.[324] The number of cycle paths across the city has continued to increase since the earthquakes, with the roll-out of the Major Cycle Route initiative intending to create 100 kilometres (62 mi) of cycle paths in the city.[325] This has contributed to a 30% increase in bicycle journeys between 2016 and 2023, with over 3.6 million cyclists detected at counting stations in a 12-month period.[326] Data from the 2023 census revealed Christchurch as a national leader in the adoption of cycling as commuter transport.[327] Nearly 25% of all bicycle commuters in New Zealand live in Christchurch, with the highest levels of adoption in suburbs with robust cycle infrastructure.[327]
Trams were running as public transport in Christchurch as early as 1880, with the system mostly electrified beginning in 1905.[328] Routes mostly centred around Cathedral Square connecting out as far as Papanui, New Brighton and Sumner, but all had ceased operating by 1954.[329] In 1995, theChristchurch tramway system was re-established as a tourist attraction.[328] The tram follows a short loop around central city streets, with stops at Cathedral Square, the Arts Centre, Canterbury Museum, Victoria Square and Cathedral Junction, which is also the location of the depot. The tram tracks are owned by the Christchurch City Council, with the trams supplied, maintained and operated by the Tramways Historical Society.[328] In 2022 the tram tracks were extended south down High Street at a cost of NZ$3,600,000, though due to an engineering issue they derailed a tram and had to be relaid.[330]
Rail services, both long-distance and commuter, used to focus on the former railway station on Moorhouse avenue. Commuter trains were progressively cancelled in the 1960s and 1970s. The last such service, between Christchurch andRangiora, ceased in 1976. After the reduction in services, a newChristchurch railway station was established at Addington Junction. TheMain North Line railway travels northwards viaKaikōura toPicton and is served by theCoastal Pacific scheduled passenger train while theMain South Line heads toInvercargill viaDunedin and was used by theSoutherner until its cancellation in 2002.
The most famous train to depart Christchurch is theTranzAlpine, which travels along the Main South Line toRolleston and then turns onto theMidland Line, passes through theSouthern Alps via theOtira Tunnel, and terminates inGreymouth on theWest Coast. This trip is often regarded as one of the ten great train journeys in the world for the remarkable scenery through which it passes. The TranzAlpine service is primarily a tourist service and carries no significant commuter traffic.
Christchurch Airport is located in Harewood, 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) to the north-west of the city centre. The airport is thesecond-busiest airport in New Zealand, with regular passenger services from Christchurch to sixteen New Zealand and seven international destinations.[331] The airport serves as the major base for the New Zealand, South Korean, Italian andUnited States Antarctic programs.[332]
Christchurch has one of the highest-qualitywater supplies in the world, with its water rated among the purest and cleanest in the world.[333][334] Untreated, naturally filtered water is sourced, via more than 50 pumping stations surrounding the city, fromaquifers emanating from the foothills of theSouthern Alps.[335] However, since 2018 about 70% of Christchurch's water supply has been temporarilychlorinated due to well-head upgrades, and the chlorination is planned to be stopped after the upgrades have been completed and certified.[336][337]
Christchurch Wastewater Treatment Plant after the 2011 earthquake
Christchurch was the first city in New Zealand to develop an underground sewerage network.[338] In the early 1870s, Christchurch had a population of around 12,000 people. However, there was a high death rate from diseases such astyphoid, with 152 people dying in an epidemic from 1875 to 1876.[339] The city was considered as the unhealthiest in New Zealand at that time. Most of the human waste was being discharged untreated into the Avon and Heathcote rivers, despite those rivers also being used for bathing. Following the passing of the Christchurch District Drainage Act 1875,[340] the Christchurch Drainage Board was established, holding its first meeting on 4 January 1876.[341] The first chairman of the board was the city mayor,Fred Hobbs, who had been a strong advocate for a drainage system.[342]
In 1878, an English drainage engineerWilliam Clark proposed detailed designs for an underground sewerage network for the city, with a pumping station to pump the sewage to sandhills inBromley for irrigation over land adjacent to the estuary.[343] The city's first sewage pumping station was established in Tuam Street in 1882, with a boiler and steam-driven pumps. Homeowners were required to pay for a connection to the new sewerage system and establish flushing toilets, and by 1884 there were 293 connections.[339][344] The 1903Cyclopedia of New Zealand stated that following the implementation of the drainage system "the city now ranks amongst the most healthy in the Colony".[345]
The Christchurch City Council established the city's first public electricity supply in 1903, and the city was connected toColeridge Power Station in 1914. Until 1989, electricity distribution and retailing in Christchurch was the responsibility of four entities: the Christchurch City Council Municipal Electricity Department (MED), Riccarton Electricity, the Port Hills Energy Authority, and the Central Canterbury Electric Power Board. In 1989, all four companies entered a joint venture, named Southpower. The 1998 electricity sector reforms required all electricity companies to separate their distribution and retailing businesses. Southpower retained its distribution business and sold its retail business toMeridian Energy. In December 1998, the distribution business was renamedOrion New Zealand.[346] Today, Orion owns and operates the local distribution network servicing the city, with electricity fed into it from twoTranspower substations atIslington and Bromley.
The electricity distribution network in Christchurch suffered significant damage in the 2011 earthquakes, especially in the north-east, where the 66,000-volt subtransmission cables supplying the area were damaged beyond repair.[347] This necessitated major repairs to the existing infrastructure, as well as building new infrastructure to supply new housing developments.
At the 2013 census, 94.0% of Christchurch homes were heated wholly or partly by electricity, the highest in the country.[348]
Telephone service was introduced in Christchurch on 1 October 1881 with the commissioning of New Zealand's first telephone exchange.[349] The city converted to fully automatic service on 14 September 1929.[350]Subscriber toll dialling was introduced in Christchurch from 19 November 1976, with the city given the area code 03;[351] in the early 1990s, the 03 area code was expanded to cover the entire South Island and Christchurch telephone numbers were lengthened from six to seven digits by prefixing 3 to existing numbers.[352] Mobile phone service was introduced to Christchurch on 5 September 1988 by Telecom (nowSpark).[353]
As part of theUltra Fast Broadband initiative,fibre to the premises was rolled out in Christchurch during the 2010s, with the network completed in August 2018.Enable Networks operates the fibre network in Christchurch and Lyttelton, whileChorus Limited operates the fibre network in Diamond Harbour and in towns on the Banks Peninsula. Chorus also operates the copper network across all of Christchurch City.[354]
The major daily newspaper in Christchurch isThe Press, which has a daily circulation of 31,207 and is owned byStuff.[355]The Press was first published on 25 May 1861, originally as a weekly paper before becoming a daily paper in March 1863.[356] Weekly newspapers includeThe Star, owned byAllied Press, which began in 1868 as a daily evening newspaper before becoming a bi-weekly (and later weekly)free newspaper in 1991.[357][358]
The Christchurch radio market is the second-largest in New Zealand, with 511,700 listeners aged 10 and over. The three largest stations in Christchurch by market share areNewstalk ZB,More FM, andThe Breeze.[359] As with other New Zealand radio markets, most radio stations in Christchurch arecentralcast out of Auckland.
Television was introduced in Christchurch on 1 June 1961 with channel CHTV3. The channel networked with itsNZBC counterparts in Auckland, Wellington and Dunedin in 1969 and today is part ofTelevision New Zealand (TVNZ).[360] As with radio, television channels in Christchurch are centralcast out of Auckland.
^Whether Christchurch orWellington is New Zealand's second-largest city by population is debatable and depends on where the boundaries are drawn.[6] UsingStatistics New Zealand boundaries, Christchurch is the second-largest urban area (403,300 vs 214,200),[5] territorial authority area (415,100 vs 215,300),[5] and functional urban area (470,814 vs 414,033).[7]
^Often spelled "Pūtaringamotu" or uncommonly, "Potoringamotu".[32][33] The spelling with theKāi Tahu dialect remains the primary Māori spelling.
^Lyttelton Harbour was known as Port Cooper when the four ships arrived. This name is no longer in common use.[47] Since 1998 it has been gazetted with a dual English-Māori name, Lyttelton Harbour / Whakaraupō.[48]
Evison, Harry (1993),Te Wai Pounamu, The Greenstone Island: A history of the southern Māori during the European colonization of New Zealand, Christchurch: Aoraki Press,ISBN9780908925070
^Taylor, William Anderson (1952). "Otautahi – Christchurch and its district".Lore and History of the South Island Maori. Christchurch: Bascands Ltd. p. 55.Archived from the original on 9 August 2023. Retrieved26 April 2024.
^Tau, Te Maire (1990).Te Whakatau Kaupapa: Ngāi Tahu Resource Management Strategy for the Canterbury Region. Aoraki Press. pp. 5–21.
^Taylor, William Anderson (1952). "Otautahi – Christchurch and its district".Lore and History of the South Island Maori. Christchurch: Bascands Ltd. p. 48.Archived from the original on 9 August 2023. Retrieved26 April 2024.
^Bunbury, Magdalena; Petchey, Fiona; Bickler, Simon (7 November 2022), "A new chronology for the Māori settlement of Aotearoa (NZ) and the potential role of climate change in demographic developments",Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,119 (46), National Academy of Sciences: e2207609119,Bibcode:2022PNAS..11907609B,doi:10.1073/pnas.2207609119,PMC9674228,PMID36343229,Figure 3
^Jacomb, C (2009), "Excavations and chronology at the Redcliffs Flat site, Canterbury, New Zealand",Records of the Canterbury Museum, vol. 23, Christchurch, pp. 15–30,ISSN0370-3878
^Jacomb, C (2008), "The chronology of Moncks Cave, Canterbury, New Zealand",Records of the Canterbury Museum, vol. 22, Christchurch, pp. 45–56,ISSN0370-3878
^abcdThe Ngai Tahu Report 1991(PDF) (report), vol. 2, Wellington: GP Publications, 1991, WAI 27,archived(PDF) from the original on 26 January 2022, retrieved17 April 2024,Sections 3.1.2, 3.1.3 and 3.1.4
^Tau, T.M; Goodall, A.; Palmer, D. (1990). "Te Whakatau Kaupapa: Ngai Tahu resource management strategy for the Canterbury Region".Aoraki Press. Wellington, New Zealand. pp. 5–24.
^James Herries, Beattie (1945). "Maori place names of Canterbury: including one thousand hitherto unpublished names collected from Maori sources".Otago Daily Times. Dunedin, New Zealand. p. 100.
^Owen, S-J. (1992).The Estuary: Where our rivers meet the sea: Christchurch's Avon-Heathcote Estuary and Brooklands Lagoon. Christchurch, New Zealand: Parks Unit, Christchurch City Council. p. 12.
^J.H., Beattie (1945). "Maori place names of Canterbury: including one thousand hitherto unpublished names collected from Maori sources".The Otago Daily Times. Dunedin, New Zealand. pp. 98–99.
^A History of Canterbury, Vol. 1 – Sir James Hight & Straubel, C.R.; Canterbury Centennial Association and Whitcombe and Tombs, Christchurch 1957, p. 121.
^Brown, Colin (1990),"Harper, Henry John Chitty",Dictionary of New Zealand Biography,archived from the original on 3 October 2023, retrieved22 April 2024 – via Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand
^Bloomfield, Gerald Taylor (1973).The Evolution of Local Government Areas in Metropolitan Auckland, 1840-1971. Auckland: [Auckland] : Auckland University Press. p. 10.ISBN0-19-647714-X.
^Bloomfield, Gerald Taylor (1973).The Evolution of Local Government Areas in Metropolitan Auckland, 1840-1971. Auckland: [Auckland] : Auckland University Press. p. 14.ISBN0-19-647714-X.
^"Restoring Wetlands"(PDF).Waterways, Wetlands and Drainage Guide: Ko te Anga Whakaora mō Ngā Arawai Rēpō.10.Christchurch City Council. February 2003.Archived(PDF) from the original on 17 February 2023. Retrieved25 April 2024.
^"Looking good in the Antarctic".Clothing Distribution Center in Christchurch, New Zealand, outfits USAP participants for the trip south. The Antarctic Sun. 10 January 2008.Archived from the original on 10 September 2011. Retrieved13 January 2008.
^Henderson, April K. "Dancing Between Islands: Hip Hop and the Samoan Diaspora." In The Vinyl Ain't Final: Hip Hop and the Globalization of Black Popular Culture, ed. by Dipannita Basu and Sidney J. Lemelle, 180–199. London; Ann Arbor, MI: Pluto Press, 2000
Ōtautahi Christchurch – official website of the Christchurch City Council economic development agency, includes a tourism guide and visitor information
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