Christchurch

New Zealand’s third largest city in terms of population (about 396,200 according to 2023 statistics) is Christchurch, which has been the economic and cultural hub of the country’s South Island for more than 150 years. Bisected by the Avon River on the island’s central east coast, Christchurch is the seat of the Canterbury Region. The city is governed by the Christchurch City Council and bordered by the districts of Banks Peninsula, Selwyn and Waimakariri.

The cattle, dairy and sheep farms in the surrounding area have been in the same families for generations. Settled and first farmed in the early nineteenth century, Christchurch was a planned community, the product of English businessmen who wanted to recreate a bit of England in the South Pacific. In many ways, Christchurch still is that. Many existing buildings date to the years of first settlement. The large amount of greenspace lends itself to Christchurch’s nickname, “The Garden City”. The city’s historic Christ Church Cathedral and much of the rest of the city centre were damaged in a pair of devastating earthquakes in 2010 and 2011. The city subsequently embarked on a number of rebuilding projects.

Historical Perspective

Māori peoples lived in the area of what is now Christchurch as early as 1000. Various tribes lived in the area for hundreds of years before the arrival of European explorers. Captain James Cook sailed through the area in 1770 and named what is now Banks Peninsula. The first Europeans settled in Christchurch in the mid-nineteenth century. The European history of Christchurch started with a few landings by sailors, in the early 1800s. Whaling was a major industry in the Pacific, and a British captain set up a whaling station on Banks Peninsula in 1837. In the same year as the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi (1840), establishing New Zealand, James Herriot, a farmer from Sydney, set up a farm in the area, which did not succeed. Another farm three years later, set up by William and John Deans, did. Other families joined the Deans, and the settlement thrived. The Deans named the settlement Riccarton, after their parish back in Scotland; the river they called the Avon, after a stream on their grandfather’s farm.

The first large organised effort at settlement came through the Canterbury Association, which looked to recreate a pastoral English city setting in New Zealand. Led by John Robert Godley and Edward Gibbon Wakefield, the newcomers had already decided on a name for their anticipated settlement, after Christchurch College, in Oxford. They also mapped out the settlement, even before embarking for New Zealand.

Four ships carrying a total of 792 people from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales landed at what is now Lyttleton Harbour in December 1850. The harbour and settlement (named for Lord Lyttleton, chairman of the Canterbury Association) were a considerable distance away from the proposed settlement site, and the settlers had to construct a pack horse trail, named the Bridle Path, over the steep Port Hills.

The year 1851 saw a large number of firsts for the new settlement: a school, a bank, a church, a hotel, a shop and a newspaper (Lyttleton Times). Christchurch was granted a Royal Charter in 1856. The Press, a newspaper still in operation, was founded in 1861. Street lighting came along a year later. The completion of the road and the railway line, along with the installation of a telegraph line in 1863, spurred fast growth. A railway line appeared in 1863, followed by a tunnel through the Port Hills that allowed easy land transport between Lyttleton and Christchurch. Christchurch soon had a hospital, and the country’s first medical association established its headquarters there.

Canterbury Museum opened its doors in 1870. Across the street rose Canterbury College (now the University of Canterbury), which had its first classes in 1877. By this time, the area population had risen to 22,000. The city’s most iconic building, Christ Church Cathedral, was completed in 1904. It was mostly done in 1881, and part of it then was opened in a central location called Cathedral Square.

Christchurch was, for a time, the home of Kate Sheppard, who, in 1893, spearheaded the country’s drive to grant women the vote — the first country in the world to do so. Christchurch was also the home of Ernest Rutherford, the Nobel Prize-winning physicist whose work in nuclear physics eventually led to the splitting of the atom. Rutherford taught at Canterbury College.

The Christchurch area sent thousands of men and women to the war effort during World War I; deaths in the Canterbury Battalion numbered 2,353. The worldwide Spanish flu epidemic that followed the war hit Christchurch hard, killing 466 people.

Lyttleton has long been associated with exploration. It began as a launching point for whaling expeditions. It was later critical to twentieth century exploration of Antarctica and remains an important stop along the supply route for two U.S. bases in Antarctica. Christchurch Airport in 1965 became the country’s first jet airport, launching regular flights to Australia.

Television came to New Zealand in 1952, with the first experimental broadcasts coming from a Canterbury station. The first regular transmissions came a few years later. The worst fire disaster in the country occurred in 1974 at the Ballantyne’s Department Store in the Christchurch central business district. Forty-one people died in the blaze, which gutted the building. Ballantyne’s dated to 1854 and, in 1891, had been the city’s first store lit by electricity.

Christchurch was the host city for the 1974 Commonwealth Games, an Olympics-equivalent athletic contest featuring athletes from the United Kingdom and other members of the Commonwealth. Christchurch residents joined in protesting the 1981 national tour of New Zealand by the South Africa rugby team. The protests were aimed at changing South Africa’s apartheid era whites-only policy for its rugby team, a symptom of the racist policies that were then meeting with international condemnation.

A pair of strong earthquakes five months apart devastated the city of Christchurch, first in September 2010 and then in February 2011. The first quake was larger on the Richter Scale, but the second one caused the most damage, killing 185 people and injuring thousands more. Much of the city centre skyline, including the iconic Cathedral, was flattened or damaged beyond repair. The city embarked on a rebuilding programme, which included a life-size Cardboard Cathedral.

In March 2019, Christchurch was the site of a horrific hate crime, when Brenton Tarrant, a White supremacist, opened fire on a congregation of Muslims praying at a mosque, killing fifty-one people. Dozens of others were wounded, many severely. Tarrant, who livestreamed his attack on Facebook, plead guilty to numerous charges of murder, attempted murder, and terrorism. He was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2020. The attack was the largest mass shooting in New Zealand’s history, and one of the worst in world history.  

Geography and Climate

The city, which overall can be classified as flat and covers an area of 2,426 square kilometres in all. Surrounding the central city square are four other squares, according to the plan dreamed up in England by the Canterbury Association. Running through the centre of the city is the Avon River, with an urban park along its banks. To the west are the Canterbury Plains, home to large areas dedicated to farming. To the south are the Port Hills. Two prominent harbours are at Lyttleton and Akaroa, on the Banks Peninsula, initially a French settlement.

The overall climate of Christchurch is classified as dry and temperate. Average summer temperatures are in the low 20s in degrees Celsius. The highest temperature ever recorded in Christchurch was 41.6 degrees Celsius, in 1973. Average winter temperatures are in the single digits in degrees Celsius. Snow and freezing temperatures are common in winter. The lowest temperature ever recorded in Christchurch was –7.1 degrees Celsius, in 1945.

Economy

Agriculture has long been the dominant industry in Christchurch and the surrounding area. Sheep and cattle farming, especially, have been prime drivers of the local agricultural economy. Beef and lamb have been and still are big sellers around the country and around the world. New Zealand wool is in high demand on the global market as well. Dairying has historical been and continues to be an important sector of the region’s economy; milk, milk powder, butter and other dairy products are major exports. Field crops include barley, wheat and clover.

Christchurch was long the centre of the New Zealand clothing industry, though the importance of this sector has declined in the twenty-first century. The city has a strong tradition of steelworks as well. Education is also a prominent sector of the Christchurch and Canterbury economies, driven by the University of Canterbury, Lincoln University and several large secondary and primary schools.

The city’s business profile changed in the wake of the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes. A large part of the manufacturing sector moved out of the city centre. Some retail businesses chose to remain within the Christchurch area, but many did not. In response, Christchurch embraced the high-tech industry, encouraging start-ups and young companies by linking them with angel investors. The rebuild following the earthquakes has also provided a major challenge/opportunity for the construction sector. In many ways, Christchurch is still the economic engine for not only the surrounding Canterbury area but also for the South Island in its entirety.

Demographics

Christchurch, with more than 396,200 residents (as of June 2023), is New Zealand’s third-most populous city, trailing only Auckland and Wellington. The 15–39 age group was by far the largest in Christchurch, with more than 140,000. The next largest age groups was 40–64 with about 25,000. Most Christchurch residents were born in New Zealand.

Like the rest of New Zealand, Christchurch is a sporting-mad city. Rugby, the closest thing the country has to a national game, is particularly big in the city and the surrounding area and the biggest draw is the Crusaders, who have won the Super Rugby international competition multiple times. Cricket is a popular sport as well; the city has played host to the Cricket World Cup twice and was once the host city for the Women’s Cricket World Cup.

The automobile is still the transportation option of choice for most Christchurch residents, although the city does have a large network of cycle lanes and a large number of cyclists who use them for recreation and for commuting. The city centre also features a tram system, which functions mainly as a vehicle for tourists.

Landmarks

Despite two devastating earthquakes and a massive rebuilding effort, Christchurch has many landmarks. The Bridge of Remembrance, a stone archway commemorating the Canterbury soldiers killed in World War I, was rededicated after repairs and reinforcement. The Cardboard Cathedral is a life-size replica of the historic Christ Church Cathedral, which was heavily damaged in the 2011 earthquake. Parts of the original cathedral remain standing and draw many visitors. Cathedral Square is the site of a number of nineteenth century Gothic-style buildings.

The Arts Centre is a repurposing of the old Canterbury College, with twenty-three heritage buildings housing arts and crafts shops open during the week and as the main feature of a weekend market. Also onsite is a cinema. Tours of the old college facilities include rooms where famed physicist Ernest Rutherford taught. The Christchurch Art Gallery features nineteenth century and more modern art works from some of New Zealand’s best-known artists.

Hagley Park is the city’s most popular greenspace. The 164-hectare urban open space dates to 1856 and houses the Botanic Gardens and Canterbury Museum, which traces the development of the area and the country from earliest times to the present. The city’s landmark river, the Avon, runs through the park; punting on the river is a popular activity. Hagley Oval, located in the park, is a large sporting venue that has played host to many international competitions, including the 2015 Cricket World Cup.

Just outside Christchurch Airport is the International Antarctic Centre, both a base of operations for the air forces of various countries and a tourist attraction housing exhibits highlighting past and current Antarctic expeditions and operations.

Bibliography

“A Brief History of Christchurch.” Christchurch City Libraries, 14 Feb. 2019, my.christchurchcitylibraries.com/christchurch-brief-history/. Accessed 11 June 2024.

Briney, Amanda. “Geography of Christchurch, New Zealand.” ThoughtCo., 8 Mar. 2019. www.thoughtco.com/geography-of-christchurch-new-zealand-1435242. Accessed 11 June 2024.

“Christchurch City.” Stats New Zealand, www.stats.govt.nz/tools/2018-census-place-summaries/christchurch-city. Accessed 21 Nov 2018.

“Discover Ōtautahi Christchurch.” ChristchurchNZ, 2024, www.christchurchnz.com/explore/destinations/otautahi-christchurch. Accessed 11 June 2024.

“Facts, Stats and Figures.” Christchurch City Council, 2024, ccc.govt.nz/culture-and-community/statistics-and-facts/facts-stats-and-figures. Accessed 11 June 2024.

Perry, Nick. "Man Who Killed 51 in New Zealand Mosque Attacks Files Appeal." Associated Press, 7 Nov. 2022, apnews.com/article/religion-shootings-new-zealand-race-and-ethnicity-racial-injustice-f815faab23eab0d363cb8bef9f85d0dd. Accessed 11 June 2024.