Christchurch

Events In History

22 February 2011

Christchurch earthquake kills 185

At 12.51 p.m. on Tuesday 22 February 2011, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake caused severe damage in Christchurch and Lyttelton, killing 185 people and injuring several thousand. Read more...
4 September 2010

7.1 earthquake rocks Canterbury

The earthquake which struck at 4.35 a.m. on a Saturday morning was felt by many people in the South Island and southern North Island. There was considerable damage in central Canterbury, especially in Christchurch, but no loss of life. Read more...
25 January 1974

First day of competition at Christchurch Commonwealth Games

The opening ceremony of the ‘Friendly Games’ had featured performances by schoolchildren and a Māori concert party. Next day, Canterbury runner Dick Tayler ensured the success of the Games with a surprise victory for the host nation in the 10,000 m track race. Read more...
30 September 1972

New Christchurch Town Hall opens

Designed by prominent Christchurch architects Warren and Mahoney, the Brutalist (blocky, using lots of concrete) structure was officially opened by Governor-General Sir Denis Blundell. Read more...
21 April 1971

Court Theatre stages first play

It was opening night for The prime of Miss Jean Brodie in Christchurch’s Provincial Council buildings. Read more...
23 November 1947

Civic funeral for 41 Ballantynes fire victims

On 18 November 1947 Ballantynes, a Christchurch department store that was a local institution, was razed by the deadliest fires in New Zealand history. The bodies of the 41 victims were buried at Ruru Lawn Cemetery, Bromley, after a civic funeral five days later. Read more...
18 November 1947

41 die in Ballantynes fire

The fire in Christchurch’s prestigious department store was the deadliest in New Zealand’s history. Read more...
18 August 1892

First women's cycling club in Australasia formed

Soon after the development of the modern bicycle, Australasia's first women's cycling club was formed in Christchurch. Read more...
15 August 1881

First woman Master of Arts in British Empire graduates

Helen Connon was the first woman in the British Empire to gain her Master of Arts degree. Her academic career started with edcuation in Dunedin, New Zealand. Read more...
26 December 1879

Sectarian violence in Canterbury

In Christchurch, 30 Catholic Irishmen attacked an Orange (Protestant) procession with pick-handles, while in Timaru, 150 men from Thomas O’Driscoll’s Hibernian Hotel surrounded Orangemen and prevented their procession taking place. Read more...
25 May 1861

The Press goes to press

Published from a cottage in Montreal Street, the first edition was a six-page tabloid which sold for sixpence. Read more...

Biography

While attending Christchurch Girls' High School, Pauline Parker met Juliet Hulme and formed the friendship that was to radically change the course of both their lives. In 1954, the pair were convicted of murder in a sensational case.

Articles

2010 Canterbury (Darfield) earthquake

At 4.35 a.m. on 4 September 2010, the Canterbury region was struck by a magnitude 7.1 earthquake. It shook Cantabrians, their properties, their land and their lives.
Read the full article
Page 2 – Timeline: 4-16 September 2010
Detailed timeline of events relating to the Canterbury earthquake on and after 4 September 2010

February 2011 Christchurch earthquake

At 12.51 p.m. on 22 February 2011, the Canterbury region was struck by a magnitude 6.3 earthquake. It caused massive devastation in most parts of the region and 185 lives were lost.
Read the full article
Page 1 - February 2011 Christchurch earthquakeAt 12.51 p.m. on 22 February 2011, the Canterbury region was struck by a magnitude 6.3 earthquake. It caused massive devastation in most parts of the region and 185 lives were

Election Days

When New Zealanders go to the polls on 26 November 2011, they will continue a 158-year-old tradition of parliamentary democracy in this country. Politics may have changed beyond recognition since 1853, but the cut and thrust of the campaign trail, the power of advertising, and the drama of polling day remain as relevant as ever.

Read the full article
Page 4 - Nights on the townAfter the colour and controversy of the 1850s, election days in New Zealand have generally been orderly affairs. Even so, election nights could still be lively

The Beatles in New Zealand

When four young Liverpool musicians landed in Wellington on a lazy Sunday afternoon in June 1964, seven days of pandemonium erupted. Young New Zealanders flocked in their thousands to hear or just catch a glimpse of the famous 'Fab Four'.
Read the full article
Page 5 - South IslandThe Beatles' concerts in Dunedin on 26 June were some of the wildest of the New Zealand

Regional rugby

The passion and parochialism of provincial rugby helped give the game a special place in New Zealand’s social and sporting history. Read brief histories, highlights and quirky facts about each of New Zealand's 26 regional rugby teams.
Read the full article
Page 24 - Canterbury rugbyHistory and highlights of rugby in the Canterbury

Related keywords

A company sponsored by the Church of England founded the planned settlement of Christchurch in 1850. Its picturesque Gothic-revival architecture and early demographic composition earned Christchurch a reputation as the most English of New Zealand’s cities. A series of significant earthquakes over 2010-12 caused the deaths of 185 people in Christchurch, and a third of the central city’s buildings are expected to be demolished as a result of the quake.

Meaning of place name

The name was chosen on 27 March 1848 at the first meeting of the Canterbury Association on the suggestion of J.R. Godley, whose college at Oxford, England, was Christ Church.