95-536: The Press ( Māori : Te Matatika ) is a daily newspaper published in Christchurch , New Zealand, owned by media business Stuff Ltd . First published in 1861, the newspaper is the largest circulating daily in the South Island and publishes Monday to Saturday. One community newspaper— Northern Outlook —is also published by The Press and is free. The newspaper has won the title of New Zealand Newspaper of
190-555: A city by royal 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 the Main South Line railway and the development of state housing saw rapid growth in the city's economy and population. Christchurch has strong cultural connections with its European elements and architectural identity. Christchurch
285-612: A few months later in December 1856. In 1862 the Christchurch City Council was established. By 1874, Christchurch was New Zealand's fourth-largest city with a population of 14,270 residents. Between 1871 and 1876 nearly 20,000 immigrants arrived in Canterbury, and through the 1880s frozen meat joined wool as a primary export. The last decades of the nineteenth-century were a period of significant growth for
380-405: A few months later, which occurred directly under the city centre and also caused widespread damage, but this was less severe. 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). Although lower on the moment magnitude scale than
475-554: A grid pattern, centred on Cathedral Square . Growth initially took place along the tramlines, leading to radial development. Major expansion occurred in the 1950s and 60s, with the development of large areas of state housing . Settlements that had originally been remote, such as Sumner , New Brighton , Upper Riccarton and Papanui eventually became amalgamated into the expanding city. The Christchurch functional urban area , as defined by Statistics New Zealand, covers 2,408.1 km (929.8 sq mi). Towns and settlements in
570-595: A number of minor natural disasters during this period. Heavy rain caused the Waimakariri River to flood Christchurch in February 1868. 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". Christchurch buildings were damaged by earthquakes in 1869 , 1881 and 1888 . The 1888 earthquake caused
665-435: 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 mostly fluvial 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). The layers of gravel beneath
760-533: A population density of 1,370 people per km . Midland Line, New Zealand The Midland line is a 212 km section of railway between Rolleston and Greymouth in the South Island of New Zealand . The line features five major bridges, five viaducts and 17 tunnels, the longest of which is the Otira tunnel . It is the route of the popular TranzAlpine passenger train. Railway development in
855-498: A weekly. The public saw FitzGerald as the proprietor of The Press , but the newspaper saw reason to publicly state that "it is not a fact that Mr FitzGerald has either pecuniary or official connexion" with it; he was however the driving force behind the paper. On 13 June 1863, the first part of Samuel Butler 's Erewhon appeared in The Press in an article signed with the pseudonym Cellarius ( q.v. ) and headed " Darwin among
950-527: Is also home to a number of performing arts centres and academic institutions (including the University of Canterbury ). Christchurch has hosted numerous international sporting events, notably the 1974 British Commonwealth Games at the purpose-built Queen Elizabeth II Park . The city has been recognised as an Antarctic gateway since 1901, and is nowadays one of the five Antarctic gateway cities hosting Antarctic support bases for several nations. Christchurch
1045-645: Is bounded to the east by the Pacific Ocean and to the south by the ancient volcanic complex of the Banks Peninsula . The Avon River (Ōtākaro) winds through the centre of the city, with a large urban park along its banks. With the exception of the Port Hills, it is a relatively flat city, on an average around 20 m (66 ft) above sea level. Christchurch has a reputation for being an English city, with its architectural identity and nickname
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#17327871866781140-556: Is defined as the area centred on Cathedral Square and within the Four Avenues (Bealey Avenue, Fitzgerald Avenue, Moorhouse Avenue and Deans Avenue). It includes Hagley Park , and the Christchurch Botanic Gardens . The design of the central city with its grid pattern of streets, city squares and parkland was laid out by 1850. The central city was among the most heavily damaged areas of Christchurch in
1235-608: Is from the Stockton Mine at Ngakawau, north of Westport. Trains to and from Ngakawau use the Midland line as far as the junction with the Stillwater - Westport Line . The line was unique in New Zealand for its captive use of many different types of locomotives. These locomotives include the K class locomotives between Arthur's Pass and Springfield , once the second most powerful steam locomotives in New Zealand (after
1330-712: Is recorded. The lowest temperature recorded in Christchurch was −9.4 °C (15 °F) in the suburb of Wigram in July 1945. On cold winter nights, the surrounding hills, clear skies, and frosty calm conditions often combine to form a stable inversion layer above the city that traps vehicle exhausts and smoke from domestic fires to cause smog. While not as bad as smog in Los Angeles or Mexico City, Christchurch smog has often exceeded World Health Organisation recommendations for air pollution. To limit air pollution,
1425-568: Is served by the Christchurch Airport in Harewood , the country's second-busiest airport. The city suffered a series of earthquakes from September 2010 , with the most destructive occurring on 22 February 2011 , in which 185 people were killed and thousands of buildings across the city suffered severe damage, with a few central city buildings collapsing, leading to ongoing recovery and rebuilding projects. Christchurch later became
1520-599: Is the largest city in the South Island and the second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand . Christchurch has an urban population of 415,100, and a metropolitan population of over half a million. It is located in the Canterbury Region , near the centre of the east coast of the South Island, east of the Canterbury Plains . It is located near the southern end of Pegasus Bay , and
1615-487: The Ballantynes department store on the corner of Cashel and Colombo Streets unexpectedly burned out of control, resulting in New Zealand's worst 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
1710-659: The Bridle Path because the path was so steep that pack horses needed to be led by the bridle . 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 the Avon Heathcote Estuary to Ferrymead . Overturned boats at the Sumner bar were a frequent cause of new arrivals to
1805-589: The Charlotte Jane was the first to arrive on 16 December 1850. The Canterbury Pilgrims had aspirations of building a city around a cathedral and college, on the model of Christ Church in Oxford . 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, later Lyttelton , to Christchurch via Evans Pass and Sumner . By
1900-526: The Halswell River begins north-west of the Port Hills on the periphery of Christchurch and flows to Lake Ellesmere / Te Waihora . 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 1000 CE . When European settlers arrived in
1995-482: The 'Garden City' due to similarities with garden cities in England, but also has a historic Māori heritage. Christchurch has a temperate oceanic climate with regular moderate rainfall. The area of modern-day greater Christchurch was first inhabited by the historic Māori iwi Waitaha in the mid-thirteenth century. Waitaha, who occupied the swamplands with patchworks of marshland , were invaded by Kāti Māmoe in
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#17327871866782090-593: The 1930s, The Press began to seek solutions to the slow delivery times of the newspaper to the West Coast . Roads at the time were difficult, and the New Zealand Railways Department was unwilling to reschedule any of its ordinary passenger trains to operate at the early morning times desired by The Press as patronage would have been uneconomic, and freight trains did not provide a desirable measure of swiftness. Accordingly, The Press
2185-486: The 19th century, the area was a mixture of swamp and tussock grasslands, with only remnant patches of forest. An early European visitor was William Barnard Rhodes , captain of the barque Australian, 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". Most of
2280-485: The 2010 and 2011 earthquakes. Following the second earthquake, the Central 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. A large number of heritage buildings were demolished following the earthquake, along with most of the city's high rise buildings . The Christchurch Central Recovery Plan was developed to lead
2375-867: The Blessed Sacrament was opened in February 1905. It was designed by Francis Petre with inspiration from the Saint-Vincent-de-Paul in Paris. In 1906, the New Zealand International Exhibition opened in Hagley Park, which had over a million visitors. In 1908, the city experienced its first major fire which started at the Strange's Department Store and destroyed buildings in central Christchurch on High St, Cashel St and Lichfield Streets. Christchurch
2470-486: The Chief Censor, making the footage illegal to possess and distribute within New Zealand. On 2 June 2020, the attacker pleaded guilty to multiple charges of murder, attempted murder, and terrorism. On 27 August, he was sentenced to life in prison without the chance of parole, the first time such a sentence was handed down in New Zealand. Christchurch is halfway along the east coast of the South Island , facing
2565-658: The Christchurch urban area , 3,310 people in the Lyttelton urban area, 1,720 people in the Diamond Harbour urban area, and 6,770 people in rural settlements and areas. Christchurch City had a population of 391,383 in the 2023 New Zealand census , an increase of 22,377 people (6.1%) since the 2018 census , and an increase of 49,914 people (14.6%) since the 2013 census . There were 192,684 males, 196,557 females and 2,139 people of other genders in 150,909 dwellings. 4.5% of people identified as LGBTIQ+ . The median age
2660-766: The Machines ." In 1905, The Press purchased a block of the Cathedral Square site for £4,000. The Board then purchased the right of way (Press Lane) and what was going to be the original Theatre Royal site from the Theatre Royal Syndicate for £5000. The Gothic part of the Press building (occupied by the company until 22 February 2011) was built starting in 1907 and the Press staff shifted into it in February 1909 from their Cashel Street premises. In
2755-653: The North Island and invaded the Christchurch basin, ultimately gaining control of much of Canterbury. Kāi Tahu arrived a century later, and the two ultimately absorbed Waitaha through a mixture of conflict and marriage. For these early Māori, the area of Christchurch was an important foraging ground and a seasonal settlement. Several Māori settlements were within Christchurch during the early-nineteenth century, such as Pūtarikamotu in modern-day Riccarton , and Papanui . In both cases these were located in areas of surviving tall forest. In South New Brighton there
2850-458: The Port Hill almost reaching Governors Bay in the south-west. Eleven houses were destroyed by fire and over 2,076 hectares (5,130 acres) of land was burned. In 2024, a second fire on the Port Hills burned 700 hectares (1,700 acres). The fire was also started under similarly suspicious circumstances. Lessons from the 2017 fire contributed to a more effective emergency response, and the fire
2945-460: The Saturday edition retaining the larger format. On 27 April 2023, it was announced that the newspaper would launch a new website that would new be subscription based, this would also happen to other Stuff Inc. owned newspapers The Post and Waikato Times . On 29 April, the new website was launched which also featured a new logo for the newspaper and all content now paywalled. The old motto on
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3040-479: The South Island in the 1870s was concentrated on a main line linking the established centres of Christchurch, Timaru, Dunedin and Invercargill and light, easily constructed branch lines serving the arable plains; (see Vogel Era ). These later included a branch to Springfield which was reached by January 1880. In 1882 the East and West Coast Railway League was formed and in 1884 a Royal Commission, although fully aware of
3135-571: The South Pacific Ocean. With the exception of the Port Hills on Banks Peninsula to its south, the city sits on flat land, on average around 20 m (66 ft) above sea level. The present land mass of New Zealand split from the super continent of Gondwana around 85 million years ago. Prior to that time, mudstone and hardened sandstones commonly known as greywacke was deposited and deformed by tectonic movement. Following
3230-517: The Tautahi in question was the son of the Port Levy chief Huikai. Prior to that, Ngāi Tahu generally referred to the Christchurch area as Karaitiana , an anglicised version. "ChCh" is commonly used as an abbreviation of Christchurch . In New Zealand Sign Language , Christchurch is signed with two Cs. Prior to European occupation of the modern-day greater Christchurch area, the land
3325-734: The Year (in its circulation category) three times: in 2006, 2007 and 2012. It has also won the overall Newspaper of the Year title twice: in 2006 and 2007. James FitzGerald came to Lyttelton on the Charlotte Jane in December 1850, and was from January 1851 the first editor of the Lyttelton Times , Canterbury 's first newspaper. From 1853, he focussed on politics and withdrew from the Lyttelton Times . After several years in England, he returned to Canterbury concerned about
3420-455: The area begins in approximately 1250 C.E., with evidence of prolonged occupation beginning no later than 1350 AD. These first occupants lived in coastal caves around modern-day Sumner , and preyed upon local species of moa . The early settlers and their descendants became known as the historic Waitaha iwi. Around c. 1500 the Kāti Māmoe iwi migrated south from the east coast of
3515-683: 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 simple grid pattern for the streets of Christchurch. The First Four Ships were chartered by the Canterbury Association and brought the Canterbury Pilgrims to Lyttelton Harbour in 1850. These sailing vessels were the Randolph , Charlotte Jane , Sir George Seymour , and Cressy . The journey took three to four months, and
3610-818: The census question. 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%). Christchurch urban area covers 294.43 km (113.68 sq mi) and had an estimated population of 403,300 as of June 2024, with
3705-544: The central city remaining relatively unchanged between 1914 and 1960, Christchurch grew rapidly during the 20th century in part due to the construction of many state 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 the Addington Railway Workshops . In November 1947, a basement fire at
3800-613: The city, despite the national economic depression. Many of the city's stone Gothic Revival buildings by provincial architect Benjamin Mountfort date from around this period, including Canterbury University College , ChristChurch Cathedral , Canterbury Museum , and the Canterbury Provincial Council Buildings , among others. Mountfort oversaw construction of a prison on Lincon Road in 1874, which operated until 1999. Christchurch experienced
3895-533: The colony losing all their luggage. The Sumner Road was completed in 1857, though this did not alleviate the transport problems. In 1858 the provincial superintendent William Sefton Moorhouse announced that a tunnel would be dug between Lyttelton and Christchurch. While the tunnel was under construction, New Zealand's first public railway line, the Ferrymead Railway , opened from Ferrymead to Christchurch in 1863. Between 1853 and 1876 Christchurch
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3990-481: The condition that FitzGerald would be in charge of the new newspaper. Next, he enlisted the support of the Rev. John Raven, who organised many of the practical aspects, like organising a printer and a printing press. Other members of the early committee that organised The Press were Henry Porcher Lance (brother of James Dupré Lance ), Henry Tancred , and Richard J. S. Harman ; all of them were colonial gentry. The Press
4085-491: The construction difficulties of the Waimakariri Valley-Arthurs Pass route, as compared with the somewhat easier but longer Hurunui Valley-Harpers Pass route, chose the more direct route. The construction of the line was rejected in 1883 by a Royal Commission, who argued that despite the significant timber and coal resources of the West Coast of the South Island, the line would not be economic, in
4180-459: The eastern Canterbury plains and Christchurch area form an artesian aquifer with the interbedded 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
4275-464: The eastern, southern and northern parts of the city were wet areas when European settlement began. 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 as Riccarton Bush , Travis Wetland , Ōtukaikino wetland, and the Cashmere Valley. Christchurch Central City
4370-670: The face of limited resources during the Premiership of Sir Julius Vogel , although Parliament did pass the East and West Coast and Nelson Railway Act to enable private interests to construct a line. The major obstacle to engineers and politicians was the Southern Alps . In 1886 the New Zealand Midland Railway Company was formed by Nelson and Canterbury business interests to construct the line, and
4465-495: 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. On 13 February 2017, two bush fires started on the Port Hills . These later merged and the single large wildfire extended down both sides of
4560-463: The functional urban area include: Christchurch has a temperate oceanic 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. Summer in the city is mostly warm, but is often moderated by a sea breeze from the north-east. A notable feature of
4655-619: The highest 7.8 metres of the Christchurch Cathedral spire to collapse, many chimneys were broken, and the Durham Street Methodist Church had its stonework damaged. In November 1901, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake , centred near Cheviot , 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. The Catholic Cathedral of
4750-506: The highest for the Christchurch metropolitan area was 42.4 °C (108 °F) recorded in Rangiora on the same day. 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. There are on average 80 days of ground frost per year. Snowfall occurs on average three times per year, although in some years none
4845-539: The line complete as far as Otira on the western side and Broken River on the eastern (Canterbury) side. The major obstacle to the route lay immediately ahead: the forcing of the Waimakariri and Broken River gorges, some 8.5 miles (13 km) of the route surveyed by C. Napier Bell in 1883 and described to the Royal Commission by District Engineer W.N. Blair as "very rough, the mountain slope rises from
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#17327871866784940-485: The line depends largely on coal traffic, with other general freight being restricted to products from the Westland Milk Products factory at Hokitika . In 2003, Tranz Rail carried a total of 2.1 million tonnes of coal over the line. Usually, coal services are headed by two class DX locomotives, and consist of 30 coal hopper wagons, with a total capacity of 1,800 tonnes . On 27 November 2007, it
5035-539: The line from Westport to Nelson , and capital was raised in London by the firm to meet this end. The Company entered into a contract with the Government the same year. For various reasons, the company managed to complete only 120 km of the line, and the Government exercised its right to take possession of the line in 1895, although protracted legal battles meant that full control was not achieved until 1900, with
5130-548: The masthead – "Nihil utile quod non-honestum" translates to "Nothing is useful that is not honest." Like The Age in Australia, the newspaper's masthead featured the Royal Arms . The early ownership, beyond the newspaper having been financed by Watts-Russell, is unclear. In February 1862, an attempt was made to form a company and formalise the ownership of the paper. A deed of association for "The Proprietors of The Press"
5225-471: The mountains carried alluvial gravels over the area that is now the Canterbury 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. The glacial/interglacial cycles of the Quaternary Period led to multiple rises and falls in sea level. These sea level changes occurred over
5320-643: The newspaper ownership in 1868 and the Press Company was incorporated as the owner. That company was dissolved in 1890 and George Stead bought the assets. Stead established the Christchurch Press Company and became its chairman. The Christchurch Press Company was sold to Independent Newspapers Ltd in 1987, and INL in turn was bought by Fairfax New Zealand in 2003. The Australian parent company, Fairfax Media , merged with Nine Entertainment Co. in December 2018. The following have been editors of The Press : Christchurch Christchurch ( / ˈ k r aɪ s . tʃ ɜːr tʃ / ; Māori : Ōtautahi )
5415-570: The newspaper than was previously possible. However, these railbuses were intended to only be a temporary measure and they were replaced by the much larger Vulcan railcars as soon as they arrived in New Zealand in the early 1940s. In 1995, The Press was the country's first news outlet that established a website for news. In 2000, Independent Newspapers Ltd (INL) launched its news website branded as Stuff and from then on, The Press and Stuff worked on online content collaboratively. In February 2011, The Press main building in central Christchurch
5510-447: 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. A police station opened in 1973 on Hereford street, it was imploded and demolished in 2015. Christchurch hosted the 1974 British Commonwealth Games at the purpose-built Queen Elizabeth II Park . The sports complex
5605-406: The other major obstacle. Construction of Otira Tunnel began in 1907, but progress was very slow. By 1912 only 2.9 km of the projected 9 km length of tunnel was complete and in 1913 the initial contractor walked off the job. In the interim the eastern railhead reached Arthur's Pass in 1914. Cobb & Co coaches were used to transport passengers between the two railheads while the tunnel
5700-407: The planned new city, including its own cathedral, the smallest in England. Other possibilities are that it was named for Christchurch, Dorset , or for Canterbury 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
5795-420: The population of workers in the city, which soon spread industrialisation to Sydenham . As central Christchurch grew, many cottages were demolished to make way for light-industrial and retail premises near Moorhouse Avenue as they expanded south. Many churches were also built to compensate for its growing Christian population. The population of Christchurch exceeded 100,000 for the first time in 1919. Despite
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#17327871866785890-418: The previous earthquake, the intensity and violence of the ground shaking was measured to be IX ( Violent ) , among the strongest ever recorded globally in an urban area, which killed 185 people. On 13 June 2011 Christchurch was again rocked by two more large aftershocks . This resulted in more liquefaction and building damage, but no more lives were lost. There were further earthquakes on 23 December 2011;
5985-484: The proposed capital works programme of the provincial government, with his chief concern the proposed rail tunnel connecting Christchurch and Lyttelton, which he thought of as fiscally irresponsible, but supported by his old newspaper, the Lyttelton Times . The newspaper's editor, Crosbie Ward , made an imputation of unknown content, and this spurred FitzGerald to set up The Press as a rival newspaper. FitzGerald had dinner with John Watts-Russell , who put up £500 on
6080-516: The rebuild of the city centre, and featured 17 "anchor projects". There has been massive growth in the residential sector in the central city, particularly in the East Frame development. There are currently no legal definition of the boundaries of suburbs in Christchurch. The suburb boundaries are largely defined by third-party agencies, such as Statistics New Zealand and New Zealand Post , and may differ between agencies or sources. The earliest suburbs of Christchurch were laid out with streets in
6175-446: The regional council banned the use of open fires in the city in 2006. Christchurch City covers a land area of 1,415.15 km (546.39 sq mi) and had an estimated population of 415,100 as of June 2024, with a population density of 293 people per km . This is the second-most populous area administered by a single council in New Zealand, and the largest city in the South Island . The population comprises 403,300 people in
6270-406: The retail business of the central city moving out to urban shopping malls. These typically included large car parking areas to suit the growing shift towards personal car ownership, and away from public transport. Hornby became a significant industrial suburb in the 1960s, with industrial and residential premises expanding westwards. The Lyttelton road tunnel between Lyttelton and Christchurch
6365-473: The riverbed while the river runs in a fearful gorge all the way". The section would include 16 tunnels and four major viaducts not including the Kowai already constructed. The viaducts were built under Treasury contracts by both New Zealand and British bridging firms. The most spectacular of these, the Staircase Viaduct carries the rails 75 metres above the bed of the stream. It was slow laborious work with men, horses, picks, shovels and very little machinery. It
6460-407: The settlement from the port. The Māori name for modern-day Christchurch is Ōtautahi , 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 the Avon River / Ōtākaro in Central Christchurch. The site was a seasonal food-gathering place of Ngāi Tahu chief Te Pōtiki Tautahi. A different account claims
6555-514: The short-lived Garratt G class ). The class were made famous by a documentary named "K country", a term that has entered into New Zealand railfan jargon . The Garratt G class, by then rebuilt as 'Pacific' type locomotives were also used on this route. To house the larger and more numerous locomotives, Elmer Lane shed opened at Greymouth in 1928. Then the largest roundhouse in the country, its 70 ft (21 m) turntable replaced an earlier 50 ft (15 m) turntable. The Otira tunnel
6650-437: The site of a terrorist attack targeting two mosques on 15 March 2019. The name Christchurch was adopted at the first meeting of the Canterbury Association on 27 March 1848. The reason it was chosen is not known with certainty, but the most likely reason is it was named after Christ Church, Oxford , the alma mater of many members of the association, including John Robert Godley . Christ Church college had similarities with
6745-399: The sixteenth century, and then were absorbed by Kāi Tahu a century later. Ōtautahi was inhabited seasonally, and a major trading centre was established at Kaiapoi Pā . British colonial settlement began in the mid-nineteenth century. The First Four Ships were chartered by the Canterbury Association and brought the Canterbury Pilgrims from Britain to Lyttelton Harbour in 1850. It became
6840-486: 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 the Banks Peninsula volcanic complex . Over the last two million years as the Southern Alps were rising, there were multiple periods of glaciation . Rivers flowing from
6935-516: The time that John Robert Godley arrived in April 1850 all of the funds for public works had been used up in constructing the road. Godley ordered that all work on the road should stop, leaving the steep foot and pack 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. This track became known as
7030-427: The weather is the nor'wester , a hot föhn wind that occasionally reaches storm force, causing widespread minor damage to property. Like many cities, Christchurch experiences an urban heat island effect; temperatures are slightly higher within the inner-city regions compared to the surrounding countryside. The highest temperature recorded in Christchurch was 41.6 °C (106.9 °F) on 7 February 1973, however
7125-647: 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. 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
7220-449: 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. 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
7315-721: 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. The Deans brothers named their farm after their former parish in Ayrshire , Scotland; they also named the river near their farm after the Avon Water in South Lanarkshire , which rises in the hills near to where their grandfather's farm was located. The Canterbury Association 's Chief Surveyor, Captain Joseph Thomas , surveyed
7410-421: Was a major Māori settlement named Te Kai-a-Te-Karoro , this was an important food-gathering area to Ngāi Tūāhuriri that had kelp gull presence and mānuka scrub. Te Ihutai (The Avon Heathcote Estuary ) was an important food source for local iwi and hapū , the estuary providing food such as, flounder and shellfish. Kaiapoi Pā was the most important trading area, and the centre of a thriving economy. The pā
7505-482: Was actually a combination of seven or eight different buildings, joined to form a "perplexing maze" with no sprinklers or alarm system. A subsequent Royal commission of enquiry resulted in changes to the building code to improve fire safety. Thousands of mourners, including the Prime Minister, attended a mass funeral in the aftermath. During the 1960s Christchurch experienced urban sprawl , with much of
7600-695: Was announced that coking coal from the Pike River Coal mine would be transported to Lyttelton for export. Pike River Coal had reserved under contract with Toll Rail 1.3 million tonnes of capacity for their coal on the line, which since upgrading has a total capacity of 4 million tonnes. However coal from the Pike River facility at Rapahoe stopped since the Pike River Mine disaster in November 2010. The other primary source of coal traffic
7695-486: Was badly damaged in the 2011 Christchurch earthquake . All production was operated from their printing plant near Christchurch Airport until June 2012, when the central Christchurch building was partially rebuilt and upgraded. It was one of the first buildings in the Christchurch CBD to be rebuilt and operational. The paper format for the weekday editions changed from broadsheet to compact in 2018, with only
7790-440: Was drafted, and it lists the five members of the previous committee (Watts-Russell, Raven, Lance, Tancred, and Harman), plus five new members: Alfred Richard Creyke , John Hall , Joseph Brittan , Isaac Cookson , and James Somerville Turnbull. The deed was not executed, but four-month later, FitzGerald, who had no funds, was the sole owner "through the liberality of the proprietors", as he called it later. FitzGerald lost control of
7885-632: Was electrified 1923–1997, and two classes of electric locomotives were used – the English Electric EO class and then the New Zealand EA class locomotive . Some members of the EW class and ED class electric locomotives were also used. Diesel traction was introduced to the line in 1968 with the arrival of the DJ class , which until the transfer of DC class locomotives in the early 1980s from
7980-423: Was first published on 25 May 1861 from a small cottage, making it the oldest surviving newspaper in the South Island of New Zealand. The cottage belonged to Raven on land known as Raven's paddock on the west side of Montreal Street, between Worcester and Gloucester Streets, opposite the present-day Christchurch Art Gallery . The first edition was a six-page tabloid and was sold for sixpence. The paper continued as
8075-419: Was heavily industrialised in the early 20th century, particularly the suburbs of Woolston and Addington , with Woolston housing a large amount of New Zealand's rubber industry. Many warehouses, factories and large premises of railway workshops were built along the Main South Line . There was notable development of breweries, flour mills , and light-commercial in Christchurch. This significantly increased
8170-615: Was located at the nexus of the major rivers of Christchurch, the Avon River / Ōtākaro, Ōpāwaho / Heathcote River and the Styx River . It was the likely richest eel fishery in the country at that time. Sugar was produced from plantations of cabbage trees . European settlement of the Canterbury Region was largely influenced by brothers William and John Deans in 1843. The Deans farm located in Riccarton Bush
8265-432: Was more-quickly contained. On 15 March 2019, fifty-one people died from two consecutive mass shootings at Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Islamic Centre by an Australian white supremacist . Forty others were injured. The attacks have been described by then Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern as "one of New Zealand's darkest days". Just days after the attacks the live-streamed footage became classified as objectionable by
8360-587: Was not until 1906 that trains were running to a temporary terminus at Broken River – in time for the Christchurch Exhibition and at last enabling the journey, by rail and coach, from Greymouth to Christchurch to be completed in one day. Progress slowed after that although the country to be traversed became much easier. Cass was not reached until 1910 and Arthur's Pass township in 1914 – the Westland section meantime having advanced to Otira – to meet
8455-471: Was open in 1973, one year before the games. On Saturday, 4 September 2010, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Christchurch and the central Canterbury region at 4:35 am. With its hypocentre near Darfield , 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. This was followed by the Boxing Day earthquake
8550-493: Was opened in 1964. 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. The channel initially broadcast from a 10-kilowatt transmitter atop the Gloucester Street studios until it switched to the newly built 100-kilowatt Sugarloaf transmitter in the Port Hills on 28 August 1965. In 1969,
8645-501: Was originally swampland with patchworks of marshland, grassland, scrub and some patches of tall forest of mostly kahikatea , mataī and tōtara . The inner coastal sand dunes were covered in hardier scrub bush, including akeake , taupata , tūmatakuru , ngaio , carmichaelia , and coprosma . 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. Evidence of human activity in
8740-557: 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. Religious affiliations were 31.6% Christian , 2.1% Hindu , 1.3% Islam , 0.4% Māori religious beliefs , 1.0% Buddhist , 0.5% New Age , 0.1% Jewish , and 2.0% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 54.9%, and 6.3% of people did not answer
8835-472: Was the administrative seat of the Province of Canterbury . 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. Christchurch became the first city in New Zealand by royal charter on 31 July 1856, and Henry Harper was consecrated by the archbishop of Canterbury as the local Anglican bishop. He arrived in Christchurch
8930-459: Was under construction. Undeterred the government continued with construction, despite spiralling costs and labour shortages due to World War I . The tunnel was finally completed in 1923. The Great Journeys of New Zealand train, the TranzAlpine , travels this line. The service operates 7 days as Trains 803 and 804 using DX class locomotives and AK class passenger carriages. Freight on
9025-583: Was willing to subsidise the construction and operation of two small Leyland diesel railbuses to carry the newspapers by rail at a desirable time. These little railbuses began service on 3 August 1936 and left Christchurch at 2:20 am, travelling down the Midland Line to reach Greymouth at 6:40 am and then continue along the Ross Branch as far as Hokitika , arriving just before 8:00 am. This provided substantially quicker delivery of
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