101-467: Latimer Square is an urban park in central Christchurch , New Zealand. It is located 400 metres (440 yd) east of the city's centre, Cathedral Square . Many commemorative events take place in Latimer Square. The square lies between the major urban thoroughfares of Gloucester Street and Worcester Street . Madras Street runs north and south to Latimer Square. The square (actually a rectangle)
202-415: 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 the sixteenth century, and then were absorbed by Kāi Tahu a century later. Ōtautahi was inhabited seasonally, and
303-571: A Rydge's Hotel. It has an estimated 138 rooms. 43°31′50″S 172°38′35″E / 43.53056°S 172.64306°E / -43.53056; 172.64306 Christchurch Christchurch ( / ˈ k r aɪ s . tʃ ɜːr tʃ / ; Māori : Ōtautahi ) 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
404-612: 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
505-405: 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
606-554: 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
707-609: 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 a city by royal charter on 31 July 1856, making it officially the oldest established city in New Zealand. Christchurch
808-733: 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 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
909-595: 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
1010-435: 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
1111-537: A population density of 1,370 people per km . Implosion of Radio Network House The implosion of Radio Network House in 2012 was the first implosion used in New Zealand to demolish a building, and was a "test case" for the potential to use such a demolition method on similar buildings in Christchurch Central City that had been damaged in the 2011 earthquake . Like most other large buildings in central Christchurch, Radio Network House
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#17327765313061212-424: 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
1313-434: A video on their website shortly after the implosion. An exclusion zone was put in place to ensure that nobody would be within approximately 200 metres (660 ft) of the building. Despite the advice, thousands of onlookers filled the street on the morning of 5 August, a Sunday. Punctually at 8 am, a series of short explosions were heard, followed by another series a couple of seconds later. The building collapsed towards
1414-483: A well known spot for prostitutes to walk the streets in pre-earthquake Christchurch. The buildings around Latimer Square were badly damaged during the 2010 and 2011 Canterbury earthquakes and Latimer Square was used to triage the injured after the earthquake of 22 February 2011. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited Latimer Square in April 2014 to help promote the 2015 Cricket World Cup. A sculpture, commemorating
1515-471: Is comparable to a large truck slowly driving across the demolition site. With any residual concerns about the performance of poor soils during building implosions removed, it will be much easier for other building owners to obtain consent from CERA. Further implosions are likely, with a representative from Controlled Demolition, Inc. describing the Christchurch market as a "target-rich environment". Only
1616-556: 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
1717-440: Is grassed and crossed by concrete paths and edged by mature trees. It covers an area of a little over 1.8 hectares (4.4 acres). Like its near neighbour Cranmer Square , Latimer Square was named for an early protestant martyr, Bishop Hugh Latimer . Latimer Square was part of the original design of Christchurch when it was surveyed between 1849 and 1850 by Edward Jollie. Latimer Square was used for horse racing, sports events and
1818-651: 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,
1919-487: 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
2020-659: 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
2121-589: 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
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#17327765313062222-585: 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
2323-619: 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 is served by the Christchurch Airport in Harewood ,
2424-471: The naming rights to the building. After Clear Communications was acquired in December 2001 to form TelstraClear , the Clear logo was prominently displayed on the building. The building's naming rights were sold to The Radio Network and it was renamed to Radio Network House during the ownership of Nor West Arch No.4 Ltd. At the time of demolition the logo of Newstalk ZB , a subsidiary of The Radio Network,
2525-486: 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
2626-485: 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
2727-527: The Agricultural and Pastoral (A & P) Show until the 1880s. Worcester Street was extended through Latimer Square in 1885 to allow the tram line to reach the centre of town. A band rotunda was built at this time and then removed in 1894. The Prince of Wales attended a civic reception in Latimer Square in 1920. Air raid trenches were dug in Latimer Square during World War 2. The square was again closed off to Worcester Street in 2006. Latimer Square became
2828-867: 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
2929-564: The Cardboard Cathedral. One of Christchurch's first stone churches, St John the Baptist Anglican church, was built south of the square in 1864. The architect was Maxwell Bury . The stone church had an octagonal tower. It had a congregation of 450 just prior to the earthquakes in 2010. With many of the buildings surrounding Latimer Square demolished, Fletcher Building won the tender to master plan and build housing in
3030-486: 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
3131-658: 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
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3232-653: 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
3333-668: The Occidental. In 1982 the hotel was renovated. Sheppard and Rout (Architects) designed the refurbishment which included a lounge bar and restaurant. Flappers, a bar with a 1930s theme which opened in October 1985. In 1996, Flappers became the Bull Bar. In 1998 it was turned into a backpackers hotel. It became progressively run down and closed down in August 2006. It was demolished in 2011 after sustaining earthquake damage. The Occidental
3434-458: 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
3535-571: 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
3636-517: 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
3737-477: The Westende building, on the corner of Manchester and Worcester Street and some 80 metres (260 ft) away from Radio Network House, threatened to seek a court injunction against the implosion. He raised concerns about potential seismic activity, possible damage to his new building, and noxious contaminants transferred by dust. The original Westende building had been destroyed in the first earthquake in 2010 and
3838-455: 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
3939-683: 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
4040-492: The area. With development continuing, initial sales have been reported to be slow in the media. The Christchurch Club 's buildings, with repairs completed after the earthquake, are also located on Latimer Square. It is a category 1 historic place built in between 1861 and 1862. The Occidental Hotel (208 Hereford Street) was built in 1861. It was designed by Samuel Coleridge Farr. It was originally known as Collins' Family Hotel and Boarding House. In 1889, it became known as
4141-467: The building and filled with a total of some 60 kilograms (130 lb) of explosives, which when set off, would destroy the support structure and cause the collapse of the building. A challenge for the demolition contractor was that explosives available in New Zealand are low-velocity and low-energy. A representative from Ceres stated that the implosion would shorten the demolition process by some six weeks and would save money. Costs were around NZ$ 1m for
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4242-460: The building. Shows such as What Now , After School , Simon Barnett 's quiz show Face the Music and later The Son of a Gunn Show were filmed in the tower block. TVNZ vacated the building in late 1998 following a decision to move all of their Christchurch-produced shows to Wellington. In the late 1990s, Telstra New Zealand , the telecommunications company of Telstra in New Zealand, owned
4343-818: 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
4444-621: The central city rebuild. Repair work is complete in October 2020. Radio Network House was imploded after suffering damage in the Canterbury earthquakes. The 14-storey building was demolished by 60 kg of explosives. This was the first ever example of a controlled implosion of a building in New Zealand. The Latimer Lodge was one of the first hotels to be redeveloped after the Canterbury earthquakes costing an estimated $ 25 million dollars. The foundations designed to withstand future earthquakes took about 14 weeks to complete and required about 900 cubic metres of concrete The Latimer Lodge rebranded as
4545-544: 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
4646-613: 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
4747-468: 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 the 'Garden City' due to similarities with garden cities in England, but also has a historic Māori heritage. Christchurch has
4848-533: 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
4949-399: 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 the site of
5050-459: 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
5151-464: 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
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#17327765313065252-540: The final amount received by the Isaac Theatre Royal was NZ$ 52,000. The restored Isaac Theatre Royal reopened in November 2014. The demolition companies, on the day prior to the implosion, advised the public to stay away for health and safety reasons, and watch the proceedings on TV or the internet. Several television stations had live streams of the event, and The Press announced that they would post
5353-495: 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
5454-463: 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
5555-619: 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
5656-506: 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
5757-457: The implosion, compared to some NZ$ 1.2m for a conventional demolition, with the owner's building insurance covering the costs. The owner of the building, however, stated that the implosion was not a cheaper option for his company than a conventional demolition, but it "would save others thousands". He likened the consent process to Christopher Columbus wanting to sail to America , with everybody telling him that it could not be done. The owner of
5858-485: The implosion. Ceres in turn partnered with Controlled Demolition, Inc. , an American company based in Phoenix, Maryland , that has a track record of 9,000 implosions and is considered a world leader in the field. The large number of tall buildings still to be demolished in Christchurch made the implosion of Radio Network House a test case, as the technique had not been applied to New Zealand buildings before. The implosion
5959-486: The land and planned to build more than 100 houses on the site. Work is expected to start later in 2021 on the site. There is expected to be a mix of two bedroom apartments built above retail space and three-bedroom townhouses which will surround a communal garden space. One of Christchurch's few tall apartment buildings, it was on the Christchurch City Council's "Dirty 30" list of buildings holding up
6060-403: The list of buildings to be demolished. On 17 July 2012, the local Canterbury newspaper The Press reported that implosion of Radio Network House had been approved by CERA. The same day, a press conference was held, where representatives of the demolition companies involved and of CERA addressed the media. The main contractor for the demolition was Naylor Love, who engaged Ceres New Zealand for
6161-407: The loss of ChristChurch Cathedral in the 2011 earthquake was installed by its artist, Neil Dawson , in the square in 2014. Many of the buildings which surrounded Latimer Square were either destroyed during, or demolished in the aftermath of, the 2011 Christchurch earthquake , among them: Since the earthquake, the square has been the site of the city's temporary Anglican Cathedral also known as
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#17327765313066262-538: 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
6363-432: The north as planned, and the implosion manager from Controlled Demolition, Inc. said that it went a bit further than he had hoped, so he was lucky. The explosions were heard around Christchurch. One of CERA's objectives in approving the implosion was to find out how the soil behaved, as Radio Network House was built on one of the worst soils in Christchurch. Seismograph readings showed ground velocity of 12 mm/s, which
6464-447: 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
6565-464: 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
6666-420: 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
6767-418: 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;
6868-426: The proceeds going to charity. "I've seen them go for $ 6,000" is how one of the company representatives was quoted, but the issue of liability needed to be worked through. The auction was set up on the internet auction website Trade Me and went live on Tuesday, 24 July, at 11 am. It was set up with a $ 1 reserve (meaning that theoretically, the right to push the button could have been sold for just $ 1). The auction
6969-745: The proceeds of the auction was the Canterbury Earthquake Heritage Buildings Fund, who passed the funds to the Isaac Theatre Royal in Gloucester Street, a heritage building registered as Category I by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust (since renamed to Heritage New Zealand ). The Government of New Zealand pledged to match donations towards the restoration of heritage buildings dollar for dollar, so
7070-575: 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
7171-446: 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
7272-406: 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
7373-585: 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
7474-513: The site. Their plans stalled in 2015 with the Christchurch Central Development Unit (CCDU) declaring that the developers had failed to meet a deadline to secure the required funding for the project. Gerry Brownlee , the earthquake recovery minister said that the project for the $ 30 million urban village "should never have started in the first place". A second attempt in 2018 to redevelop the site occurred with
7575-548: 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
7676-464: 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
7777-577: The time were undertaking demolitions in the Christchurch Central City (D Construction, Dormer Construction, Jurgens Demolition, March Construction, Pro Tranz Contracting, Clampet Developments, Shilton and Brown Demolition, and Ward's Demolition). They gave the right to choose a person to push the button to the Child Cancer Foundation, who nominated a six-year-old boy from Queenstown . The charity chosen to receive
7878-427: 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
7979-444: The Ōtautahi Urban Guild chosen to develop the site. They had plans for a 150 home development and intended to offer properties for 10 to 20 per cent cheaper than those from private sector. Despite getting a loan of $ 450,000 from the Christchurch City Council in 2019 the development collapsed in December 2020. The site still remained vacant in 2020. In March 2021, it was announced that developers Mike Greer and Richard Peebles had purchased
8080-647: 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
8181-449: 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
8282-470: Was a 14-storey 61 metres (200 ft) tall office tower constructed in 1986. The building was located at 155 Worcester Street, on the north side of the street and in the block between Manchester Street and Latimer Square . For its last twelve years Radio Network House was owned by Greg Hedges through his company Nor West Arch No.4 Ltd. The building was first operated as the Christchurch studio for Television New Zealand (TVNZ), who displayed their logo on
8383-721: 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
8484-421: 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
8585-482: 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
8686-521: Was challenging for Controlled Demolition, Inc., as New Zealand buildings are designed to withstand earthquake loading and thus have much more reinforcing in them than the buildings they usually deal with. Before demolition, buildings are stripped of their contents, including internal plasterboard linings. As the fees for dumping demolition waste have risen since the earthquakes, it is more economical for demolition contractors to produce 'clean' demolition material. Holes were drilled into support columns of
8787-669: Was damaged beyond repair in the 2011 earthquake, and the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA) added it to the demolition list in August 2011. In July 2012, it was announced that the building was going to be imploded, involving a specialist company from the United States with considerable experience in this type of work. The right to push the button for the implosion was put up for auction on Trade Me , and became that website's third most viewed auction. The winning bid of NZ$ 26,000
8888-430: Was displayed on the building. The Canterbury region was hit by a series of earthquakes, and the office building was damaged beyond repair by the earthquake on 22 February 2011 . About 400 people worked in the building before the earthquakes. Following the earthquakes, the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA) was set up to manage the recovery process. On 30 August 2011, CERA added Radio Network House to
8989-483: 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
9090-399: 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 is also home to a number of performing arts centres and academic institutions (including
9191-446: Was hugely popular and within one hour, bidding had reached $ 6,000. Bidding reached $ 30,000, but some bids were considered illegitimate and Trade Me staff removed them, and in other cases, bidders themselves requested to be removed. When the auction closed, it had received the third highest number of viewers of Trade Me auctions, at 459,420 views. The winning bid was $ 26,000, placed by a consortium of eight demolition contractors who at
9292-615: 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
9393-627: Was made by a consortium of demolition contractors, who allowed the Child Cancer Foundation to nominate a six-year-old boy from Queenstown to trigger the event. The implosion, which was carefully monitored to assess the suitability of this demolition method for potential future applications, went without any problems and it is anticipated that this will have paved the way for many more implosions in New Zealand in general, and in Christchurch in particular. But as of 2020, only one further implosion has been carried out. Radio Network House
9494-432: 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
9595-420: Was one of the very few new buildings in the centre of Christchurch to have been rebuilt already. The concerns were dismissed by the demolition contractors and the threatened court action did not eventuate. Soon after the announcement was made that the implosion had been approved, it was reported that the demolition contractors considered putting the right to push the button for the implosion up for auction, with
9696-471: 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
9797-493: 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,
9898-501: 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
9999-562: Was registered as a Category II historic place (#1913) Charlie B's sat at the northern end of Latimer Square. It was demolished after the Canterbury earthquakes. A competition was held for the design of replacement buildings for the site. The competition judging panel included Kevin McCloud from the UK television series Grand Designs . The competition was won by Italian architects Anselmi Attiani Architettura and engineers Cresco in 2013 to redevelop
10100-557: 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
10201-472: 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
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