Christchurch

Christchurch, city, Canterbury regional council, eastern South Island, New Zealand, on the Avon River. It was the last and most successful colonizing project inspired by Edward Gibbon Wakefield and his New Zealand Company.

Christchurch was founded by the Canterbury Association, which was formed in 1848 largely through the efforts of John Robert Godley and planned to establish a model Church of England settlement. The original immigrants arrived on five ships in 1850–51. Their settlement, known as Canterbury, was renamed for Christ Church, Oxford, the college Godley had attended. Proclaimed a city in 1862 and made a borough in 1868, Christchurch was expanded in 1903, and it is now the most populous city on South Island and the second largest city (after Auckland) in New Zealand.

Once dependent primarily on its rich agricultural environs, Christchurch expanded in the latter half of the 20th century to become New Zealand’s second most important industrial centre, aided by good transportation facilities, adequate supplies of artesian water, and plentiful, inexpensive hydroelectric power. To its traditional meat-freezing works and woolen and agricultural-implement production have been added the manufacture of clothing, carpets, rubber, wood and cork goods, transportation equipment, tires, soap, fertilizers, glass, footwear, and flour.

The city’s port is Lyttelton, a natural deepwater anchorage (7 miles [11 km] southeast) to which it is linked by rail and road tunnels through the Port Hills. The port’s chief exports include coal, wool, meat, dairy products, and wheat; chief imports are petroleum products, fertilizers, iron, and steel. Christchurch is also served by an international airport and the South Island Main Trunk Railway.

Because much of the city’s land is devoted to parks, public gardens, and other recreation areas, Christchurch has earned the nickname “Garden City of the Plains.” One of the nation’s principal educational centres, it has Lincoln University (1990; originally established in 1878 as a constituent agricultural college of the University of Canterbury), Christ’s College, and the University of Canterbury (1873). Other notable institutions are the botanical gardens, the planetarium, Canterbury Museum, and Yaldhurst Museum of Transport and Science, as well as several galleries, including the Christchurch Art Gallery and the Centre of Contemporary Art.

Christchurch and its surrounding region were struck by a strong earthquake on September 4, 2010—about magnitude 7, centred approximately 20 miles (30 km) west of the city. Although there were few serious injuries and no fatalities, the quake and its aftershocks (some of them severe) destroyed hundreds of buildings in the city and damaged railways, roads, and other infrastructure. Less than six months later, on February 22, 2011, another quake struck Christchurch. Although its magnitude—about 6.3—was less than that of the 2010 quake, it caused greater devastation, in part because its epicentre was at a relatively shallow depth and was located close to the city and because it struck in the middle of the day. Ultimately, more than 180 people were confirmed dead in the February quake. The city centre sustained significant damage and was evacuated. In the weeks and months that followed, after the damage had been surveyed, it was determined that thousands of buildings in the city would have to be demolished and that some areas might have to be abandoned altogether because the quake had rendered the land dangerously unstable. Among the structures slated for demolition was the city’s venerable Victorian-era Anglican cathedral. Up to 50,000 residents moved permanently to other locations in New Zealand or to Australia. Geologic instability in the region continued for months, and aftershocks—including one estimated at magnitude 6.0—caused additional property damage and some injuries but no fatalities. In August 2013 work was completed on a temporary replacement for the Anglican cathedral. The Transitional Cathedral, made of durable earthquake-resistant cardboard, was designed to stand for decades, or until a permanent replacement for the original structure could be built. Pop. (2006) 360,768; (2020 est.) 394,700.