Christchurch

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Christchurch Ōtautahi
Country:	New Zealand
Coordinates:	43°31′48″S, 172°37′13″E.[1]
Population:	367,700 (urban, 2005 estimate) 359,900 (territorial, 2006 Census - provisional)
Urban Area
Extent:	City area, Kaiapoi, Prebbleton, Lyttelton & Diamond Harbour
Territorial Authority
Coat of Arms of the Christchurch City Council
Name:	Christchurch City
Mayor:	Garry Moore
Extent:	North: to Waimakariri River, East: entire Banks Peninsula, West: to Templeton.
Land Area:	452km²
Website:	http://www.ccc.govt.nz
See also:	Waimakariri District (includes Kaiapoi) Selwyn District
Regional Council
Name:	Environment Canterbury
Website:	http://www.ecan.govt.nz

Christchurch is the regional capital of Canterbury, New Zealand. It is the largest city in the South Island, as well as the second largest city and third largest urban area of New Zealand. A coastal city, it is situated just north of Banks Peninsula, midway down the South Island's eastern coast.

The city is named after the Christ Church cathedral, which is itself named after Christ Church, a college at the University of Oxford, and the Cathedral of Oxford. The city was originally known as Christ Church, the written form consolidating by the 1880s.

The usual Māori name Ōtautahi is a shortened form of Te Whenua o Te Potiki-Tautahi - named for the seasonal dwelling of Ngai Tahu chief Tautahi of Port Levy on a bank of the Avon River near to where the Barbadoes Street bridge now stands.^[1]

Contents 1 Geography 1.1 Central City 1.2 Inner suburbs 1.3 Outer suburbs 1.4 Satellite towns 2 Climate 2.1 Overview 2.2 Temperatures 3 Structure 3.1 Demographics 3.2 Economy 3.3 Government 3.4 Education 3.4.1 Secondary schools 3.4.2 Tertiary Institutions 3.5 Transport 4 History 4.1 Overview 4.2 Gateway to the Antarctic 4.3 Famous people 5 Visitor attractions 6 Entertainment 6.1 Parks & Nature 6.2 Cinema & Theatre 6.3 Music 6.4 Venues 7 Sport 7.1 Sports 7.2 Venues 8 Sister cities 9 References 10 External links

[edit] Geography

Christchurch lies in Canterbury, near the centre of the east coast of the South Island, between Banks Peninsula and the Canterbury Plains. It is located near the southern end of Pegasus Bay, and is bounded to the east by the Pacific Ocean coast and the estuary of the Avon as well as the Heathcote River. To the south and south-east the city is limited by the volcanic slopes of the Port Hills, and to the north by the braided Waimakariri River.

With much of the city being flat and only a few metres above sea level, spectacular views can be obtained from almost any high building. At low elevations the city may appear almost forested with only a few buildings visible, unlike a major city.

[edit] Central City

At the centre of the city is Cathedral Square, surrounding the Anglican cathedral, Christ Church. The area around this square and within the four avenues of Christchurch (Bealey Avenue, Fitzgerald Avenue, Moorhouse Avenue and Rolleston Avenue) is considered the CBD of the city.

Cathedral Square is a popular destination and hosts attractions such as the speakers' corner made famous by the Wizard of New Zealand. The central city includes the pedestrianised Cashel Street as Christchurch's urban mall. At one end of the mall stands the Bridge Of Remembrance; at the other end the amphitheatre known as the Hack Circle.

The central city also has a number of residential areas, including Inner City East, Inner City West, Avon Loop, Moa & Victoria.

[edit] Inner suburbs

(clockwise, starting north of the city centre)

Mairehau; Shirley; Richmond; Avonside; Linwood; Woolston; Opawa; Waltham; St Martins; Beckenham; Sydenham; Somerfield; Spreydon; Addington; Riccarton; Ilam; Burnside; Fendalton; Bryndwr; Strowan; Merivale; Papanui; St Albans.

[edit] Outer suburbs

(clockwise, starting north of the city centre)

Marshland; Burwood; Parklands; Waimairi Beach; Avondale; New Brighton; Bexley; Aranui; South Brighton; Southshore; Bromley; Mt Pleasant; Redcliffs; Sumner; Ferrymead; Heathcote Valley; Hillsborough; Murray Aynsley; Huntsbury; Cashmere; Westmorland; Hoon Hay; Halswell; Oaklands; Wigram; Middleton; Sockburn; Hornby; Islington; Templeton; Yaldhurst; Russley; Avonhead; Harewood; Bishopdale; Casebrook; Redwood; Belfast.

[edit] Satellite towns

(clockwise, starting north of the city centre)

Brooklands; Lyttelton; Tai Tapu; Lincoln; Prebbleton; Rolleston; West Melton; Rangiora; Kaiapoi.

[edit] Climate

[edit] Overview

Christchurch has a temperate climate, with maximum temperatures in January ranging from 15°C to 25°C (often reaching 30°C or higher), and maximum temperatures in July ranging from 5°C to 15°C. The summer climate is often moderated by a sea breeze from the northeast, but a record temperature of 41.6°C was reached in February 1973. A notable feature of the weather is the nor'wester, a hot föhn wind which is known to cause psychological problems such as raised suicide rates, and also occasionally reaches storm force, causing widespread damage to property.^[2]

In winter it is common for the temperature to fall below 0°C at night. Snow falls occur on average once or twice a year in the hill suburbs and about once or twice every two years on the plain.

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.^[3] The city has funding available to upgrade domestic home heating systems, and in order to limit air pollution will likely ban some forms of fire-based heating systems within the next two years.^[4]

[edit] Temperatures

Climate Table

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Mean daily maximum temperature (°C)	22.3	21.8	20.1	17.4	14.0	11.3	10.7	12.1	14.5	17.1	19.1	21.0
Mean daily minimum temperature (°C)	12.1	11.6	10.3	6.9	3.7	1.0	0.8	2.1	4.3	6.5	8.6	10.8
Mean total rainfall (mm)	46.4	41.7	57.5	53.3	57.6	50.5	68.3	59.5	41.0	44.4	49.9	45.1
Source:[5]

[edit] Structure

[edit] Demographics

On 6 March 2004, the area administered by the Christchurch City Council had a population of 344,100, making it the second-largest in New Zealand, and the largest city in the South Island. The Christchurch urban area is the third-largest in the country by population, after Auckland and Wellington.

The following table shows the ethnic profile of Christchurch's population, as recorded in the 2001 and 2006 New Zealand Census. The percentages add up to more than 100%, as some people counted themselves as belonging to more than one ethnic group. Figures for 2006 refer to just Christchurch City, not the whole urban area. The substantial percentage drop in the numbers of 'Europeans' was mainly caused by the increasing numbers of people from this group choosing to define themselves as 'New Zealanders' - even though this was not one of the groups listed on the census form.

Ethnic Group	2001 (%)	2001 (people)	2006 (%)	2006 (people)
European	89.8	291,594	75.4	255,366
'New Zealanders'	n/a	n/a	12.9	43,671
Asian	5.5	17,703	7.9	26,631
Māori	7.2	23,421	7.6	25,725
Pacific Island	2.4	7,713	2.8	9,465
Middle East/Latin America/Africa	n/a	n/a	0.8	2,862
Others	0.6	2,073	0.0	114
Total giving their ethnicity		324,666 (individuals)		338,748 (individuals)

Sources: ^{[6] [7]}

The 2006 Census also provides information about the multilinguality of the region. Accordingly, 283,986 people in Christchurch City spoke one language only, while 37,947 spoke two, and 7,881 could converse in three or more languages.^[7]

[edit] Economy

The early local economy was based on the agricultural produce of the Canterbury plains. Early manufacturers processed agricultural produce, especially sheep and dairy products, into finished products. The early presence of the University of Canterbury and the heritage of the city's academic institutions working in association with local businesses have fostered a number of technology-based industries. Christchurch has a number of technology companies offices, including Netconcepts, and SLI Systems. The region now has a range of "new economy" sectors.

Tourism is also a significant factor of the local economy. The closeness of the ski-fields and other attractions of the Southern Alps, and hotels and an airport that meet international standards make Christchurch a stopover destination for many tourists. It is particularly hospitable to Japanese tourists, with signage around Cathedral Square in Japanese, and some local churches being popular for weddings of Japanese couples, followed by honeymoons in Queenstown.

[edit] Government

Christchurch's local government is a democracy that includes:

• A city council [2] comprising the Mayor of Christchurch, and 13 councillors elected in seven wards.
• Six community boards, each covering one ward, with five members each plus the two ward councillors. The Banks Peninsula Ward has 2 community boards with five members each, plus the ward councillor, who is also a member of each Board.
• The Canterbury Regional Council, known as Environment Canterbury including four Christchurch constituencies with two members from each constituency.
• The Canterbury District Health Board, [3] with five members for Christchurch.
• District councils in surrounding areas: , Selwyn, and Waimakariri.
• Banks Peninsula district council was amalgamated into Christchurch city in March 2006 after a vote by the Banks Peninsula residents to disestablish in November 2005.

In 1993, Christchurch was selected as the "Best Run City in the World", also known as the 'Carl Bertelsmann Prize: Local Government', by the Bertelsmann Foundation of Germany. Especially noted was the increased efficiency of communal services in competition with private enterprises. Christchurch shared the award honour with Phoenix, Arizona, USA.^[8]

[edit] Education

[edit] Secondary schools

Christchurch is well-known for several very traditional schools of the English public school type, such as Christ's College, St Andrew's, St. Margaret's College and Rangi Ruru Girls' School, but also has several unusual and innovative schools such as Unlimited paenga tawhiti and Hagley Community College.

• List of school web sites in Canterbury

[edit] Tertiary Institutions

A number of tertiary education institutions have campuses in Christchurch, or in the surrounding areas.

• University of Canterbury
• Lincoln University
• Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology
• University of Otago Christchurch School of Medicine and Health Sciences

[edit] Transport

Christchurch is served by Christchurch International Airport and by buses (local and long-distance) and trains. The local bus service, known as Metro, is provided by Environment Canterbury. The car, however, remains the dominant form of transport. The central city has very flat terrain and the City Council are establishing a network of cycle lanes on roads.

There is a functioning tram service in Christchurch, but as a tourist attraction, its loop is restricted to a circuit of the central city. The trams were originally introduced in 1905, ceased operating in 1954, but returned to the inner city in 1995.

The Main North Line railway travels northwards via Kaikoura to Picton and is served by the famous TranzCoastal passenger train, while the Main South Line heads to Invercargill via Dunedin and was used by the Southerner until its cancellation in 2002. The most famous train to depart Christchurch is the TranzAlpine, which travels along the Main South Line to Rolleston and then turns onto the Midland Line, passes through the Southern Alps via the Otira Tunnel, and terminates in Greymouth in Westland. This trip is often regarded to be one of the ten great train journeys in the world for the amazing scenery through which it passes. The TranzAlpine service is purely a tourist service and carries no significant commuter traffic.

The TranzAlpine passenger train stops: (Midland line)
Christchurch | Rolleston | Darfield | Cass | Springfield | Arthur's Pass | Otira | Jacksons | Moana | Brunner | Greymouth

[edit] History

Main article: History of Canterbury, New Zealand

[edit] Overview

Archeological evidence found in a cave at Redcliffs in 1876 has indicated that the Christchurch area was first settled by moa-hunting tribes about 1250. Māori oral history relates that humans occupied the area around the year 1000. These first inhabitants were thought to have been followed by the Waitaha tribe, who are said to have migrated from the East coast of the North Island in the 16th century. Following tribal warfare, the Waitaha (made of three peoples) were dispossessed by the Ngati Mamoe tribe. They were in turn subjugated by the Ngai Tahu tribe, who remained in control until the arrival of European settlers.

Following the purchase of land at Putaringamotu (modern Riccarton) by the Weller brothers whalers of Otago and Sydney a party of European settlers led by Herriott and McGillivray established themselves in what is now the Christchurch area, early in 1840. Their abandoned holdings were taken over by the Deans brothers in 1843 who stayed. The First Four Ships were chartered by the Canterbury Association and arrived on 16 December 1850, bringing the first 792 of the Canterbury Pilgrims to Lyttelton Harbour. These sailing vessels were the Randolph, Charlotte-Jane, Sir George Seymour, and Cressy. The Canterbury Pilgrims dreamt of building a city around a cathedral and college, on the model of Christ Church in Oxford.^[9] The name "Christ Church" was decided prior to the ships' arrival, at the Association's first meeting, on 27 March 1848.

Captain Thomas, the Canterbury Association's Chief Surveyor, surveyed the surrounding area. By December 1849 he had commissioned the construction of a road from Port Cooper, later Lyttelton, to Christchurch via Sumner. However this proved more difficult than expected and road construction was stopped while a steep foot and pack horse track was constructed over the hill between the port and the Heathcote valley, where access to the site of the proposed settlement could be gained. This track became known as 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 eight miles by water around the coast and up the estuary to Ferrymead. New Zealand's first public railway line, the Ferrymead railway, opened from Ferrymead to Christchurch in 1863. Due to the difficulties in travelling over the Port Hills and the dangers associated with shipping navigating the Sumner bar, a railway tunnel was bored through the Port Hills to Lyttelton, opening in 1867.

Christchurch became a city by Royal Charter on 31 July 1856, the first city in New Zealand. Many of the city's fine Gothic buildings by architect Benjamin Mountfort date from this period.

Christchurch was the seat of provincial administration for the Province of Canterbury.

In 1947, New Zealand's worst fire disaster occurred at Ballantyne's Department Store in the inner city, with 41 people killed in a blaze which razed the rambling collection of buildings.

A road tunnel was constructed between Lyttelton and Christchurch in the early 1960s.

In 1974 Christchurch was host to the Commonwealth Games.

[edit] Gateway to the Antarctic

Christchurch has played a significant role in the history of Antarctic exploration. Both Robert Falcon Scott and Ernest Shackleton used the port of Lyttelton as a departure point for expeditions, and there is a statue of Scott, sculpted by his widow, in the central city.

Christchurch International Airport serves as the major base for the Italian and United States Antarctic programs as well as the New Zealand Antarctic programme. The International Antarctic Centre provides both base facilities and a museum and visitor centre.

[edit] Famous people

• Astle, Nathan - New Zealand cricket batsman (former)
• Cairns, Christopher - New Zealand Champion cricket all-rounder (current, 2007)
• Caddick, Andrew - England cricket bowler (former)
• Fleming, Stephen - New Zealand cricket captain (current, 2007)
• Hulme, Keri - author
• Kerr, Roy - mathematician, reknowned for work on rotating black holes
• Mahy, Margaret - children's author
• Marsh, Ngaio - author
• McMillan, Craig - New Zealand cricket batsman (current, 2007)
• Mertens, Andrew - New Zealand All Blacks rugby player (former)
• Nelsen, Ryan - English Blackburn Rovers soccer central defender / captain (current, 2007)
• Runga, Bic - singer / songwriter
• Upham, Charles - Victoria Cross recipient
• Westenra, Hayley - soprano singer

[edit] Visitor attractions

• Garden and Parks;
  • Botanical Gardens
  • Hagley Park
  • Mona Vale
  • Riccarton House and Bush
• Canterbury Museum
• Ferrymead Heritage Park
• Orana Wildlife Park
• Willowbank Wildlife Reserve
• Air Force Museum
• Southern Encounter Aquarium and Kiwi House
• International Antarctic Centre
• Christ Church (the Anglican cathedral), the centre of the Church of England settlement was built between 1864 and 1910.
• The Roman Catholic Cathedral, consecrated in 1905, is widely considered to be the finest renaissance-style building in Australasia.
• Christchurch Art Gallery (A new gallery opened 2003 to replace the 1930 Robert McDougall Art Gallery situated in the Botanic Gardens).
• The Christchurch Arts Centre, formerly Canterbury College and the site of "Ernest Rutherford's Den".
• The Provincial Council Chambers, 1857 - 1865.
• The Timeball Station in Lyttelton.
• The New Brighton pier.
• Heathcote (Christchurch) Gondola
• The Summit Road along the top of the Port Hills and Godley Head Road provides numerous spectacular views of the area and features the buildings created as wayside rests, the Sign of the Takahe (now a function centre) and Sign of the Kiwi. The Mt Pleasant Trig offers 360° views from Lyttleton Harbour back over the hills to the southern alps and the city, and out over Pegasus Bay.
• Walkways including Victoria Park, the Bridle Path and Whitewash Head, a bird sanctuary.
• Mountain Biking on the Port Hills and Bottle Lake Forest. Christchurch Mountainbiking
• There is a large nesting colony of spotted shags immediately south of Christchurch.

[edit] Entertainment

[edit] Parks & Nature

The large number of public parks and well-developed residential gardens with many trees has given Christchurch the name of The Garden City. Hagley Park and the 30-hectare (75-acre) Christchurch Botanic Gardens, founded in 1863, are in the central city, with Hagley Park being a site for sports such as golf, cricket, netball, and rugby, and for open air concerts by local bands and orchestras.

[edit] Cinema & Theatre

Christchurch has approximately 35 cinema screens, with more planned in the next few years. While historically most cinemas were grouped around Cathedral Square, only the Regent complex remains there. The largest multiplexes are the Hoyts 8 in the old railway station (Moorhouse Ave) and Reading Cinemas (eight) in the Palms shopping centre in Shirley. Hoyts in Riccarton, just recently opened, has the largest screen in New Zealand, called Cinemaxx.

The Christchurch Arts Centre includes two art house cinemas, Cloisters and The Academy, screening a wide selection of contemporary, classic and foreign language films. These cinemas participate in an annual film festival.

There is an active film society in the city,^[10] and several cinemas operate in Christchurch.^[11]

Christchurch has one full-time professional theatre, the 'Court Theatre'.^[12] There is also an active recreational theatre scene.

[edit] Music

The city is known for its many live acts.^{[citation needed]} and also has a professional symphony orchestra.^[13]

Christchurch also hosts a wide range of rave dance parties. While most of the parties are either house or drum'n'bass, occasionally there are trance and hardhouse parties. Drum'n'bass is however particularly popular, with more d'n'b events than events than for any other types of dance music.^{[citation needed]}

There are usually buskers around the town square, and Christchurch also hosts the World Buskers Festival in January each year.

[edit] Venues

The Westpac Arena is New Zealand's second largest permanent multipurpose arena, seating between 5000 and 8000, depending on configuration. It is home of the Canterbury Rams basketball team, and Canterbury Flames netball side. It was the venue for the 1999 World Netball championships and has been host to many concerts in recent years including Neil Diamond, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rod Stewart, Bob Dylan, Velvet Revolver , Edgefest, and many more major international acts.

The Christchurch Town Hall Auditorium (2000 seats, opened 1974) was the first major auditorium design by architects Warren and Mahoney and acousticians Marshall Day. It is still recognised as a model example of concert-hall design. It has an excellent modern pipe organ.

Christchurch also has a Casino ^[14], and there are also a wide range of live music venues^{[citation needed]} - some short-lived, others with decades of history.

[edit] Sport

[edit] Sports

• The Crusaders, formerly the 'Canterbury Crusaders', represent Christchurch in rugby union games during the Super 14 competition, while the Canterbury Rugby Football Union represents the city in the Air New Zealand Cup.

• The Canterbury Flames play in the in the national netball league, competing for the National Bank Cup.

• The Canterbury Rams play in the National Basketball League.

• The Canterbury Wizards are Christchurchs cricket team in New Zealands State Championship.

[edit] Venues

• Jade Stadium (formerly Lancaster Park) is Christchurch's premier outdoor sporting ground, which plays host to rugby union in the winter months and cricket in the summer months. It is home to the Crusaders Super 14 and Canterbury Air New Zealand Cup rugby teams. It is also used by the New Zealand cricket team and occasionally hosts a New Zealand Warriors rugby league match. Jade Stadium has a current capacity of 36,500 people.

• Queen Elisabeth II Park was built for the 1974 British Commonwealth Games, which Christchurch hosted. It is used primarily as an athletics park, but also contains a newly upgraded swimming pool complex. It has hosted major concerts from bands such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

• Porritt Park in Avonside and Nunweek Park in Bishopdale are the main hockey venues of the city.

• Christchurch has more than a dozen golf courses, and has hosted the PGA-sanctioned Clearwater Classic since 2002.

[edit] Sister cities

Christchurch has seven sister cities around the world. They are:^[15]

• Adelaide, Australia
• Christchurch, Dorset, England
• Lanzhou, Gansu province, China
• Kurashiki, Okayama, Japan
• Seattle, Washington, United States of America
• Songpa-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Wuhan, Hubei province, China

[edit] References

• Reed, A. W. (2002). The Reed Dictionary of New Zealand Place Names. Auckland: Reed Books. ISBN 0-7900-0761-4. 
• Amodeo, Colin (ed.) (1998). Rescue, the Sumner community and its lifeboat service. Christchurch: Sumner Lifeboat Institution Incorporated.
• Rice, Geoffrey (with assistance from Jean Sharfe)(1999) Christchurch changing : an illustrated history Christchurch: Canterbury University Press. ISBN 0-908812-53-1 (pbk.)

1. ^ Ōtautahi (from the Christchurch City Library website)
2. ^ Canterbury's damaging nor'wester (from the Metservice NZ website)
3. ^ Air Pollution Today (from the Environment Canterbury website)
4. ^ Air (from the Environment Canterbury website)
5. ^ Weather Information for Christchurch (from the World Meteorological Organization's official website)
6. ^ 2001 Regional Summary, Statistics New Zealand
7. ^ ^{a b} 2006 Regional Summary Tables by Regional Council, Statistics New Zealand
8. ^ Carl Bertelsmann-Preis 1993: Kommunalverwaltung (from the Bertelsmann Foundation website, in German)
9. ^ Cathedral History (from the official Christ Church cathedral website)
10. ^ Canterbury Film Society (from the official Canterbury Film Society website)
11. ^ Local Cinemas (from the official Canterbury Film Society website)
12. ^ Court Theatre (from the official Court Theatre website)
13. ^ Christchurch Symphony (from the official Christchurch Symphony Orchestra website)
14. ^ Christchurch Casino (official Christchurch Casino website)
15. ^ Sister Cities of Christchurch (from the Christchurch City Council website)

[edit] External links

Official Organisations:

• Christchurch City Council (official council website)

Culture & Information:

• Christchurch City Libraries (official libraries website)
• Christchurch & Canterbury (official tourism guide & visitor information)
• BeThere (events in Christchurch and Canterbury)
• Localeye (online gateway to Christchurch & Canterbury)
• WhatsonChristchurch (events and local resources website)
• Christchurch.org.nz (official website promoting Christchurch)
• Ti Kouka Whenua (local Māori history of the Christchurch area)
• The Big City (private website listing Christchurch events, New Zealand music info archive)

Tourism & Maps:

• Christchurch maps (from www.zoomin.co.nz)
• Christchurch maps (from www.wises.co.nz)

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