Christchurch (Māori: Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. The urban area is home to 383,200 residents, and the territorial authority has 394,700 people. Archaeological evidence has indicated that people first settled in the Christchurch area in about 1250. Christchurch became a city by Royal Charter on 31 July 1856, making it officially the oldest established city in New Zealand.
About Christchurch, New Zealand in brief
Christchurch (Māori: Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. The urban area is home to 383,200 residents, and the territorial authority has 394,700 people. The Avon River flows through the centre of the city, with an urban park located along its banks. Archaeological evidence has indicated that people first settled in the Christchurch area in about 1250. Christchurch became a city by Royal Charter on 31 July 1856, making it officially the oldest established city in New Zealand. The city suffered a series of earthquakes between September 2010 and January 2012, with the most destructive of them occurring at 12. 51 p.m. on 22 February 2011, in which 185 people were killed. By late 2013, 1,500 buildings in the city had been demolished, leading to an ongoing recovery and rebuilding project. It later became the site of a terrorist attack targeting two mosques on 15 March 2019, and which was described by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern as ‘one of New Zealander’s darkest days’ The name of ‘Christchurch’ was agreed on at the first meeting of the. Canterbury Association on 27 March 1848. It was suggested by founder John Robert Godley, whose alma mater was Christ Church, University of Oxford. The name is not known for the exact basis for the name, but it has been suggested that it is named for Christchurch, in Dorset, England; or in honour of Christchurch Cathedral, Oxford; or for the River Avon, which rises in the hills near Ayrshire where their grandfather’s farm was located.
It is one of five ‘gateway cities’ for Antarctic exploration, hosting Antarctic support bases for several nations. The University of Canterbury and the heritage of theCity’s academic institutions in association with local businesses has fostered a number of technology-based industries. Agriculture is the historic mainstay of ChristChurch’s economy. The first inhabitants were thought to have been followed by the Waitaha iwi, who are said to have migrated from the East coast of the North Island in the 16th century. The site was a seasonal dwelling of Ngāi Tahu chief Te Potiki Tautahi, whose main home was Port Levy on Banks Peninsula. The First Four Ships were chartered by the Canterbury Association. These sailing vessels were the Randolph, Charlotte Jane, Sir George Seymour, and Cressy. The Charlotte Jane was the first to arrive on 16 December 1850. The Canterbury Pilgrims had aspirations of building a cathedral and building a college, on the model of Christ Church in Oxford, prior to the arrival of the first ships’ arrival at Lyttelton Harbour. The last explanation is the one generally accepted is that the city was named after Christ Church. At the request of the Deans brothers — whose farm was the earliest European settlement in the area — the name was chosen.
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This page is based on the article Christchurch, New Zealand published in Wikipedia (as of Dec. 30, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
