Christchurch

Christchurch Ōtautahi (Māori)
City
Christchurch Central City (2020) Banks Peninsula and Akaroa Harbour Cathedral Square Hagley Park Sumner and Southshore Christchurch Art Gallery
Flag Coat of arms Brandmark
Nickname:  The Garden City
Motto(s):  Fide Condita Fructu Beata Spe Fortis English: Founded in Faith, Rich in the Fulfillment thereof, Strong in Hope for the Future[1]
Christchurch Show map of South Island Christchurch Show map of New Zealand
Coordinates: 43°32′S 172°37′E / 43.533°S 172.617°E / -43.533; 172.617
Country	New Zealand
Island	South Island
Region	Canterbury
Communities	Banks Peninsula Coastal-Burwood Fendalton-Waimairi-Harewood Halswell-Hornby-Riccarton Papanui-Innes Spreydon-Cashmere
Wards	Banks Peninsula Burwood Cashmere Central Coastal Fendalton Halswell Harewood Heathcote Hornby Innes Linwood Papanui Riccarton Spreydon Waimairi
Settled by the UK	1848
Named for	Christ Church, Oxford
NZ Parliament	Banks Peninsula Christchurch Central Christchurch East Ilam Selwyn Waimakariri Wigram Te Tai Tonga (Māori)
Government
• Mayor	Phil Mauger
• MPs	Matt Doocey (National) Nicola Grigg (National) Vanessa Weenink (National) Hamish Campbell (National) Tākuta Ferris (Te Pāti Māori) Duncan Webb (Labour) Reuben Davidson (Labour) Megan Woods (Labour)
• Territorial authority	Christchurch City Council
Area [2]
• Territorial	1,426 km2 (551 sq mi)
• Land	1,415.47 km2 (546.52 sq mi)
• Urban	295.15 km2 (113.96 sq mi)
• Metro	2,408.1 km2 (929.8 sq mi)
Elevation [3]	6 m (20 ft)
Population  (June 2023)[4]
• Territorial	396,200
• Density	280/km2 (720/sq mi)
• Urban	384,800
• Urban density	1,300/km2 (3,400/sq mi)
• Metro	521,881
• Metro density	220/km2 (560/sq mi)
• Demonym	Cantabrian
Time zone	UTC+12:00 (NZST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+13:00 (NZDT)
Postcode(s)	8011, 8013, 8014, 8022, 8023, 8024, 8025, 8041, 8042, 8051, 8052, 8053, 8061, 8062, 8081, 8082,
Area code	03
Local iwi	Kāti Māmoe, Ngāi Tahu
Website	ChristchurchNZ.com

Christchurch (/ˈkraɪstʃɜːrtʃ/ ^ⓘ; Māori: Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island and the second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand.^[a] Christchurch has a population of 396,200 and 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 (Ōtākoro) 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 the 'Garden City' due to similarities with garden cities in England. Christchurch has a temperate oceanic climate with regular moderate rainfall.

Māori have inhabited the Christchurch area since 1250 A.D. Initially, the area of modern-day greater Christchurch was largely consited of swamplands with patchworks of marshland. In the archaic period, Māori were to have been moa-hunters, who occupied coastal caves. Christchurch was an important foraging ground and contained numerous seasonal settlements before the arrival of European settlers. 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 was heavily industrialised in the early 20th century, with and 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 English architecture identity; however, it also contains various European elements, with strong Gothic Revival and Neo-Georgian architecture. Christchurch 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 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 the site of a terrorist attack targeting two mosques on 15 March 2019.

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