Christchurch

Christchurch Ōtautahi (Māori)
City
Christchurch Central City (2020) Banks Peninsula and Akaroa Harbour Bridge of Remembrance Hagley Park Sumner and Southshore Christchurch Art Gallery
Flag Coat of arms
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 Linwood-Central-Heathcote 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]	20 m (70 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, after Auckland.^[a] Christchurch lies 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 Banks Peninsula. The Avon River / Ōtākaro flows through the centre of the city, with a large urban park along its banks. Christchurch has a reputation for being an 'English' city, with its architectural identity and common nickname the "Garden City" due to similarities with garden cities in England.

The city's territorial authority population is 396,200 people, and includes a number of smaller urban areas as well as rural areas.^[4] Notable satellite towns within the Greater Christchurch sub-region include Rangiora and Kaiapoi in Waimakariri District, north of the Waimakariri River, and Rolleston and Lincoln in Selwyn District to the south. Christchurch is served by the Christchurch Airport in Harewood, the country's second-busiest airport.

The area of modern-day greater Christchurch was originally swampland with patchworks of marshland. Evidence of human activity in the area goes as far back as 1250 AD with evidence of prolonged occupation by prehistoric Māori people beginning no later than 1350. The area of Christchurch was an important foraging ground and a seasonal settlement for local iwi and hapū before the arrival of Europeans. Christchurch was established as a British colonial settlement in the mid-nineteenth century. The First Four Ships were chartered by the Canterbury Association and brought the first 792 of 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. Later, industrialisation and the opening of the Main South Line railway and the connection to Lyttelton Harbour by the Lyttelton Rail Tunnel saw rapid growth in the city's economy and population, with large industrial premises built along the railway. The city has been recognised as an Antarctic gateway since 1901, when the Discovery Expedition left from Lyttelton Harbour, and is nowadays one of the five Antarctic gateway cities hosting Antarctic support bases for several nations. Christchurch hosted the 1974 British Commonwealth Games at the purpose-built Queen Elizabeth II Park. The early presence of the University of Canterbury and the heritage of the city's academic institutions in association with local businesses has fostered a number of technology-based industries.

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. The city later became the site of a terrorist attack targeting two mosques on 15 March 2019.

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