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Christchurch

1843 establishments in New ZealandChristchurchFormer provincial capitals of New ZealandPages with non-numeric formatnum argumentsPopulated places established in 1843
Use New Zealand English from July 2016
New Regent St Christchurch. (10588849634)
New Regent St Christchurch. (10588849634)

Christchurch ( KRYSSE-church; Māori: Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / Ōtākaro flows through the centre of the city, with an urban park along its banks. The city's territorial authority population is 389,300 people, and includes a number of smaller urban areas as well as rural areas. The population of the urban area is 377,900 people. Christchurch is the second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand, after Auckland. It is the major urban area of an emerging sub-region known as Greater Christchurch. Notable smaller urban areas within this sub-region include Rangiora and Kaiapoi in Waimakariri District, north of the Waimakariri River, and Rolleston and Lincoln in Selwyn District to the south. The first inhabitants migrated to the area sometime between 1000 and 1250 AD. They hunted moa, which led to the birds' extinction by 1450, and destroyed much of the mataī and tōtara forest. The first iwi to settle the area that would later become known as Christchurch were the Waitaha, who migrated to the area in the 16th century. They were followed later by the Kāti Māmoe, who conquered the Waitaha. In the 16th and 17th centuries, the Ngāi Tahu migrated to the area and subjugated the Kāti Māmoe. Over time Ngāi Tahu would develop a large pā based around Kaiapoi, which was a major centre for the trade of pounamu.Christchurch became a city by Royal Charter on 31 July 1856, making it officially the oldest established city in New Zealand. The Canterbury Association, which settled the Canterbury Plains, named the city after Christ Church, Oxford. The new settlement was laid out in a grid pattern centred on Cathedral Square; during the 19th century there were few barriers to the rapid growth of the urban area, except for the Pacific to the east and the Port Hills to the south. Agriculture is the historic mainstay of Christchurch's economy. 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. Christchurch is one of five Antarctic gateway cities, hosting Antarctic support bases for several nations.The city suffered a series of earthquakes between September 2010 and January 2012, with the most destructive occurring at 12.51 p.m. 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. By late 2013, 1,500 buildings in the city had been demolished, leading to ongoing recovery and rebuilding projects. The city later became the site of a terrorist attack targeting two mosques on 15 March 2019, in which 51 people were killed, and which was described by the Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, as "one of New Zealand's darkest days".

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Christchurch (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Christchurch
Armagh Footbridge, Christchurch Central City

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Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N -43.53 ° E 172.62027777778 °
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Address

Weather Station Lawn

Armagh Footbridge
8440 Christchurch, Central City
Canterbury, New Zealand
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New Regent St Christchurch. (10588849634)
New Regent St Christchurch. (10588849634)
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Ellerslie Flower Show
Ellerslie Flower Show

The Ellerslie International Flower Show was an annual garden show held in New Zealand. Previously held in the city of Auckland, the show moved to Christchurch at Hagley Park in 2008. Attendance is several tens of thousands of people at each event during the five days in which it is open to the public. The show has been held every year since 1994, except 1997 and 2011 (when it was cancelled due to the Christchurch earthquake).The first show was held in the Auckland suburb of Ellerslie at the Ellerslie Racecourse in 1994. The members of The Rotary Club of Auckland wanted to establish a unique fundraiser to raise money for local charities, so they decided to host an event modelled on the famous Chelsea Flower Show in England. As of 2007, it has distributed a total of $700,000 for charity. In 1998, it was moved to Manurewa, South Auckland, where it was held at the Auckland Botanic Gardens until the final show November 2007. In 2004, the Rotary Club of Auckland sold the business to EFS Charitable Trust and SMC Group Ltd which now operates the event, with the intention of providing support at a community level and to the horticultural industry. On 19 November 2007, the organisers sold the name and their services to the Christchurch City Council for NZ$3 million. The show is worth $14 million to the regional economy each year. Auckland Regional Council chairman Mike Lee suggests that a new flower show will be organised in Auckland to replace the Ellerslie Flower Show. The initial show in Christchurch, held in March 2009, attracted 75,000 visitors. Attendance in 2010 was 55,000, the 2011 event was cancelled due to the Canterbury Earthquakes, 45,000 attended in 2012 (that year, the show experienced adverse weather conditions). 2013 attendance is not yet known (in 2018!...), but the organisers think that attendance might be down compared to the previous year.On 2 December 2007, Auckland Flower Show Ltd announced that they will be continuing the tradition of the annual flower shows in Auckland with the Auckland Flower Show 2008, but to date nothing has eventuated.