Historic Events
Find out about the major events in the history of Christchurch. We tell some of the fascinating stories of our city and link to recommended information resources and photographs from our collections.
- Christchurch Chronology
- First, lasts, bests and worsts from Christchurch’s history.
- Christchurch Christmas Parades
- In 2007, Christchurch celebrated the sixtieth anniversary of what was originally known as the Hay’s parade.
- Early Christchurch
- Information on a wide range of topics about the early European settlement of Christchurch and Canterbury. Cover significant events, famous people, famous buildings.
- Grand November Show : to be held in the grounds of the Association, Colombo Street, Christchurch
- The programme for the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association’s exhibition contains event listings, competition rules, prizes, lists of members and advertising. Christchurch, N.Z. : Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association, 1886.
- Lady Wigram Trophy
- Motor racing at Wigram Air Base.
- New Zealand International Exhibition 1906
- The New Zealand International Exhibition held in Christchurch 1906-7 showcased art and culture from around the world and had nearly 2 million visitors.
- New Zealand Politics Timeline
- From European beginnings in New Zealand, 1642 to 2004.
- Historical Newspapers
- Find out how to use our newspaper resources to research past events.
- Snow days
- A brief history of snow in Christchurch.
Death & Disasters
- Ballantynes Fire
- On 18 November 1947 the central Christchurch department store Ballantynes caught fire — 41 people died in one of New Zealand’s worst ever fires.
- The Christchurch Star and the assassination of John F. Kennedy, 1963
- The November 23, 1963 edition of the Star newspaper has been digitised.
- Influenza — the 1918 epidemic
- How Christchurch coped in the 1918 influenza pandemic
- New Zealand Disasters
- Factsheets for children about New Zealand disasters from 1855 - 2011.
- The Parker / Hulme Case
- On June 22nd, 1954, Juliet Hulme and Pauline Parker set out to kill Pauline’s mother. These files, taken from contemporary news reports of the case and other sources, illustrate this famous murder.
- Russley Golf Course Air Crash
- 21 November 1957.
Wars and Conflicts
Images of war and information on New Zealand’s involvement in conflicts including:
