Agriculture is the historic mainstay of Christchurch's economy. 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. The Canterbury Association, which settled the Canterbury Plains, named the city after Christ Church, Oxford. Ĭhristchurch became a city by Royal Charter on 31 July 1856, making it officially the oldest established city in New Zealand. Over time Ngāi Tahu would develop a large pā based around Kaiapoi, which was a major centre for the trade of pounamu. In the 16th and 17th centuries, the Ngāi Tahu migrated to the area and subjugated the Kāti Māmoe. They were followed later by the Kāti Māmoe, who conquered the Waitaha. 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 hunted moa, which was extinct by 1450 AD, and destroyed much of the mataī and tōtara forest. The first inhabitants migrated to the area sometime between 10 AD.

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. Christchurch is the major urban area of an emerging sub-region known informally as Greater Christchurch. Christchurch is the second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand, after Auckland. The population of the urban area is 380,600 people. The city's territorial authority population is 392,100 people, and includes a number of smaller urban areas as well as rural areas. The Avon River / Ōtākaro flows through the centre of the city, with an urban park located along its banks. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. High, Manchester and Lichfield Streets in Christchurch, 1923Ĭhristchurch ( / ˈ k r aɪ s tʃ ɜːr tʃ/ KRYSS-church Māori: Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region.

Quake 3 arena