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
- Christchurch Christmas Parades
- Early Christchurch
- New Zealand International Exhibition 1906
- New Zealand Cup and Show Week and Canterbury Anniversary
- Historical Newspapers
- Snow days
Death and disasters
- Ballantynes’ Fire
- Christchurch and Canterbury earthquakes
- The Christchurch Star and the assassination of John F. Kennedy, 1963
- Influenza — the 1918 epidemic
- How Christchurch coped in the 1918 influenza pandemic
- New Zealand Disasters
- The Parker / Hulme Case
- Russley Golf Course Air Crash
Wars and Conflicts
The New Zealand Government has developed WW100, a programme to mark the First World War centenary from 2014 to 2018. Our WW100 page links to World War 1 content as well as events and activities in Christchurch and Canterbury.
New Zealanders at War summarises the New Zealand war experience and some key resources. We have a lot of information about New Zealand’s involvement in conflicts including:
