Local History
Explore local history - the people and places of Ōtautahi.
Ancestry Library Edition
Free remotely until 30 September. Trace your family history. Includes records from U.S., U.K., Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.
Featured event
Family History help drop-in sessions
Upper Riccarton & Shirley Libraries
Regular weekly sessions with someone from the New Zealand Society of Genealogists - Upper Riccarton on Wednesdays and Shirley on Saturdays.
Local and family history events
Featured local history
Researching the history of a house in Ōtautahi/Christchurch
How old is my house? How has it changed over time? Who else has lived there? Find resources and tips to help answer these questions.
The Samuel Anstey Collection - Canterbury Stories
Images of the early 1900s from the Samuel Anstey collection are now in focus on digital heritage site Canterbury Stories.
Christchurch history
Books to read if you want in introduction to the history of Christchurch. A Christchurch City Libraries list.
Popular resources
Popular resources
Picturing Canterbury
Holiday at Rakautara, north of Kaikoura
A family photo of a holiday in Rakautara goes sideways, 1970s. An entry in the 2018 Photo Hunt. Photo Hunt 2020 runs 18 Sept to 1 Nov.
Cathedral Square traffic bollard: Picturing Canterbury
A traffic inspector checks a traffic bollard in Cathedral Square, 1942. An image from the Discovery Wall.
South African War veterans: Picturing Canterbury
Veterans laying a wreath to commemorate the signing of the South African War peace treaty, 1969. An image from the Discovery Wall
Discovery Wall
Tūranga is the home of NZ’s largest digital touchwall. Find out more, and how you can contribute to this unique heritage resource.
Tī Kōuka Whenua
Explore the vibrant past of Christchurch and the wider Canterbury region that extends back many hundreds of years before 1850.
