Canterbury Waitaha (Māori)
Region of New Zealand
Canterbury Region
Canterbury Region in New Zealand
Coordinates: 43°36′S 172°00′E / 43.6°S 172.0°E / -43.6; 172.0
Country	New Zealand
Island	South Island
Established	1989
Seat	Christchurch
Territorial authorities	List Kaikōura District Hurunui District Selwyn District Waimakariri District Christchurch City Ashburton District Mackenzie District Timaru District Waimate District Waitaki District (59.61%)
Government
• Body	Canterbury Regional Council
• Chairperson	Peter Scott
Area [1]
• Land	44,503.60 km2 (17,182.94 sq mi)
Population  (June 2023)[2]
• Region	666,300
Demonym	Cantabrian
GDP [3]
• Total	NZ$ 44.032 billion (2021)
• Per capita	NZ$ 67,400 (2021)
Time zone	UTC+12 (NZST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+13 (NZDT)
HDI (2021)	0.938[4] very high · 4th

Canterbury (Māori: Waitaha) is a region of New Zealand, located in the central-eastern South Island. The region covers an area of 44,503.88 square kilometres (17,183.04 sq mi), making it the largest region in the country by area. It is home to a population of 666,300 (June 2023).^[2]

The region in its current form was established in 1989 during nationwide local government reforms. The Kaikōura District joined the region in 1992 following the abolition of the Nelson-Marlborough Regional Council.

Christchurch, the South Island's largest city and the country's second-largest urban area, is the seat of the region and home to 58 percent of the region's population. Other major towns and cities include Timaru, Ashburton, Rangiora and Rolleston.

History

Natural history

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The land, water, flora, and fauna of Canterbury has a long history, stretching from creation of the greywacke basement rocks that make up the Southern Alps to the arrival of the first humans. This history is linked to the creation of the earth, the solidification and development of tectonic plates, the development of oceans and then life itself.

The region is a part of the larger Zealandia continent, itself a part of the larger Australian and Pacific tectonic plates. In the first instance, the land is based upon the constructive tectonic forces of this convergent and transformational tectonic plate boundary. In the second instance, the erosive forces of rain, snow, ice, and rock grinding against rock have developed large gravel fans that extend out from the mountains. In the third instance, there is volcanism punching through the basement rocks and blanket of sediments to the surface. Upon this solid foundation, and slowly over the billions of years, life made up of a countless generations of interconnected adaptations developed into the unique flora and fauna of Aotearoa/New Zealand. The remnants populations of these unique species are visible today in the publicly protected conservation lands.

The species of Waitaha/Canterbury were adapted to the climate and geography that traverses inland from the coastline to the highest peaks, and from the warmer climes in the north to the colder in the south.

Before European settlement

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The Canterbury Region was sparsely populated by Ngāi Tahu Māori before the arrival of European settlers.

Colonisation

In 1848, Edward Gibbon Wakefield, a Briton, and John Robert Godley, an Anglo-Irish aristocrat, founded the Canterbury Association to establish an Anglican colony in the South Island. The colony was based upon theories developed by Wakefield while in prison for eloping with a woman not-of-age. Due to ties to the University of Oxford, the Canterbury Association succeeded in raising sufficient funds and recruiting middle-class and upper-class settlers.^[5] In April 1850, a preliminary group led by Godley landed at Port Cooper – modern-day Lyttelton Harbour / Whakaraupō^[6] – and established a port, housing and shops in preparation for the main body of settlers. In December 1850, the first wave of 750 settlers arrived at Lyttelton in a fleet of four ships.^[5]

Following 1850, the province's economy developed with the introduction of sheep farming. The Canterbury region's tussock plains in particular were suitable for extensive sheep farming. Since they were highly valued by settlers for their meat and wool, there were over half a million sheep in the region by the early 1850s. By the 1860s, this figure had risen to three million.^[5] During this period, the architect Benjamin Mountfort designed many civic and ecclesiastical buildings in the Gothic Revival style.

Canterbury Province

The Canterbury Province was formed in 1853 following the passing of the New Zealand Constitution Act 1852. It was formed from part of New Munster Province and covered the middle part of the South Island, stretching from the east coast to the west coast. The province was abolished, along with other provinces of New Zealand, when the Abolition of the Provinces Act came into force on 1 November 1876.^[7] The modern Canterbury Region has slightly different boundaries, particularly in the north, where it includes some districts from the old Nelson Province.

2010–2011 earthquakes

September 2010

A magnitude 7.1 earthquake occurred in the region on Saturday 4 September 2010, at 04:35 am.^[8] It caused no direct fatalities, but caused serious damage to buildings and infrastructure. The epicentre was located 40 kilometres (25 mi) west of Christchurch; 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) south-east of Darfield,^[9] and had a depth of 10 kilometres (6.2 mi).

Sewers were damaged, gas and water lines were broken, and power to up to 75% of the city was disrupted.

A local state of emergency was declared at 10:16 am on 4 September for the city, and evacuations of parts were planned to begin later in the day.^[10] People inside the Christchurch city centre were evacuated, and the city's central business district remained closed until 5 September.^[11] A curfew from 7 pm on 4 September to 7 am on 5 September was put in place.^[12] The New Zealand Army was also deployed to assist police and enforce the curfew.

The earthquake was reported to have caused widespread damage and power outages. There were 63 reported aftershocks in the first 48 hours, with three registering 5.2 magnitude. Christchurch residents reported chimneys falling in through roofs, cracked ceilings and collapsed brick walls.^[13] The total insurance costs of this event were estimated to reach up to $11 billion, according to the New Zealand Treasury.^[14][15]

February 2011

A large aftershock of magnitude 6.3 occurred on 22 February 2011 at 12:51 pm. It was centred just to the north of Lyttelton, 10 kilometres south-east of Christchurch, at a depth of 5 km.^[16] Although lower on the moment magnitude scale than the quake of September 2010, the intensity and violence of the ground shaking was measured to be VIII on the MMI, which is among the strongest ever recorded globally in an urban area due to the shallowness and proximity of the epicentre.^[17]

In contrast to the September 2010 quake, the February 2011 earthquake struck on a busy weekday afternoon. This, along with the strength of the quakes, and the proximity to the city centre, resulted in 181 deaths.^[18]

This event promptly resulted in the declaration of New Zealand's first National State of Emergency. Many buildings and landmarks were severely damaged, including the iconic Shag Rock and Christchurch Cathedral.

June 2011

On 13 June 2011 at about 1:00 pm New Zealand time, Christchurch was again rocked by a magnitude 5.7 quake, followed by a magnitude 6.3 quake (initially thought to be 6.0) at 2:20 pm, centred in a similar location to that of the February quake with a depth of 6.0 kilometres. Dozens of aftershocks occurred over the following days, including several over magnitude 4.

Phone lines and power were lost in some suburbs, and liquefaction surfaced mainly in the eastern areas of the city which were worst affected following the aftershocks.^[19] Many residents in and around the hillside suburb of Sumner self-evacuated.^[20]

Further damage was reported to buildings inside the cordoned central business district, with an estimate of 75 additional buildings needing demolition.^[21] Among the buildings further damaged was the Christchurch Cathedral, which lost its iconic rose window,^[22] a factor reducing the likelihood of the cathedral being restored.^[23]

There was only one death recorded following the quake; however, there were many injuries.

Geography

The area administered by the Canterbury Regional Council consists of all the river catchments on the east coast of the South Island from that of the Waiau Toa / Clarence River, north of Kaikōura, to that of the Waitaki River, in South Canterbury. It is New Zealand's largest region by area, with an area of 45,346 km².

Canterbury was traditionally bounded in the north by the Conway River, to the west by the Southern Alps, and to the south by the Waitaki River. The area is commonly divided into North Canterbury (north of the Rakaia River to the Conway River), Mid Canterbury (from the Rakaia River to the Rangitata River), South Canterbury (south of the Rangitata River to the Waitaki River) and Christchurch City.

Climate

Demographics

Canterbury Region covers 44,503.60 km² (17,182.94 sq mi).^[1] Statistics New Zealand estimates the population of Canterbury is 666,300 as of June 2023, which gives a population density of 15.0 people per km². The region is home to 12.8% of New Zealand's population.^[2]

Canterbury had a population of 651,027 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 51,333 people (8.6%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 111,594 people (20.7%) since the 2013 census. There were 282,039 dwellings. The median age was 39.1 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 113,751 people (17.5%) aged under 15 years, 125,919 (19.3%) aged 15 to 29, 297,828 (45.7%) aged 30 to 64, and 113,520 (17.4%) aged 65 or older.^[26]

Canterbury Region had a population of 599,694 at the 2018 New Zealand census. There were 225,408 households, comprising 299,397 males and 300,297 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.0 males per female.

Of those at least 15 years old, 104,658 (21.3%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 87,948 (17.9%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $33,700, compared with $31,800 nationally. 83,262 people (17.0%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 250,845 (51.1%) people were employed full-time, 75,861 (15.5%) were part-time, and 15,864 (3.2%) were unemployed.^[27]

Urban areas

Largest cities or towns in Canterbury Statistics New Zealand June 2023 estimate[2]
	Rank		Territorial authority	Municipal pop.
Christchurch Rolleston	1	Christchurch	Christchurch City	384,800	Timaru Ashburton
	2	Rolleston	Selwyn District	29,600
	3	Timaru	Timaru District	28,900
	4	Ashburton	Ashburton District	20,800
	5	Rangiora	Waimakariri District	19,600
	6	Kaiapoi	Waimakariri District	13,600
	7	Lincoln	Selwyn District	10,250
	8	Prebbleton	Selwyn District	5,280
	9	Temuka	Timaru District	4,680
	10	Woodend	Waimakariri District	4,550

Culture and identity

Ethnicities in the 2023 census were 80.3% European/Pākehā, 10.6% Māori, 3.7% Pasifika, 13.3% Asian, 1.6% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders, and 1.3% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.^[26]

In 2018, the percentage of people born overseas was 23.2, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 51.0% had no religion, 37.1% were Christian, 0.4% had Māori religious beliefs, 1.3% were Hindu, 0.8% were Muslim, 0.7% were Buddhist and 2.2% had other religions.

Largest groups of overseas-born residents^[28]

Nationality	Population (2018)
England	28,719
Philippines	13,650
Mainland China	11,553
Australia	10,428
India	8,823
South Africa	6,195
Scotland	3,798
Fiji	3,672
United States	3,483
Samoa	3,339

In the 2013 census, just under 20 percent of Canterbury's population was born overseas, compared to 25 percent for New Zealand as a whole. The British Isles remains the largest region of origin, accounting for 36.5 percent of the overseas-born population in Canterbury. Around a quarter of Canterbury's overseas-born population at the 2013 Census had been living in New Zealand for less than five years, and 11 percent had been living in New Zealand for less than two years (i.e. they moved to New Zealand after the 2011 Christchurch earthquake).^[29][30]

Anglicanism is the largest Christian denomination in Canterbury with 14.8 percent affiliating, while Catholicism is the second-largest with 12.7 percent affiliating.^[30]