Christchurch

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Christchurch
Christchurch City
Māori: Ōtautahi
Geographical location
Christchurch CC.PNG
Location of Christchurch
Photo from Christchurch
Christchurch City.jpg
Christchurch from the Port Hills seen from
Local authority
Country New Zealand
island South island
region Canterbury
Local authority City
Council Christchurch City Council
mayor Lianne Dalziel
founding 1850
Post Code 8011, 8013, 8014, 8022, 8023, 8024, 8025, 8041, 8042, 8051, 8052, 8053, 8061, 8062, 8081, 8082, 8083
Telephone code +64 (0) 3
UN / LOCODE NZ CHC
Website www.ccc.govt.nz
presentation
Chch FLAG.jpg Chch COA.JPG
flag and emblem
Motto Fide Condita Fructu Beata Spe Fortis
( Founded in faith, rich in fulfillment, strong in hope for the future )
nickname The Garden City
( The Garden City )
geography
Region ISO NZ-CAN
Coordinates 43 ° 32 '  S , 172 ° 38'  E Coordinates: 43 ° 32 '  S , 172 ° 38'  E
Highest elevation 920 m
Lowest point Height of sea level
surface 1 415  km 2
Residents 341 469 (2013)
Population density 241.32 inhabitants per km 2
Statistical data
Public revenue NZ $ 613.5 million  (2015)
Public expenditure NZ $ 753.5 million  (2015)
Number of households 149 559 (2013)
Ø income NZ $ 29,800  (2013)
Māori population 8.1% (2013)
Remarks
Christchurch was struck by a major earthquake measuring 6.3 MW on February 22, 2011.

Christchurch ( ˈkrʌɪsttʃəːtʃ , Māori : Ōtautahi ), officially called Christchurch City , is the largest city ​​( city ) on the South Island of New Zealand and at the same time an independent Territorial Authority in the Canterbury region.

Origin of name

The name was set in the Age of Colonialism ( British Empire ) after Oxford College Christ Church . The already controversial naming was made official by the Canterbury Association on March 27, 1848 and refers to its founder John Robert Godley , who wanted to honor his alma mater . The Māori name of the city is Ōtautahi , named after a Māori chief who settled on the Avon River . In the 1930s a renaming was sought; Ngāi Tahu also advocated the name Karaitiana , a transliteration of the English word christian (dtsch .: Christian or Christian ).

geography

Geographical location

Christchurch has a pure land area of 1,415 square kilometers and counted the Census in 2013 341,469 inhabitants. This makes Christchurch the third largest city in New Zealand in terms of area and the second largest in terms of population. With a population density of 241.3 inhabitants per km², the city is in the middle of all New Zealand cities.

The urban area of Christchurch is bounded to the northwest by the Waimakariri and to the southwest by the Selwyn District . The rest of the urban area is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean .

Christchurch city ​​center is northwest of the Banks Peninsula and borders the Canterbury Plains to the west . The Avon River , the much larger river, the Waimakariri River, passes through the city in the north and at the same time represents the natural border of the urban area to the north.

City structure

The coast off Christchurch

Christchurch is divided into 125 so-called Area Units (districts):

west

McLeans Island , Paparua , Yaldhurst, Islington, Russley, Burnside , Wairarapa , Jellie Park, Hawthornden, Merrin, Westburn, Avonhead West, Avonhead, Ilam, Fendalton, Upper Riccarton, Broomfield, Hornby North, Hornby South, Sockburn , Wharenui , Wigram

north

Belfast, Styx, Sawyers Arms, Belfast South, Bishopdale North, Harewood, Bishopdale, Styx Mill, Casebrook, Northcote , Aorangi, Papanui , Redwood North, Redwood South, Rutland, Highfield Park , Mairehau North , Mairehau , Shirley West

Center

Bryndwr, Deans Bush, Strowan, Holmwood, Mona Vale, Riccarton West, Riccarton, Riccarton South, Middleton, Barrington North, Merivale, Hagley Park, Addington, Spreydon, St. Albans East, Edgeware, Avon Loop, Cathedral Square, Sydenham, Richmond North, Richmond South, Linwood, Philipstown, Waltham

east

Preston, Westhaven, Shirley East, Burwood, Dallington, Avonside, Linwood North, Linwood East, Woolston West, Ensors, Travis Wetland, Travis, Avondale , Wainoni , Parklands , Waimairi Beach, North Beach , Rawhiti, Aranui , Bexley , New Brighton , Bromley, Ferrymead, South Brighton, Avon-Heathcote Estuary

south

Halswell West, Oaklands West, Aidanfield, Oaklands East, Halswell Domain, Halswell South, Hillmorton, Hoon Hay, Hoon Hay South, Hendersons Basin, Westmoreland, Kennedys Bush, Barrington South, Somerfield, Beckenham, St Martins, Cashmere West, Cashmere East , Opawa , Woolston South , Rapaki Track, Heathcote Valley, Mt Pleasent, Moncks Bay , Lyttelton , Sumner

Banks Peninsula

Governors Bay, Diamond Harbor, Port Levy, Little River, Inland Water Lake Ellesmere South, Banks Peninsula Eastern Bays , Akaroa Harbor , Akaroa , Inlets-Banks, Peninsula Bays

climate

Unlike most of the Canterbury districts , Christchurch is mostly influenced by northeasterly winds. Southwest winds are the second most common. The annual amounts of precipitation are unevenly distributed in the urban area. While the Banks Peninsula has around 1200 mm of rainfall, the rest of the urban area is comparatively dry with around 700 mm. The average daytime temperatures are between 16 ° C and 22 ° C in summer, depending on the altitude, and between 2 ° C and 5 ° C in winter. The urban area can offer around 2000 hours of sunshine per year.

history

Christchurch in 1913, taken from the tower of ChristChurch Cathedral

Based on archaeological finds in a cave on the Redcliffs, it is assumed that the area around Christchurch was first settled by tribes of Moa hunters . Oral traditions among the Māori tell of people who lived there as early as 1000 AD. These first inhabitants were followed by the Waitaha , who are believed to have moved here from the east coast of the North Island in the 16th century. Other tribes such as the Kāti Māmoe and Ngāi Tahu followed until around 1830.

Even if a few European settlers lived in the area before 1830, the first large batch of Europeans arrived on December 16, 1850 when the First Four Ships , chartered by the Canterbury Association , arrived in Lyttelton Harbor . These four ships were named Randolph , Charlotte Jane , Sir George Seymour and Cressy .

Captain Thomas , the Canterbury Association land surveyor , surveyed the entire area. In December 1849 he commissioned the construction of a road from Port Cooper , later Lyttelton , via Sumner to Christchurch . This project almost threatened to fail, as a steep passage had to be created over the hill between the harbor and the Heathcote valley in order to get to the proposed settlement. This path became known as the Bridle Path because it was so steep that horses had to be led by the bridle. In the early 1960s, a road tunnel was built at this point and now the New Zealand State Highway 73 runs there .

Goods too heavy or too bulky for the packhorses were shipped in small sailboats the eight miles up the coast and inland to Ferrymead . The Ferrymead Railway , New Zealand's first public railroad, ran from Ferrymead to Christchurch from 1863 . The Ferrymead Heritage Park is still a reminder of the traffic routes of that time. Because of the dangers on the Bridle Path as well as on the sea route, a railway tunnel was created between Lyttelton and Christchurch , which was opened in 1876.

Basis of the US Antarctic program in the International Antarctic Center

On July 31, 1856, Christchurch was granted city rights, which is why it is the oldest city in New Zealand . Many of the neo-Gothic buildings by the architect Benjamin Mountfort are from this period. Christchurch played an important role in the history of the Antarctic expeditions. Both Robert Falcon Scott and Ernest Shackleton used Lyttelton Harbor as their starting point for their travels. A statue of Scott , made by his widow Kathleen Scott , in the city center commemorates this.

Christchurch International Airport is still used as the starting point for Italian and American ( Operation Deepfreeze ) Antarctic programs. The International Antarctic Center is ideal as a base camp but also as a museum and visitor center.

On November 18, 1947, the worst fire disaster in New Zealand history occurred in Christchurch when an office building caught fire and 41 people died in the flames.

In 1974 Christchurch hosted the British Commonwealth Games . The city has given its name to Mount Christchurch , a 1355  m high mountain in Antarctica, since 1904 .

On March 15, 2019, at least 50 people were killed and 50 others were injured, some seriously , in a terrorist attack on two mosques in Christchurch .

earthquake

4 September 2010 at 4:35 pm ( local time ) was Christchurch from an earthquake measuring 7.1  M W afflicted. Several houses were damaged and there were no human lives to be mourned. The epicenter of the quake, which went down in the city's history as the Darfield earthquake, was around 40 kilometers west of the city near Darfield and its hypocenter at a depth of around 10 kilometers , according to the state earthquake monitoring station GeoNet .

Building on Bealey Avenue in central Christchurch, destroyed in the 2011 earthquake

On February 22, 2011 (occurred at 12:51 AM local time ) again a major earthquake, this time measuring 6.3  M W . Since the epicenter of the quake was only ten kilometers southwest of the city center and the hypocenter at a depth of only five kilometers, this time it caused much greater damage than the quake in September 2010. A number of buildings collapsed, with the city center being hardest hit. According to official information, 185 people were killed. 115 people died in the collapse of the Canterbury Television building alone . The heavily damaged buildings included many listed historic buildings, such as the steeple of ChristChurch Cathedral and parts of the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament . Gerry Brownlee , Minister for Earthquake Recovery , said on March 7th that parts of Christchurch would have to be abandoned and up to 10,000 homes would have to be demolished. It was also estimated that around 100,000 homes were in need of repair. As a result of the earthquake, an estimated 70,000 people left the city within a week of the quake. By 2016, 12,000 houses in the east of the city had been demolished. It is still not clear whether and, if so, in what form the cathedral will be built again in the same place. The main problem with general reconstruction is soil liquefaction : Christchurch is located in a coastal floodplain that has been drained. The soil consists mainly of maritime sediments and sand, which absorbed large amounts of water during the quake and endangers the stability of the houses.

On February 14, 2016 was another earthquake in Christchurch , which this time has a thickness of 5.7 M W reached. The epicenter was about 13 km east of Christchurch in the Pacific, the hypocenter at a depth of 14 km. The damage remained minor.

population

A historic tram in the city

Of the 341,469 inhabitants of the city in 2013, 27,768 inhabitants were of Māori origin (8.1%). This means that 4.6% of the country's Māori population lived in the city.

When asked about ethnic group membership in the 2013 census, 83.9% said they were European, 8.5% said they had Māori roots, 3.1% came from the islands of the Pacific and 9 , 4% came from Asia (multiple answers were possible). 22.2% of the population said they were born overseas. The second most spoken language in Christchurch is Māori with 1.8%, among the Māori 15.7%. The median income in the population in 2013 was NZ $ 29,800  , compared to NZ $ 28,500 national average.

politics

administration

The city is the administrative seat of the Canterbury Region and the Canterbury Regional Council . The Christchurch City Council, on the other hand, is the elected council of the City of Christchurch . The 16 Councilors (council members) together with the Mayor (mayor) form the City Council and are re-elected every three years. Christchurch is currently politically divided into sixteen ward s (administrative units):

  • Harewood Ward , with 20,886 residents
  • Waimairi Ward , with 21,552 residents
  • Hornby Ward , with 21,654 residents
  • Innes Ward , with 22,278 residents
  • Papanui Ward , with 23,094 residents
  • Fendalton Ward , with 22,569 residents
  • Riccarton Ward , with 23,181 residents
  • Central Ward , with 21,333 residents
  • Halswell Ward , with 19,476 residents
  • Spreydon Ward , with 23,118 residents
  • Cashmere Ward , with 20,982 residents
  • Costal Ward , with 23,244 residents
  • Burwood Ward , with 23,436 residents
  • Linwood Ward , with 23,340 residents
  • Heathcote Ward , with 23,124 residents
  • Banks Peninsula Ward , with 8223 residents
The Akaroa Harbor on Banks Peninsula , southeast of Christchurch

In October 2016, the city was redistributed and divided into 16  wards . Each ward has since sent a councilor to Christchurch City Council . Until then, the city was divided into seven wards :

  • Fendalton - Waimairi Ward
  • Riccarton-Wigram Ward
  • Shirley - Papanui Ward
  • Burwood-Pegasus Ward
  • Spreydon-Heathcote Ward
  • Hagley-Ferrymead Ward
  • Banks Peninsula Ward

Town twinning

In addition to the partnership with the city of the same name in England, Christchurch has partnerships with five other cities and one region:

Sister City
Friendly City
Friendship Agreement

economy

Christchurch Airport

The regional economy used to be based on agriculture in the Canterbury Plains . In the surrounding area mainly sheep and dairy farming were operated. The early establishment of the University of Canterbury and the close collaboration of academic institutions with regional companies boosted the industry. The region is now home to a large number of new economy companies.

Tourism is an important branch of the economy . The proximity to the ski areas and other sights in the New Zealand Alps and the city itself make Christchurch attractive for a transitory stay of many tourists. In the 2011 earthquake, however, numerous cultural monuments were destroyed or damaged, while others were located in the temporarily cordoned off city center.

traffic

In terms of traffic, Christchurch is connected by the New Zealand State Highway 1 , which connects the city with the northern and southern parts of the South Island. From the city to the west branches off the State Highway 73 , which connects the city with the west coast. The State Highway 75 is a highway within the city area. It connects the Banks Peninsula with the city center.

Christchurch is connected to the South Island Main Trunk Railway , which crosses the entire South Island. The section to the north, the Main North Line , is regularly used by the Coastal Pacific up to the Picton terminal. The Main South Line runs south via Dunedin to Invercargill . Until February 2002 the Southerner operated on this part of the railways . Passenger transport was discontinued for reasons of economy , since then this section has only been used for freight transport. However, a reactivation of passenger traffic to Invercargill or at least to Dunedin is planned.

The TranzAlpine starts in Christchurch and crosses the New Zealand Alps on the Midland Line and connects the city with the destination station Greymouth on the West Coast . The route is particularly important for tourism because of its impressive course.

Another short railway line connects the city through the Lyttelton Rail Tunnel with Lyttelton in the south at Lyttelton Harbor and its seaport for freight traffic.

The city can be reached via the Christchurch International Airport, which is 9 km northwest of the city center, from Asia as well as from Australia and America .

Attractions

The neo-Gothic Anglican ChristChurch Cathedral was the center of the city. The cathedral owed the metal spire to the many earthquakes that caused the stone structure to collapse several times. In the last major earthquake on February 22, 2011, the cathedral was so badly damaged that it was decided to demolish it. In August 2013 a temporary replacement, the " Transitional Cathedral ", was inaugurated as the first public building after the earthquake. It is also known as the Cardboard Cathedral because it essentially consists of lacquered cardboard tubes the diameter of a tree. It was designed by the Japanese architect Shigeru Ban .

Located in Cathedral Square is the former Main Post Office , where a large tourist office was located until the last earthquake. Downtown Christchurch is located around the former cathedral . The most important shops and a large gastronomic offer were located here. The city center is accessible again after the closure and some hotels are reopened. A large part of the inner city buildings were demolished. Most stores are housed in makeshift containers on Cashel Street . There was also new construction in 2015.

The Roman Catholic Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament was built between 1901 and 1905 in a neo-Renaissance style. The church was badly damaged in the earthquakes and its future has not yet been decided.

In the old university quarter there is now the so-called Arts Center with a wide range of cultural offers from the cinema to the handicraft market. Diagonally across from the Arts Center is the Art Gallery , whose collection includes old European paintings through to exhibitions and installations by New Zealand artists.

The botanical garden is also within walking distance. From there you can take a boat tour of the park on the Avon River. Right on the edge of the botanical garden, you can visit the Canterbury Museum for free .

A tourist attraction is the restored tram , the history of which goes back to 1880. Operations are currently only running on part of the original route.

The largest city on the South Island of New Zealand welcomes the spring when the first bar-tailed godwits ( Godwits ) according to their record flights from the Arctic coming in the shallow estuary of the two rivers Heathcote River and Avon River land. As soon as the first of the 40 centimeter large migratory birds are sighted on the beach, the bells of the cathedral ring the next day at 12 noon storm. They are affectionately adopted every autumn. Before leaving, crowds of bird lovers make a pilgrimage to the beach, where a Māori priest blesses the woodcock before the long journey.

  • The ruins of the Anglican ChristChurch Cathedral (the largely preserved structure is to be restored after a decision by the diocese in 2017)

  • The Christ Church Cathedral before its destruction in December 2011 (here after a recording from 2006)

  • The Arts Center

  • The city bus 1973–1974

  • The Catholic Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament

  • " Red zone " in the city center closed due to earthquake damage (hatched red, as of April 2012)

  • After the quake, the ReStart Mall was built from containers in the city center .

Also in the center is the Bridge of Remembrance , a memorial to the New Zealand war dead of the First World War .

Events

Personalities

Sons and daughters of the town:

People related to the city:

  • Elizabeth McCombs (1873-1935), Labor Party politician and first woman elected to New Zealand Parliament; spent part of her youth in Christchurch , was a member of the city council and died there too.
  • Karl Popper (1902-1994), was a philosopher, 1937-1945 lecturer at the University of Christchurch, where he, among others, his work The Open Society and Its Enemies ( The Open Society and Its Enemies wrote).

See also

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e 2013 Census QuickStats about a place: Christchurch City - Population and dwellings . Statistics New Zealand , accessed August 10, 2016 .
  2. ↑ a b c d e Christchurch City Council . In: Local Council . Department of Internal Affairs , accessed August 10, 2016 .
  3. ↑ DJ Cowie : How Christchurch Got Its Name: A Controverted Subject . In: The New Zealand Railways Magazine . Volume 9 , Issue 4 , July 2, 1934, pp.  31 (English, online [accessed April 11, 2019]).
  4. ↑ Ōtautahi - Christchurch . Christchurch City Liberaries , accessed April 11, 2019 .
  5. ↑ Christchurch City Area Unit Boundaries , 2013. (PDF 1.2 MB) Christchurch City Council , accessed on August 10, 2016 .
  6. ↑ GR Macara : The Climate and Weather of Canterbury . In: NIWA Science and Technologies Series . 2nd Edition. No.  68 . National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research , 2016, ISSN  1173-0382 , p. 12, 16, 24, 29 (English, online [PDF; 6.6 MB ; accessed on August 11, 2016]).
  7. ^ Civic funeral for 41 Ballantyne's fire victims . In: New Zealand History . Ministry for Culture & Heritage , November 18, 2016, accessed April 9, 2019 .
  8. ↑ Assassination attempt in Christchurch - police find more dead. In: Spiegel Online. Spiegel Online GmbH, March 16, 2019, accessed on March 16, 2019 .
  9. ↑ M 7.1, Darfield (Canterbury) , September 4 2010. GeoNet - GNS Science , accessed on February 15, 2011 (English).
  10. ↑ 15 more earthquake victims named . In: New Zealand Herald . NZME. Publishing , March 6, 2011, accessed March 6, 2011 .
  11. ↑ Woman's death lifts earthquake toll to 185 . In: The Press . Fairfax Media , February 10, 2012, accessed February 12, 2012 .
  12. ^ List of deceased . Police of New Zealand , September 8, 2011, accessed April 11, 2019 .
  13. ^ Parts of Christchurch to be abandoned . Otago Daily Times , March 7, 2011, accessed March 7, 2011 .
  14. ↑ Mayor puts number who have fled Christchurch at 70,000 . Radio New Zealand , March 2, 2011, accessed March 6, 2011 .
  15. ↑ Ingrid Norbu: New Zealand - Difficult new beginning in Christchurch. In: Deutschlandfunk. Deutschlandradio, February 8, 2016, accessed on March 16, 2019 .
  16. ↑ Severe Chch quake: What you need to know . In: Stuff - National . Fairfax Media , February 15, 2016, accessed April 11, 2019 .
  17. ↑ 2013 Census QuickStats about a place: Christchurch City - Cultural diversity . Statistics New Zealand , accessed August 10, 2016 .
  18. ^ Council wards. Christchurch City Council, accessed March 17, 2017 .
  19. ^ New wards and representation. Christchurch City Council, accessed August 10, 2016 .
  20. ^ Sister Cities Program. Christchurch City Council, accessed August 10, 2016 .
  21. ↑ Christ Church Cathedral to be pulled down . In: stuff - national . Fairfax Media , March 2, 2012, accessed April 5, 2018 .
  22. ↑ Susann Sitzler : Christchurch - Hope made of cardboard . In: The time . May 15, 2014 ( online [accessed April 5, 2018]).
  23. ↑ Sissi Stein-Abel: Heralds of spring on the long haul - the arrival of the stamina-strong woodcock is celebrated in New Zealand with bells ringing. In: Berliner Zeitung . September 15, 2007, accessed June 10, 2015 .
  24. ^ Foundation German Historical Museum: Just seen on LeMO: LeMO biography. Retrieved November 1, 2019 .