Christchurch: A Chronology to 1989

A timeline of some Christchurch events in chronological order from 1700s to 1989.

Go to a year between 1700 & 1989

October 16, 1988: Victoria Square Amphitheatre opens.
October 17, 1861: Christchurch Club building opens. Designed by B.W.Mountfort and Isaac Luck, it was probably New Zealand’s first club.
October 19, 1978: Visit by President Walter Scheel of West Germany.
October 20, 1948: "Pleasure Garden" art controversy begins when a Frances Hodgkins painting (done in about 1933) is exhibited at "the Group" show. This fierce debate on art style was joined by people throughout New Zealand. It raged for 3 years until the City Council accepted the painting as a gift on September 3, 1951.
October 20, 1987: World-wide share market crash affects Christchurch Stock Exchange .
October 22, 1863: First Agricultural and Pastoral Association show in showgrounds (which is now Sydenham Park). An “unofficial” show had been held in October, 1862.
October 22, 1985: "Elizabeth" the one tonne sea elephant dies of a viral infection on Sumner Beach. She had lived for 5 years on the City's beaches, estuary and rivers and was often found crawling up suburban streets.
October 22, 1988: Announcement of the appointment of Patricia Costigan as Christchurch's first female District Court Judge.