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1905
- February 12
- Catholic Cathedral (the Basilica) opens. Designed by F.W. Petre, it is widely regarded as the finest Renaissance building in New Zealand.
- May
- Royal Exchange building (now the Regent Theatre) opens. The building boasted the city’s first passenger lift.
- June 6
- First electric trams in operation. Unique in Australasia, they had front fenders as a safety feature because of the density of cycle traffic in Christchurch.
- June 24
- Railway derailment at Chaneys, near Kaiapoi, kills 2.
- July 13
- Construction of King Edward barracks begins. The building was completed in an amazing 25 days. In the absence of a true Town Hall, it was often the venue for large concerts and civic occasions.
- December 16
- Christchurch’s Bob Deans scores "the try that wasn’t" in Wales on the first All Black tour of the United Kingdom. The All Blacks "lost" only this game 3-0. Deans died of pneumonia in 1908, aged 24.
- December 26
- Automobile Association holds a "Great Automobile Gymkhana" at Addington trotting grounds. 30 cars took part, and the programme included New Zealand’s first official car race.
