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1973
- January 31
- City Council grants charter to HMNZS "Canterbury".
- February 7
- Record temperature 41.6 deg C (the highest ever in any major New Zealand city) causes livestock losses (over 20,000 poultry die) and aggravates a serious fire on Clifton Hill. 5 houses destroyed. Later in the day, a south-west wind change lowered the temperature by a record 28 deg C.
- May 19
- Visit by the Crown Prince and Princess of Japan.
- May 20
- Central area one-way street system completed with the inclusion of Montreal and Durham Streets.
- August 4
- Radio Avon, the city’s first private radio station, begins regular transmission.
- August 16
- The Wizard (Ian Brackenbury Channel) arrives from Australia for a student’s arts festival. He subsequently became a star attraction in the newly re-built Cathedral Square, after winning a battle with the City Council over the right to speak in public.
- October 1
- J.H. Gray becomes the city’s General Manager and Town Clerk as the Council introduces corporate management.
- October 11-14
- Visit by Duke of Edinburgh.
- November 25
- Queen Elizabeth II sports complex and swimming pools open. Designed by engineer Bill Lovell-Smith and architect Peter Beaven.
- November 29
- Rolleston satellite town project announced.
- December 8
- New Police Station in Hereford Street opens.
- (no date)
- Christchurch’s worst year for road accidents - 1338 reported injury accidents, including 41 deaths. Improved traffic control and education has lowered this figure by approximately 10% in recent years, but the Christchurch road toll remains New Zealand’s worst.
