Discover your family’s history at our libraries
A timeline of some Christchurch events in chronological order from 1700s to 1989.
Go to a year between 1700 & 1989
Begin at the beginning 
This week in history
- November 27, 1985
- Remains of swimming pool uncovered when excavating behind No 1 stand at Lancaster Park. Pool used as venue for 1907 Australian and New Zealand Swimming Championships. See 1894.
- November 27, 1989
- TV3 transmission starts.
- November 28, 1893
- Women vote for the first time in parliamentary elections.
- November 28, 1908
- Work begins on the Summit Road, the first part of Harry Ell’s obsessional dream.
- November 28, 1964
- Opening of Cashin Quay, Lyttelton Harbour. The engineering techniques used in reclaiming this area were unique in the world.
- November 29, 1901
- Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s first Antarctic expedition arrives at Lyttelton in ”Discovery“.
- November 29, 1978
- Concert at Q.E.II Park by rock singer David Bowie.
- November 29, 1988
- Visit by Chinese delegates from Sister City of Gansu Province.
- November 30, 1865
- Canterbury Medical Association formed (the first in New Zealand).
- December 1, 1863
- Opening of the Ferrymead to Moorhouse Avenue railway, New Zealand’s first public steam railway. (The gauge was 5ft 3ins.)
- December 1, 1871
- First rose show.
- December 1, 1873
- Westland becomes a separate province. It had already become a separate county on January 1 1868.
- December 1, 1889
- First New Zealand-built locomotive completed at Addington railway workshops.
- December 1, 1949
- Sidney G. (later Sir Sidney) Holland (Fendalton) becomes Prime Minister.
- December 1, 1950
- Kerrs Reach cutting on the Avon River completed.
- December 1, 1975
- Rolleston satellite town project scrapped.
- December 1, 1987
- Visit by King Baudouin and Queen Fabiola of Belgium.
- December 1, 1988
- 125th anniversary of the opening of New Zealand's first steam passenger railway from Christchurch to Ferrymead. (Commemorated Labour Weekend with a steam train cavalcade. See 1863)
- December 2, 1854
- Canterbury Jockey Club formed (the first in New Zealand).
- December 2, 1866
- Moa bones discovered at Glenmark. The international sale and exchange of these helped Haast, the Canterbury Museum’s first Director, to finance the new museum.
- December 2, 1960
- Rehua meeting house opens, the first new meeting house in the South Island for over 100 years.
- December 3, 1867
- Canterbury Museum (New Zealand’s first) opened to public in an upstairs room in the Canterbury Provincial Government Buildings The collection had been assembled by Julius (later Sir Julius) Von Haast. See 1872
- December 3, 1924
- Children’s Library opens in Hereford Street.
- December 3, 1972
- First jumbo jet lands at airport.
