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
- May 27, 1949
- New Zealands first commercial aerial topdressing on Banks Peninsula.
- May 27, 1986
- Court Theatres 15th anniversary celebrated with two week season of Steven Sondheims play "Sweeney Todd" in James Hay Theatre.
- May 28, 1840
- Major Bunbury on HMS Herald visits Akaroa collecting signatures of Maori chiefs for the Treaty of Waitangi.
- May 28, 1866
- George Dobson (brother of Arthur Dudley Dobson) murdered by the Burgess and Kelly gang in the Southern Alps. The gang mistook him for a gold courier.
- May 28, 1955
- First parking meters installed.
- May 28, 1983
- Visit of Professor Zhu Xuanren, Vice Governor, Gansu Province China.
- May 29, 1886
- First trotting meeting held at Lancaster Park.
- May 29, 1926
- New Zealands first sports broadcast - a rugby match from Lancaster Park. Commentator Allan Allardyce was soon to pioneer broadcasts of racing, cricket and hockey for station 3YA. He also gave live coverage of Kingsford-Smiths landing at Wigram in 1928.
- May 29, 1967
- Opening of the new Bank of New Zealand building in Cathedral Square.
- May 30, 1866
- Moorhouse elected as Provincial Superintendent - his second term of office.
- May 30, 1874
- First rugby match played.
- May 30, 1890
- Richmond joins City.
- May 30, 1912
- First netball match in City.
- June 1, 1862
- Hospital opens on site in Hagley Park. But only after the first vigorous Hands off Hagley protests by irate citizens.
- June 1, 1961
- Television transmission begins from CHTV 3, Christchurch.
- June 2, 1874
- "The Press" publishes an evening paper, "The Globe" to compete with "The Star". It became "The Telegraph", then "The Truth", then "Evening News". Publication ceased in May 1917.
- June 2, 1902
- Municipal refuse destructor in operation. The destructor chimney, by the present site of the MED, was a dominant city landmark for many years.