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

May 11, 1891: Sumner Borough formed.
May 11, 1908: Colosseum becomes the city’s first picture theatre. The building was claimed to have the largest wooden span in New Zealand. It had previously been a skating rink, a boot factory and a cab stand. See also 1932.
May 12, 1980: Visit by Mr Li Xiannian, Vice Premier of the People’s Republic of China.
May 13-15, 1920: Visit of Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII).
May 14-15, 1886: Flooding in city centre.
May 14, 1868: "Lyttelton Times" publishes evening paper, the "Star".
May 14, 1907: Fire seriously damages the Antigua Street boatsheds.
May 14, 1908: Municipal tepid baths in Manchester Street open. It was described as "the finest indoor swimming pool in Australasia".
May 14, 1947: Mabel Howard (Sydenham) becomes Minister of Health, the country’s first woman Cabinet Minister.
May 16, 1904: Motor bus service to Timaru begins.
May 16, 1975: Opening of Four Avenues, New Zealand’s first State alternative education school.