Canterbury, New Zealand

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Canterbury, New Zealand

This page discusses the Region of New Zealand
New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous Islands of New Zealand, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands....
. For the City in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
see Canterbury
Canterbury

Canterbury lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a local government district of Kent, in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....

The New Zealand region

Regions of New Zealand

The region is the top tier of local government in New Zealand. There are 16 regions of New Zealand. Twelve are governed by an elected regional council, while four are governed by Territorial Authorities of New Zealand which also perform the functions of a regional council and thus are known as unitary authority....
of Canterbury is mainly composed of the Canterbury Plains

Canterbury Plains

The Canterbury Plains cover an area bounded by the foothills of the Southern Alps and the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. They are centred to the south of the city of Christchurch, New Zealand in the Canterbury, New Zealand region....
and the surrounding mountains. Its main city, Christchurch

Christchurch

Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest Urban areas of New Zealand. It is midway down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of Christchurch....
, hosts the main office of the Christchurch City Council, the Canterbury Regional Council

Canterbury Regional Council

Canterbury Regional Council is the Regions of New Zealand for Canterbury, New Zealand, the largest region in the South Island of New Zealand. It is part of New Zealand's structure of local government....
and the University of Canterbury

University of Canterbury

The University of Canterbury , New Zealand's second-oldest university, operates in the suburb of Ilam, New Zealand in the city of Christchurch, New Zealand....
.

erbury is New Zealand's largest region by area, with an approximate area of 42,200 km².

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Encyclopedia

The New Zealand region

Regions of New Zealand

Canterbury Plains

Christchurch

Canterbury Regional Council

University of Canterbury

The University of Canterbury , New Zealand's second-oldest university, operates in the suburb of Ilam, New Zealand in the city of Christchurch, New Zealand....
.

Geography

Canterbury is New Zealand's largest region by area, with an approximate area of 42,200 km². The region is bounded in the north by the Conway River

Conway River, New Zealand

The Conway River is part of the traditional boundary between the Canterbury, New Zealand and Marlborough, New Zealand regions in the South Island of New Zealand....
and to the west by the Southern Alps

Southern Alps

The Southern Alps is a mountain range which runs along the western side of the South Island of New Zealand. It forms a natural dividing range along the entire length of the South Island....
. The southern boundary is the Waitaki River

Waitaki River

The Waitaki River is a large river in the South Island of New Zealand, some 110 km long. It is the major river of the Mackenzie Basin.It is a braided river which flows through Lake Benmore, Lake Aviemore and Lake Waitaki....
.

The area is commonly divided into North Canterbury (north of the Rakaia River

Rakaia River

The Rakaia River is in the Canterbury Plains in New Zealand's South Island. The Rakaia River is one of the largest braided rivers in New Zealand ....
), Mid Canterbury (from the Rakaia River

Rakaia River

The Rakaia River is in the Canterbury Plains in New Zealand's South Island. The Rakaia River is one of the largest braided rivers in New Zealand ....
to the Rangitata River

Rangitata River

The Rangitata River is one of the braided rivers that helped form the Canterbury Plains in southern New Zealand. It flows southeast for 120 kilometres from the Southern Alps, entering the Pacific Ocean 30 kilometres northeast of Timaru....
), South Canterbury (south of the Rangitata River

Rangitata River

Christchurch

Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest Urban areas of New Zealand. It is midway down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of Christchurch....
(Christchurch City). For many purposes South Canterbury is considered a separate region, centred on the city of Timaru

Timaru

Timaru is a major port city in the southern Canterbury, New Zealand region of New Zealand, located 160 kilometres south of Christchurch, New Zealand and about 200 kilometres north of Dunedin on the eastern Pacific Ocean coast of the South Island....
.

When the current local government structure was introduced in 1989, Kaikoura

Kaikoura

Kaikoura is a town on the east coast of the South Island, New Zealand of New Zealand. It is located on New Zealand State Highway network 180 km north of Christchurch, New Zealand....
District was part of the Nelson-Marlborough Region. That region was later abolished and replaced with 3 unitary authorities. Kaikoura

Kaikoura

Kaikoura is a town on the east coast of the South Island, New Zealand of New Zealand. It is located on New Zealand State Highway network 180 km north of Christchurch, New Zealand....
was too small to function as an independent unitary authority and was moved under the jurisdiction of the Canterbury Regional Council. However Kaikoura

Kaikoura

Kaikoura is a town on the east coast of the South Island, New Zealand of New Zealand. It is located on New Zealand State Highway network 180 km north of Christchurch, New Zealand....
remains part of Marlborough in the minds of many people.

The population of Canterbury region is making it the largest region in the South Island and the second largest region in New Zealand by population.

History

Colonisation

In 1848 Edward Gibbon Wakefield

Edward Gibbon Wakefield

Edward Gibbon Wakefield was a British politician, the driving force behind much of the early colonization of South Australia, and later New Zealand....
and John Robert Godley

John Robert Godley

John Robert Godley was Ireland statesman and bureaucrat. Godley is considered to be the founder of Canterbury, New Zealand, although he lived there for only two years....
established the Canterbury Association

Canterbury Association

The Canterbury Association was formed in order to establish a colony in what is now the Canterbury, New Zealand in the South Island of New Zealand....
to plan a Church of England

Church of England

The Church of England is the State religion Christianity Ecclesia in England, the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the oldest among the communion's thirty-eight independent national and regional churches....
colony in New Zealand's South Island. The colony was to be based upon theories developed by Wakefield while in prison for eloping with a woman not-of-age.

Following 1850 the province developed, during this era the architect

Architect

An architect is trained and licenced in planning and designing buildings, and participates in supervising the construction of a building. Etymologically, architect derives from the Latin architectus, itself derived from the Greek arkhitekton , i.e....
Benjamin Mountfort

Benjamin Mountfort

Benjamin Woolfield Mountfort was an England emigrant to New Zealand, where he became one of that country's most prominent 19th century architects....
, as the first Provincial architect, designed many civic

Civic

Civic can refer to multiple things:*Civics, the science of comparative government*Civic engagement, the connection one feels with their larger community...
and ecclesiastical buildings in the Gothic Revival style.

Canterbury Province

The Canterbury Province

Canterbury Province

The Canterbury Province was a Provinces of New Zealand from 1853 until the abolition of provincial government in 1876. On the east coast the province was bounded by the Hurunui River in the north and the Waitaki River in the south....
was formed in 1853 following the passage of the New Zealand Constitution Act 1852

New Zealand Constitution Act 1852

The New Zealand Constitution Act 1852 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and was the second enactment to grant the New Zealand Self-governing colony, but the first to be fully implemented....
from the part of New Munster

New Munster

New Munster was originally the name of the South Island of New Zealand. It was given the name by Captain William Hobson Governor-General of New Zealand, in honour of Munster, the Irish province in which he was born....
and covered both the east and west coasts of the South Island

South Island

The South Island is the larger of the two major Islands of New Zealand of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. The Maori name for the South Island, Te Wai Pounamu, meaning "The Water/s of Greenstone" , possibly evolved from Te Wahi Pounamu which means "The Place Of Greenstone"....
of New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous Islands of New Zealand, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands....
. The Province was abolished, along with other provinces of New Zealand, in 1876.

Sport

The most popular sports are rugby union and cricket

Cricket

Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games team sport that originated in southern England. The earliest definite reference is dated 1598, and it is now played in more than 100 countries....
. Canterbury is home to the most successful team in Super 14 Rugby Competition

Super 14

The Super 14 is the largest rugby union football club championship in the southern hemisphere, consisting of four state teams from Australia , five New Zealand franchises, each of which is comprised by a number of provinces , and five teams from South Africa ....
; the Crusaders. The Crusaders also represent other provinces in the upper South Island, but are based in Christchurch. They were formerly known as the Canterbury Crusaders. In provincial rugby Canterbury is represented by three unions; Canterbury

Canterbury Rugby Football Union

The Canterbury Rugby Football Union is the official governing body for rugby union in a substantial part of the Canterbury, New Zealand region of New Zealand, and is affiliated with the New Zealand Rugby Union....
, Mid Canterbury

Mid Canterbury Rugby Football Union

The Mid Canterbury Rugby Football Union is a rugby province in the South Island of New Zealand....
and South Canterbury

South Canterbury Rugby Football Union

The South Canterbury Rugby Football Union is a rugby province based in the central South Island city of Timaru, New Zealand. The South Canterbury team play from Alpine Energy Stadium located in Timaru....
. For Historical reasons players from Kaikoura District still play for the Marlborough Rugby Union which is part of the Tasman Provincial team (Nelson/Marlborough Unions combined). The Canterbury Wizards

Canterbury Wizards

The Canterbury Wizards are a New Zealand first class cricket team based in Canterbury, New Zealand. It is one of six teams that make up New Zealand Cricket and has been the most successful domestic team in New Zealand history....
are Canterbury's cricket team in New Zealand's State Championship

State Championship

New Zealand has had a domestic first-class cricket championship since the 1906-07 season. It is currently known as the State Championship, being sponsored by State Insurance....
. Other sporting teams include the Canterbury Tactix (Netball) and Canterbury United (Football).

Wine regions of Canterbury

Canterbury has two major areas of viticulture

Viticulture

Viticulture is the science, cultivation and study of grapes which deals with the series of events that occur in the vineyard. When the grapes are used for winemaking, it is also known as viniculture....
. These are Waipara and the area around Christchurch, typically labelled merely Canterbury. Recently there have been vintages from plantings from Kurow further to the south.

White wine has typically predominated in Canterbury from Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, and to a lesser extent Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris. Pinot Noir has had some success in the province particularly in Waipara

Waipara

Waipara is a small town in north Canterbury, New Zealand, on the banks of the Waipara River.It is at the junction of New Zealand State Highway network 60 kilometres north of Christchurch, New Zealand....
.

Very recently wine has been produced in Kurow.

Terminology

People in New Zealand commonly refer to people from the Canterbury region as Cantabrians, a term also used for people from Cantabria

Cantabria

Cantabria is a Spain province and autonomous community with Santander, Cantabria as its capital city. It is bordered on the east by the Basque Country , on the south by Castile and Le?n , on the west by the Principality of Asturias, and on the north by the Cantabrian Sea....
(Spain), although in most contexts this is unlikely to produce confusion. People from the city of Canterbury

Canterbury

Canterbury lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a local government district of Kent, in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....
in England refer to themselves as Cantuarians.

Sources

An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand, edited by A. H. McLintock, 1966