1.
Christchurch Central City
–
Christchurch Central City is the geographical centre and the heart of Christchurch, New Zealand. It suffered heavy damage in the 2010 Canterbury earthquake and was devastated in the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, following this second earthquake, the Central City Red Zone was set up and, with a gradually shrinking area, remained inaccessible except to authorised contractors until June 2013. At the centre of the city is Cathedral Square, surrounding the Anglican cathedral, the area around this square and within the four avenues of Christchurch is considered the central business district of the city. The city centre is laid out in a pattern, interrupted only by the curvilinear alignment of the Avon River. Christchurch has four pairs of one-way streets, the grid pattern within the outermost one-way streets is very regular, as this is the area that was laid out in the original survey. The surrounding area, i. e. the belt between the outer one-way streets and the avenues, was developed later in a progressive fashion, like most of the city, the centre is relatively flat. The European settlement of Christchurch was undertaken by the Canterbury Association and that year, the Canterbury Association sent out Captain Joseph Thomas, accompanied by surveyors, to select and prepare a site for settlement. Back then, the Avon River was navigable as far as The Bricks just upstream of the Barbadoes Street bridge, the site is these days marked by a riverbank cairn. The site got its name when the Deans Brothers in the 1840s had shipped bricks for their Riccarton homestead up the Avon River, the first city built with this pattern was Philadelphia, later came Savannah and Adelaide. The fourth city using this pattern was Christchurch, as such Christchurch holds an important legacy and a strong platform for future development. Thomas plan for Christchurch was the rectangular grid of colonial settlement. Thomas did not allow Jollie to include crescents to provide variety, two diagonal streets also broke the regularity of the grid. At the very centre of the city was a Square intended as a centre for the city. The grid was laid out originally between Salisbury Street to the north and St Asaph Street to the south and between Barbadoes Street to the east and Rolleston Avenue/Park Terrace to the west. The streets of the grid were mostly projected out to the Town Belts. The names chosen for the streets of the city almost all commemorate the English colonial origins of the settlement. The names chosen later for the town belts commemorate important personalities of early Christchurch, if I agreed with him that it did, I put the name to one of the streets requiring baptism. This accounts for, what to anyone not knowing the circumstances, appears strange, viz, Sumner in fact died too late for the names there used to be again employed in Christchurch
Christchurch Central City
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Cathedral Square – the heart of the central city. The Cathedral suffered heavy damage in the 2011 earthquake, with its tower and part of the main building collapsing. It is not yet certain whether it will be reconstructed.
Christchurch Central City
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1840 portrait of Captain
Joseph Thomas, the surveyor of
Lyttelton,
Sumner and Christchurch
Christchurch Central City
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Plaque in
Cathedral Square commemorating the Christchurch survey
Christchurch Central City
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Christchurch Black Map from March 1850
2.
Geographic coordinate system
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A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system used in geography that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation, to specify a location on a two-dimensional map requires a map projection. The invention of a coordinate system is generally credited to Eratosthenes of Cyrene. Ptolemy credited him with the adoption of longitude and latitude. Ptolemys 2nd-century Geography used the prime meridian but measured latitude from the equator instead. Mathematical cartography resumed in Europe following Maximus Planudes recovery of Ptolemys text a little before 1300, in 1884, the United States hosted the International Meridian Conference, attended by representatives from twenty-five nations. Twenty-two of them agreed to adopt the longitude of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, the Dominican Republic voted against the motion, while France and Brazil abstained. France adopted Greenwich Mean Time in place of local determinations by the Paris Observatory in 1911, the latitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle between the equatorial plane and the straight line that passes through that point and through the center of the Earth. Lines joining points of the same latitude trace circles on the surface of Earth called parallels, as they are parallel to the equator, the north pole is 90° N, the south pole is 90° S. The 0° parallel of latitude is designated the equator, the plane of all geographic coordinate systems. The equator divides the globe into Northern and Southern Hemispheres, the longitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle east or west of a reference meridian to another meridian that passes through that point. All meridians are halves of great ellipses, which converge at the north and south poles, the prime meridian determines the proper Eastern and Western Hemispheres, although maps often divide these hemispheres further west in order to keep the Old World on a single side. The antipodal meridian of Greenwich is both 180°W and 180°E, the combination of these two components specifies the position of any location on the surface of Earth, without consideration of altitude or depth. The grid formed by lines of latitude and longitude is known as a graticule, the origin/zero point of this system is located in the Gulf of Guinea about 625 km south of Tema, Ghana. To completely specify a location of a feature on, in, or above Earth. Earth is not a sphere, but a shape approximating a biaxial ellipsoid. It is nearly spherical, but has an equatorial bulge making the radius at the equator about 0. 3% larger than the radius measured through the poles, the shorter axis approximately coincides with the axis of rotation
Geographic coordinate system
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Longitude lines are perpendicular and latitude lines are parallel to the equator.
3.
Benjamin Mountfort
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Benjamin Woolfield Mountfort was an English emigrant to New Zealand, where he became one of that countrys most prominent 19th-century architects. He was instrumental in shaping the city of Christchurchs unique architectural identity and culture, heavily influenced by the Anglo-Catholic philosophy behind early Victorian architecture, he is credited with importing the Gothic revival style to New Zealand. His Gothic designs constructed in wood and stone in the province are considered unique to New Zealand. Today, he is considered the architect of the province of Canterbury. Mountfort was born in Birmingham, a town in the Midlands of England. As a young adult he moved to London, where he was a pupil of George Gilbert Scott. He also studied architecture under the Anglo-Catholic architect Richard Cromwell Carpenter, after completion of his training in 1848, Mountfort practised architecture in London. He married Emily Elizabeth Newman on 20 August 1850, and 18 days later the couple emigrated to New Zealand and they were some of the first settlers to the province of Canterbury, arriving on one of the famed First Four Ships, the Charlotte-Jane on 16 December 1850. These first settlers, known as The Pilgrims, have their names engraved on plaques in Cathedral Square, Christchurch. Mountfort arrived in Canterbury full of ambition and drive to begin designing in 1850 as one of a wave of settlers encouraged to immigrate to the new colony of New Zealand by the British Government. With him and his wife from England came also his brother Charles, his sister Susannah, life in New Zealand at first was hard and disappointing, Mountfort found that there was little call for architects. Christchurch was little more than a village of basic wooden huts on a windswept plain. The new émigrés architectural life in New Zealand had a disastrous beginning and his first commission in New Zealand was the Church of the Most Holy Trinity in Lyttelton, built in 1852 by Isaac Luck. The building proved vulnerable to winds and was considered unsafe. This calamity was attributed to the use of unseasoned wood and his lack of knowledge of the building materials. Whatever the cause, the result was a blow to his reputation. Have given anything but satisfaction, he being evidently deficient in all knowledge of the principles of construction, though a clever draughtsman and a man of some taste. Due to this blow to his reputation, he began running a shop, working as a newspaper agent
Benjamin Mountfort
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Canterbury College, designed by Benjamin Mountfort in 1877, is dominated by a central
clock tower, with a medieval style great hall to the right.
Benjamin Mountfort
–
Benjamin Mountfort around 1875
Benjamin Mountfort
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Canterbury College, The Great Hall, pictured to the right of illustration above
Benjamin Mountfort
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St Augustine's Church in
Waimate. Mountfort's Gothic in wood, designed in 1872, has the
campanile of a
medieval cathedral in miniature, neighboured by the roof of a
chateau, entered by the
lychgate of an English
parish church, all successfully harmonised into a New Zealand landscape.
4.
Samuel Hurst Seager
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Samuel Hurst Seager CBE was a notable New Zealand builder, draftsman, architect and town planner. He was born in London, England in 1855 and he was one of the pioneers of the New Zealand Bungalow. He purchased land on Clifton Hill in Sumner and designed and established a suburb with eight bungalows which were sold in 1914. Seager resided at No.1 The Spur for eight years from 1902, two of his notable buildings are Daresbury at 67 Fendalton Road and the Christchurch Municipal Chambers. In the 1926 Kings Birthday Honours, he was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Samuel Hurst Seager
–
Samuel Hurst Seager in 1926
5.
Heritage New Zealand
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Its current enabling legislation is the Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Act 2014. It is governed by a Board of Trustees, currently chaired by Shonagh Kenderdine, past chairs include Dame Anne Salmond. The head office is in Antrim House, Wellington, while regional and area offices are in Kerikeri, Auckland, Tauranga, Wellington, Christchurch and it publishes the quarterly magazine New Zealand Heritage. Buildings owned by Heritage New Zealand include the Mission House, the Stone Store, the Canterbury earthquakes of September 2010 and February 2011 resulted in damage to a number of historic buildings in Christchurch. Post-earthquake redevelopment has caused a significant loss of buildings in Christchurch. The Māori Heritage Council sits within the New Zealand Historic Places Trust and was established by the Historic Places Act 1993, as of 2013 Sir Tumu Te Heuheu is the Chair of the MHC
Heritage New Zealand
–
Antrim House,
Wellington
Heritage New Zealand
–
New Zealand Historic Places Trust logo
Heritage New Zealand
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Timeball Station,
Lyttelton
Heritage New Zealand
–
Fyffe House,
Kaikoura
6.
Christchurch
–
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. The Christchurch urban area lies on the South Islands east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula and it is home to 389,700 residents, making it New Zealands third most-populous urban area behind Auckland and Wellington. The city was named by the Canterbury Association, which settled the province of Canterbury. The name of Christchurch was agreed on at the first meeting of the association on 27 March 1848 and it was suggested by John Robert Godley, who had attended Christ Church, Oxford. Some early writers called the town Christ Church, but it was recorded as Christchurch in the minutes of the management committee of the association, Christchurch became a city by Royal Charter on 31 July 1856, making it officially the oldest established city in New Zealand. The Avon River flows through the centre of the city, with a park located along its banks. At the request of the Deans brothers, the river was named after the River Avon in Scotland, the usual Māori name for Christchurch is Ōtautahi. This was originally the name of a site by the Avon River near present-day Kilmore Street. The site was a dwelling of Ngāi Tahu chief Te Potiki Tautahi. The Ōtautahi name was adopted in the 1930s, prior to that the Ngāi Tahu generally referred to the Christchurch area as Karaitiana, a transliteration of the English word Christian. The citys name is abbreviated by New Zealanders to Chch. In New Zealand Sign Language, the name is the fingerspelled letter C signed twice, with the second to the right of the first. Archaeological evidence found in a cave at Redcliffs in 1876 has indicated that the Christchurch area was first settled by moa-hunting tribes about 1250 CE. These first inhabitants were thought to have followed by the Waitaha tribe. Following tribal warfare, the Waitaha were dispossessed by the Ngati Mamoe tribe and they were in turn subjugated by the Ngāi Tahu tribe, who remained in control until the arrival of European settlers. Their abandoned holdings were taken over by the Deans brothers in 1843 who stayed, the First Four Ships were chartered by the Canterbury Association and brought the first 792 of the Canterbury Pilgrims to Lyttelton Harbour. These sailing vessels were the Randolph, Charlotte Jane, Sir George Seymour, the Charlotte Jane was the first to arrive on 16 December 1850. The Canterbury Pilgrims had aspirations of building a city around a cathedral and college, the name Christ Church was decided prior to the ships arrival, at the Associations first meeting, on 27 March 1848
Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch
7.
Gothic Revival architecture
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Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. Gothic Revival draws features from the original Gothic style, including decorative patterns, finials, scalloping, lancet windows, hood mouldings, the Gothic Revival movement emerged in 19th-century England. Its roots were intertwined with deeply philosophical movements associated with a re-awakening of High Church or Anglo-Catholic belief concerned by the growth of religious nonconformism, ultimately, the Anglo-Catholicism tradition of religious belief and style became widespread for its intrinsic appeal in the third quarter of the 19th century. The Gothic Revival was paralleled and supported by medievalism, which had its roots in antiquarian concerns with survivals, as industrialisation progressed, a reaction against machine production and the appearance of factories also grew. Proponents of the such as Thomas Carlyle and Augustus Pugin took a critical view of industrial society. To Pugin, Gothic architecture was infused with the Christian values that had been supplanted by classicism and were being destroyed by industrialisation, poems such as Idylls of the King by Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson recast specifically modern themes in medieval settings of Arthurian romance. In German literature, the Gothic Revival also had a grounding in literary fashions, guarino Guarini, a 17th-century Theatine monk active primarily in Turin, recognized the Gothic order as one of the primary systems of architecture and made use of it in his practice. Some of the earliest evidence of a revival in Gothic architecture is from Scotland, inveraray Castle, constructed from 1746, with design input from William Adam, displays the incorporation of turrets. These were largely conventional Palladian style houses that incorporated some features of the Scots baronial style. The eccentric landscape designer Batty Langley even attempted to improve Gothic forms by giving them classical proportions, a younger generation, taking Gothic architecture more seriously, provided the readership for J. Brittens series of Cathedral Antiquities, which began appearing in 1814. In 1817, Thomas Rickman wrote an Attempt. to name and define the sequence of Gothic styles in English ecclesiastical architecture, the categories he used were Norman, Early English, Decorated, and Perpendicular. It went through numerous editions and was still being republished by 1881. The largest and most famous Gothic cathedrals in the U. S. A. are St. Patricks Cathedral in New York City and Washington National Cathedral on Mount St. Alban in northwest Washington, D. C. One of the biggest churches in Gothic Revival style in Canada is Basilica of Our Lady Immaculate in Ontario, Gothic Revival architecture was to remain one of the most popular and long-lived of the Gothic Revival styles of architecture. The revived Gothic style was not limited to architecture, classical Gothic buildings of the 12th to 16th Centuries were a source of inspiration to 19th-century designers in numerous fields of work. Architectural elements such as pointed arches, steep-sloping roofs and fancy carvings like lace ant lattice work were applied to a range of Gothic Revival objects. Sir Walter Scotts Abbotsford exemplifies in its furnishings the Regency Gothic style, parties in medieval historical dress and entertainment were popular among the wealthy in the 1800s but has spread in the late 20th century to the well-educated middle class as well. By the mid-19th century, Gothic traceries and niches could be inexpensively re-created in wallpaper, the illustrated catalogue for the Great Exhibition of 1851 is replete with Gothic detail, from lacemaking and carpet designs to heavy machinery
Gothic Revival architecture
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Notable Gothic Revival edifices: top:
Palace of Westminster, London; left:
Cathedral of Learning,
Pittsburgh; right:
Sint-Petrus-en-Pauluskerk,
Ostend
Gothic Revival architecture
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The unifying style of
Parliament Hill,
Ottawa, is Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival architecture
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Sacred Heart Church,
Kőszeg, Hungary
Gothic Revival architecture
–
Imitation fan-vaulting in the Gothick Long Gallery at
Horace Walpole 's
Strawberry Hill
8.
University of Canterbury
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The University of Canterbury in Christchurch is New Zealands second oldest university. It was founded in 1873 as Canterbury College, the first constituent college of the University of New Zealand, the University originated in 1873 in the centre of Christchurch as Canterbury College, the first constituent college of the University of New Zealand. It became the institution in New Zealand providing tertiary-level education. Its foundation professors arrived in 1874, namely, Charles Cook, Alexander Bickerton, in 1933, the name changed from Canterbury College to Canterbury University College. In 1957 the name changed again to the present University of Canterbury, until 1961, the University formed part of the University of New Zealand, and issued degrees in its name. That year saw the dissolution of the system of tertiary education in New Zealand. Upon the UNZs demise, Canterbury Agricultural College became a constituent college of the University of Canterbury, Lincoln College became independent in 1990 as a full university in its own right. Over the period from 1961 to 1974, the university relocated from the centre of the city to its much larger current site in the suburb of Ilam. The neo-gothic buildings of the old campus became the site of the Christchurch Arts Centre, in 2004, the University underwent restructuring into four Colleges and a School of Law, administering a number of schools and departments. For many years the university worked closely with the Christchurch College of Education, leading to a merger in 2007. In September 2011, plans were announced to demolish some University buildings that were damaged from an earthquake, in the months following the earthquake, the University lost 25 per cent of its first-year students and 8 per cent of continuing students. The number of students, who pay much higher fees and are a major source of revenue. By 2013, the University had lost 22 per cent of its students, however, a record number of 886 PhD students are enrolled at the University of Canterbury as of 2013. In October 2011, staff were encouraged to take voluntary redundancies, the university was first governed by a board of governors, then by a college council, and since 1957 by a university council. The council is chaired by a chancellor, the Council includes representatives from the faculties, students and general staff, as well as local industry, employer and trade union representatives. Initially, the board was given power to fill their own vacancies, Professor Roy Sharp assumed the position of Vice-Chancellor on 1 March 2003. In May 2008 he announced his imminent resignation from the position, the then current Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ian Town, assumed the role of acting Vice-Chancellor on 1 July 2008. On 15 October 2008 the University announced that Dr Rod Carr, a former banker, under Carrs leadership, UCs position in the QS World University Rankings has steadily declined by about 30%, as of September 2014
University of Canterbury
–
Former University of Canterbury campus in the city centre, today the
Christchurch Arts Centre
University of Canterbury
–
Coat of Arms of the University of Canterbury
University of Canterbury
–
Joshua Williams
University of Canterbury
–
Terry McCombs in 1936
9.
2011 Christchurch earthquake
–
An earthquake occurred in Christchurch on 22 February 2011 at 12,51 p. m. local time and registered 6.3 on the Richter scale. The earthquake caused damage across Christchurch, killing 185 people in the nations fifth-deadliest natural disaster. Significant liquefaction affected the eastern suburbs, producing around 400,000 tonnes of silt, the earthquake was felt across the South Island and parts of the lower and central North Island. Subsequent population loss saw the Christchurch main urban area fall behind the Wellington equivalent to decrease from second to third most populous area in New Zealand,185 people from more than 20 countries died in the earthquake. Over half of the deaths occurred in the six-storey Canterbury Television Building, an additional 28 people were killed in various places across the city centre, and twelve were killed in suburban Christchurch. Due to the injuries sustained some bodies remained unidentified, between 6,600 and 6,800 people were treated for minor injuries, and Christchurch Hospital alone treated 220 major trauma cases connected to the quake. Rescue efforts continued for over a week, then shifted into recovery mode, the last survivor was pulled from the rubble the day after the quake. The nationalities of the deceased are as follows, road and bridge damage occurred and hampered rescue efforts. Soil liquefaction and surface flooding also occurred, road surfaces were forced up by liquefaction, and water and sand were spewing out of cracks. A number of cars were crushed by falling debris, in the central city, two buses were crushed by falling buildings. Because the earthquake hit during the hour, some people on the footpaths were buried by collapsed buildings. Damage occurred to older buildings, particularly those with unreinforced masonry. Of the 3,000 buildings inspected within the four avenues of the city by 3 March 2011. Many heritage buildings were given red stickers after inspections, as of February 2015, there had been 1240 demolitions within the four avenues since the September 2010 earthquakes. The six-storey Canterbury Television building collapsed in the earthquake, leaving only its lift shaft standing,115 people died in the building, which housed a TV station, a medical clinic and an English language school. On 23 February police decided that the damage was not survivable, fire-fighting and recovery operations resumed that night, later joined by a Japanese search and rescue squad. Twelve Japanese students from the Toyama College of Foreign Languages died in the building collapse, a government report later found that the buildings construction was faulty and should not have been approved. The four-storey Pyne Gould Guinness House on Cambridge Terrace, headquarters of Pyne Gould Corporation, collapsed, on Wednesday morning,22 hours after the quake, a survivor was pulled from the rubble
2011 Christchurch earthquake
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2011 Christchurch earthquake
2011 Christchurch earthquake
2011 Christchurch earthquake
–
115 bodies were recovered from the
CTV Building, which collapsed during the quake.
2011 Christchurch earthquake
–
PGC House, following the February 2011 quake
10.
Dux de Lux
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The Dux de Lux, originally called Llanmaes, was a popular beer garden and restaurant in Christchurch, New Zealand, that is part of the Arts Centre. The building, initially a home, became the home of the student union of the University of Canterbury at this central city site before the tertiary institution moved to the suburb of Ilam. It is listed as a Category II heritage building by Heritage New Zealand, the building was closed following the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake, with the restaurant and bar moving to various suburban premises. The Dux de Lux is located in a building, on the corner of Hereford. It is these days part of the Arts Centre that occupies that whole block and is located in the cultural precinct. Lewis gave it the Welsh name of Llanmaes, which means the church in the meadow, the house changed ownership to Dr Colin Graham Campbell in 1899, who onsold it to Dr Charles Chilton in 1904. Chilton was a zoologist, the first rector to be appointed in Australasia, and he lived in the building until 1911 and sold it to Eliza Vincent. When Vincent died, the building was purchased by the University in 1926, for the next three years, the building was used as the rectors residence. Canterbury College, from which the University of Canterbury developed, was first established in 1872, either in 1875–1876 on in 1877, the Benjamin Mountfort-designed clock tower was the first building erected by the college on the block bounded by Worcester, Rolleston, Hereford and Montreal Streets. Llanmaes was the last building on the block purchased by the college, the Canterbury Students Association was formed in 1894. An immediate issue was to find a place for students to meet. Regarded as a solution, the students pursued the idea to have their own building. V. R. J. Hearn won a competition with his entry in Gothic Revival style. The estimated cost of £30,000 proved to put this aim out of reach, the board of the university suggested that Llanmaes, which had just been purchased, could be used by the students. Although the Students Association rejected the idea, the architects Collins, the architects were sympathetic to the original design and continued with the original style of English Domestic Revival style architecture. An addition, low walls around the street frontage, was made in 1928–1929 by Collins. From 1929, the served as the Student Union. While a 1954 fire damaged much of the interior, construction in 1955–1956 added a dining room, after the student union had moved out, the building was converted into a bar, music venue, and restaurant
Dux de Lux
–
Dux de Lux in 2010
Dux de Lux
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Llanmaes, ca 1920
Dux de Lux
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Charles Chilton in ca 1895
Dux de Lux
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Dux de Lux bar
11.
Court Theatre (New Zealand)
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The Court Theatre is a professional theatre company based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was founded in 1971 and located in the Christchurch Arts Centre from 1976 until the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake and it opened new premises in Addington in December 2011. It is currently New Zealands largest theatre company and is led by CEO, Philip Aldridge, the company was founded by Yvette Bromley QSM and Mervyn Thompson in 1971 who served as Co-artistic Directors for the first three years of the company. Bromley chose the name out of affection for the Royal Court Theatre in London. During the first eighteen months of its existence, The Court had three venues, the first was The Stone Chamber of the Canterbury Provincial Council Chambers, where The Courts début production, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie was staged. The Stone Chamber was one of the citys most magnificent structures, but it was impractical for a company, as there was little room for an audience. Next was the Durham Street Art Gallery, which was used as a venue between the Canterbury Society of Arts vacating the premises and the Law Court expanding into the area. From June to August 1972, The Court was housed in the Beggs Theatrette, the next four years were a period of relative stability. The Court Theatre was housed at The Orange Hall on Worcester Street, in 1974, Mervyn Thompson stood down leaving Yvette Bromley as sole Artistic Director until 1975 when Randall Wackrow joined her as Co-artistic Director. In 1976, the moved to the Christchurch Arts Centre complex. The performance space was previously lecture room D, from 1977 to 1978, Randall Wackrow served as sole Artistic Director, standing down in 1979 with the appointment of Elric Hooper. Hooper served as Artistic Director for more than two decades, Hooper declared his intent to balance the theatres repertoire with three main thrusts — the classic, the contemporary and the indigenous. Although economic pressure saw a second auditorium, Court Two, closed as a regular venue following the economic slump of the mid-eighties. In 1990, Hooper was awarded the MBE and the 1990 Commemoration medal by the Queen, Hooper retired as Artistic Director in 1999 and Catherine Downes served as Artistic Director of The Court Theatre from 2000–2005. Ross Gumbley has been The Courts Artistic Director from 2006, the Court operated two auditoria at the Arts Centre. Court One seated 291 in a broad semi-thrust stage, staging at least eight productions each season totalling approximately 270 performances annually, each season contained a mix of New Zealand works, modern international theatre and classics. The Forge seated 123 in a box setting with the audience seated on two sides, the Court Theatre employs professionals from around the country and internationally. It sustains a full-time professional staff and an acting company and is administered by The Court Theatre Trust
Court Theatre (New Zealand)
–
The current premises in
Addington
Court Theatre (New Zealand)
–
Stone Chamber of the
Canterbury Provincial Council
Court Theatre (New Zealand)
–
The Court Theatre at the
Christchurch Arts Centre
12.
Twelve Local Heroes
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The establishment of the commemorative sculptures was driven by the Twelve Local Heroes charitable trust. The project had been four years in the making before the bronze busts were unveiled on 18 March 2009, the artwork was produced by the sculptor Mark Whyte. The Twelve Local Heroes can be grouped by having died prior to the project commencing, by agreeing to be included but having since died, and by being alive. Members of this group had no influence on their inclusion as one of the Twelve Local Heroes, members of this group were asked and agreed to be included as one of the Twelve Local Heroes, but have since died. Members of this group were asked and agreed to be included as one of the Twelve Local Heroes, the sculptures have been temporarily removed from their current position on Worcester Blvd to facilitate the post earthquake restoration of the Engineering block of the Arts Centre of Christchurch. Following the restoration, it is envisaged that they will return
Twelve Local Heroes
–
The Twelve Local Heroes sculptures
13.
2010 Canterbury earthquake
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Some damaging aftershocks followed the main event, the strongest of which was a magnitude 6.3 shock known as the Christchurch earthquake that occurred nearly six months later on 22 February 2011. Because this aftershock was centred very close to Christchurch, it was more destructive. The main shock on 4 September caused widespread damage and several power outages, particularly in the city of Christchurch, two residents were seriously injured, one by a collapsing chimney and a second by flying glass. One person died of a heart attack suffered during the quake, the earthquakes epicentre was 40 kilometres west of Christchurch, near the town of Darfield. The hypocentre was at a depth of 10 km. A foreshock of roughly magnitude 5.8 hit five seconds before the main quake, the initial quake lasted about 40 seconds, and was felt widely across the South Island, and in the North Island as far north as New Plymouth. As the epicentre was on away from the coast, no tsunami occurred. Initially, a curfew was established for parts of Christchurch Central City from 7,00 pm to 7,00 am in response to the earthquake, the New Zealand Army was deployed to the worst affected areas in Canterbury. The latest estimated total damage bill may be as high as $40 billion NZD, in the first eighty years of European settlement in Christchurch, four earthquakes caused significant damage, the last of them centred at Motunau on the North Canterbury coast in 1922. Modelling conducted for the New Zealand Earthquake Commission in 1991 found that earthquakes with a Mercalli intensity of VIII could recur on average in the Christchurch area every 55 years. The study also highlighted the dangers of soil liquefaction of the sediments underlying the city. About 100 faults and fault segments have been recognised around the region, the closest faults to Christchurch capable of producing powerful earthquakes are found in the Rangiora-Cust area, near Hororata, and near Darfield. The earthquake epicentre is located about 80–90 km to the south, the peak ground acceleration measured near Darfield was 1. 26g, recorded near Darfield. This was considered by GNS scientists as an extremely rare recording made near a fault rupture. However, the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake experienced PGA of 2.2 g, as of 7 August 2012,11, 000+ aftershocks of magnitude 2 or more have been recorded, including 26 over 5.0 magnitude, and 2 over 6.0 magnitude. Many have caused damage to buildings in the central business district. Notable aftershocks in order include, On 8 September 2010, there was a large 5.1 magnitude aftershock with an epicentre just 7 km from the city centre. On 19 October 2010 a magnitude 5.0 aftershock with a depth of just 9 km which caused surface shaking reported at the time to be the worst since the original earthquake
2010 Canterbury earthquake
–
Christchurch
2010 Canterbury earthquake
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Seismic hazard near the epicentre
2010 Canterbury earthquake
–
Medway footbridge over the
Avon River
2010 Canterbury earthquake
–
Building damage in Worcester Street, corner Manchester Street, with
Christchurch Cathedral in the background
14.
New Zealand dollar
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The New Zealand dollar is the currency and legal tender of New Zealand, the Cook Islands, Niue, the Ross Dependency, Tokelau, and a British territory, the Pitcairn Islands. Within New Zealand, it is almost always abbreviated with the dollar sign, in the context of currency trading, it is often informally called the Kiwi, since New Zealand is commonly associated with the indigenous bird and the $1 coin depicts a kiwi. Introduced in 1967, the dollar is subdivided into 100 cents, altogether there are ten denominations—five coins and five banknotes—with the smallest being the 10-cent coin. Formerly there were lower denominations, but those were discontinued due to inflation, the New Zealand dollar is consistently one of the 10 most-traded currencies in the world, being approximately 2. 0% of global foreign exchange market daily turnover in 2013. Prior to the introduction of the New Zealand dollar in 1967, the New Zealand pound was the currency of New Zealand, which had been distinct from the pound sterling since 1933. The pound used the £sd system, in which the pound was divided into 20 shillings and one shilling was divided into 12 pence, switching to decimal currency had been proposed in New Zealand since the 1930s, although only in the 1950s did any plans come to fruition. In 1957, a committee was set up by the Government to investigate decimal currency, the idea fell on fertile ground, and in 1963, the Government decided to decimalise New Zealand currency. The Decimal Currency Act was passed in 1964, setting the date of transition to 10 July 1967, words such as fern, kiwi and zeal were proposed to avoid confusion with the word dollar, which many people at the time associated with the United States dollar. In the end, the dollar was chosen anyway. On Monday 10 July 1967, the New Zealand dollar was introduced to replace the pound at a rate of two dollars to one pound, some 27 million new banknotes were printed and 165 million new coins were minted for the changeover. The New Zealand dollar was pegged to the US dollar at US$1.43 = NZ$1. This rate changed on 21 November of the year to US$1.12 = NZ$1 after the devaluation of the British pound. In 1971 the US devalued its dollar relative to gold, leading New Zealand on 23 December to peg its dollar at US$1.216 with a 4. 5% fluctuation range, keeping the same gold value. From 9 July 1973 to 4 March 1985 the dollars value was determined from a basket of currencies. The NZ$ was floated on 4 March 1985 at the rate of US$0.4444. Since then the value has been determined by the financial markets. The dollars post-float minimum average daily value was US$0.3922 on 22 November 2000, much of this medium-term variation in the exchange rate has been attributed to differences in interest rates. The New Zealand dollars value is often affected by currency trading
New Zealand dollar
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The reverse designs of the current circulating New Zealand dollar coins. Image by Reserve Bank of New Zealand.
15.
International Standard Book Number
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The International Standard Book Number is a unique numeric commercial book identifier. An ISBN is assigned to each edition and variation of a book, for example, an e-book, a paperback and a hardcover edition of the same book would each have a different ISBN. The ISBN is 13 digits long if assigned on or after 1 January 2007, the method of assigning an ISBN is nation-based and varies from country to country, often depending on how large the publishing industry is within a country. The initial ISBN configuration of recognition was generated in 1967 based upon the 9-digit Standard Book Numbering created in 1966, the 10-digit ISBN format was developed by the International Organization for Standardization and was published in 1970 as international standard ISO2108. Occasionally, a book may appear without a printed ISBN if it is printed privately or the author does not follow the usual ISBN procedure, however, this can be rectified later. Another identifier, the International Standard Serial Number, identifies periodical publications such as magazines, the ISBN configuration of recognition was generated in 1967 in the United Kingdom by David Whitaker and in 1968 in the US by Emery Koltay. The 10-digit ISBN format was developed by the International Organization for Standardization and was published in 1970 as international standard ISO2108, the United Kingdom continued to use the 9-digit SBN code until 1974. The ISO on-line facility only refers back to 1978, an SBN may be converted to an ISBN by prefixing the digit 0. For example, the edition of Mr. J. G. Reeder Returns, published by Hodder in 1965, has SBN340013818 -340 indicating the publisher,01381 their serial number. This can be converted to ISBN 0-340-01381-8, the check digit does not need to be re-calculated, since 1 January 2007, ISBNs have contained 13 digits, a format that is compatible with Bookland European Article Number EAN-13s. An ISBN is assigned to each edition and variation of a book, for example, an ebook, a paperback, and a hardcover edition of the same book would each have a different ISBN. The ISBN is 13 digits long if assigned on or after 1 January 2007, a 13-digit ISBN can be separated into its parts, and when this is done it is customary to separate the parts with hyphens or spaces. Separating the parts of a 10-digit ISBN is also done with either hyphens or spaces, figuring out how to correctly separate a given ISBN number is complicated, because most of the parts do not use a fixed number of digits. ISBN issuance is country-specific, in that ISBNs are issued by the ISBN registration agency that is responsible for country or territory regardless of the publication language. Some ISBN registration agencies are based in national libraries or within ministries of culture, in other cases, the ISBN registration service is provided by organisations such as bibliographic data providers that are not government funded. In Canada, ISBNs are issued at no cost with the purpose of encouraging Canadian culture. In the United Kingdom, United States, and some countries, where the service is provided by non-government-funded organisations. Australia, ISBNs are issued by the library services agency Thorpe-Bowker
International Standard Book Number
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A 13-digit ISBN, 978-3-16-148410-0, as represented by an
EAN-13 bar code
16.
The Press
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The Press is a daily broadsheet newspaper published in Christchurch, New Zealand. It is owned by Fairfax Media, james FitzGerald came to Lyttelton on the Charlotte Jane in December 1850, and was from January 1851 the first editor of the Lyttelton Times, Canterburys first newspaper. From 1853, he focussed on politics and withdrew from the Lyttelton Times, the newspapers editor, Crosbie Ward, made an imputation of unknown content, and this spurred FitzGerald to set up The Press as a rival newspaper. FitzGerald had dinner with John Charles Watts-Russell, who put up £500 on the condition that FitzGerald would be in charge of the new newspaper. Next, he enlisted the support of the Rev. John Raven, who organised many of the aspects, like organising a printer. Other members of the committee that organised The Press were H. P. Lance, Henry Tancred. The Press was first published on 25 May 1861 from a small cottage, the cottage belonged to Raven on land known as Ravens paddock on the west side of Montreal Street, between Worcester and Gloucester Streets, opposite the present-day Christchurch Art Gallery. The first edition was a tabloid and was sold for sixpence. The paper continued as a weekly, in February 1862, an attempt was made to form a company and formalise the ownership of the paper. Surprisingly, the deed was not executed, but four month later, FitzGerald, on 13 June 1863, the first part of Samuel Butlers Erewhon appeared in The Press in an article signed with the pseudonym Cellarius and headed Darwin among the Machines. In 1905, The Press purchased a block of the Cathedral Square site for £4,000, the Board then purchased the right of way and what was going to be the original Theatre Royal site from the Theatre Royal Syndicate for £5000. The Gothic part of the Press building was starting in 1907. In the 1930s, The Press began to seek solutions to the delivery times of the newspaper to the West Coast. Accordingly, The Press was willing to subsidise the construction and operation of two small Leyland diesel railbuses to carry the newspapers by rail at a desirable time and this provided substantially quicker delivery of the newspaper than was previously possible. However, these railbuses were intended to only be a temporary measure, in February 2011, The Press main building in central Christchurch was badly damaged in the 2011 Christchurch earthquake. All production was operated from their printing plant near Christchurch Airport until June 2012 and it was one of the first buildings in the Christchurch CBD to be rebuilt and operational. The newspaper is the largest circulating daily in the South Island, the community newspapers—Mid Canterbury Herald, The Christchurch Mail, Northern Outlook and Central Canterbury News—are also published by The Press and are free. Today, the newspaper is a member of the four main daily newspapers
The Press
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Former Press Building in Cashel Street, in use by the newspaper until 1908
The Press
The Press
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Joe Bennett (left), Andrew Holden (former editor of The Press) and
Rod Oram
17.
1869 Christchurch earthquake
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The 1869 Christchurch earthquake occurred at 8,00 am local time on the morning of 5 June near New Brighton with an estimated Richter magnitude of 6.0. The shock had a Mercalli Intensity of VII–VIII and was thought to have been shallow, the shock damaged several brick and stone buildings in the city, destroying chimneys and damaging the spire of St Johns church in Hereford Street. The effects of the earthquake on stone buildings such as St. Johns prompted the Church of St Michael,2011 Christchurch earthquake List of earthquakes in New Zealand List of historical earthquakes
1869 Christchurch earthquake
18.
June 2011 Christchurch earthquake
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The June 2011 Christchurch earthquake was a shallow magnitude 6.3 ML earthquake that occurred on 13 June 2011 at 14,20 NZST. It was centred at a depth of 6 km, about 10 km from Christchurch, the June quake was preceded by a magnitude 5.9 ML tremor that struck the region at a slightly deeper 8.9 km. The United States Geological Survey reported a magnitude of 6.0 Mw at a depth of about 9 km, the damaged tower of the historic Lyttelton Timeball Station collapsed before dismantling work could be completed. The earthquake downed phone lines and triggered widespread outages, which left around 54,000 households without power, rebuilding costs in Christchurch increased by NZ$6 billion owing to the additional damage from the quake. Forty-six people suffered injuries, and one man died after being knocked unconscious. New Zealand in its entirety, particularly the North Island, is located along the seismically volatile Pacific Ring of Fire, and has a long history of earthquakes. Since the European settlement, the largest on record was a magnitude 8.2 ML major earthquake occurred on 23 January 1855 near the Wairarapa plains of the North Island. In comparison, the South Island has experienced fewer large earthquakes, the magnitude 7.1 Mw event of 4 September 2010 produced by far the strongest ground motions ever recorded in the Canterbury region, triggering a large number of aftershocks. The event has led to the discovery of previously dormant geological faults across central-eastern South Island, in particular beneath regional plains and the adjacent seabed. The magnitude 6.3 ML earthquake occurred inland on 13 June 2011 at 14,20 NZST, at a depth of 6.0 km, about 10 km to the east-southeast of Christchurch. Owing to the interaction of the major Pacific and Australia Plates, the June earthquake was preceded by a magnitude 5.9 ML tremor with a similar focal mechanism that struck 1 hour and 20 minutes earlier. Experts believe the quakes were triggered by a previously undiscovered fault in the region, located several kilometres south of the Port Hills Fault. The United States Geological Survey reported a magnitude of 6.0 Mw, seismologists reported that the earthquakes were part of a prolonged aftershock sequence associated with the major magnitude 7.1 earthquake of September 2010, which includes the February 2011 event. They were succeeded by multiple lighter aftershocks, the strongest, a moderate magnitude 5.1 ML struck a minute after the event. Another tremor 5.0 ML struck the two days later. 0–6.9 ML earthquake occurring in the Canterbury aftershock zone within the 12 months following the event. Weeks later, a magnitude 5.4 ML tremor jolted Christchurch overnight on 22 June, causing additional damage, focused only several kilometres below the surface, the earthquake resulted in significant shaking over a large portion of central-eastern South Island. Maximum ground motions registered at VIII on the Mercalli intensity scale in Christchurch, while strong shaking was felt in adjacent populated areas such as Rolleston, the landforms of Sumner recorded intensified shaking due to the effects of its topographic setting. Widespread lighter motions were observed throughout much of the remaining region, the earthquake was felt as far away as New Plymouth and Invercargill
June 2011 Christchurch earthquake
June 2011 Christchurch earthquake
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Map showing the epicentre of the earthquake
19.
December 2011 Christchurch earthquake
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An earthquake occurred in Christchurch on 22 February 2011 at 12,51 p. m. local time and registered 6.3 on the Richter scale. The earthquake caused damage across Christchurch, killing 185 people in the nations fifth-deadliest natural disaster. Significant liquefaction affected the eastern suburbs, producing around 400,000 tonnes of silt, the earthquake was felt across the South Island and parts of the lower and central North Island. Subsequent population loss saw the Christchurch main urban area fall behind the Wellington equivalent to decrease from second to third most populous area in New Zealand,185 people from more than 20 countries died in the earthquake. Over half of the deaths occurred in the six-storey Canterbury Television Building, an additional 28 people were killed in various places across the city centre, and twelve were killed in suburban Christchurch. Due to the injuries sustained some bodies remained unidentified, between 6,600 and 6,800 people were treated for minor injuries, and Christchurch Hospital alone treated 220 major trauma cases connected to the quake. Rescue efforts continued for over a week, then shifted into recovery mode, the last survivor was pulled from the rubble the day after the quake. The nationalities of the deceased are as follows, road and bridge damage occurred and hampered rescue efforts. Soil liquefaction and surface flooding also occurred, road surfaces were forced up by liquefaction, and water and sand were spewing out of cracks. A number of cars were crushed by falling debris, in the central city, two buses were crushed by falling buildings. Because the earthquake hit during the hour, some people on the footpaths were buried by collapsed buildings. Damage occurred to older buildings, particularly those with unreinforced masonry. Of the 3,000 buildings inspected within the four avenues of the city by 3 March 2011. Many heritage buildings were given red stickers after inspections, as of February 2015, there had been 1240 demolitions within the four avenues since the September 2010 earthquakes. The six-storey Canterbury Television building collapsed in the earthquake, leaving only its lift shaft standing,115 people died in the building, which housed a TV station, a medical clinic and an English language school. On 23 February police decided that the damage was not survivable, fire-fighting and recovery operations resumed that night, later joined by a Japanese search and rescue squad. Twelve Japanese students from the Toyama College of Foreign Languages died in the building collapse, a government report later found that the buildings construction was faulty and should not have been approved. The four-storey Pyne Gould Guinness House on Cambridge Terrace, headquarters of Pyne Gould Corporation, collapsed, on Wednesday morning,22 hours after the quake, a survivor was pulled from the rubble
December 2011 Christchurch earthquake
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2011 Christchurch earthquake
December 2011 Christchurch earthquake
December 2011 Christchurch earthquake
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115 bodies were recovered from the
CTV Building, which collapsed during the quake.
December 2011 Christchurch earthquake
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PGC House, following the February 2011 quake
20.
1855 Wairarapa earthquake
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In Wellington, close to the epicenter, shaking lasted for at least 50 seconds. The moment magnitude is estimated to have been in the range 8. 2–8.3 and this earthquake was associated with the largest observed movement on a strike-slip fault, maximum 18 metres. It has been suggested that the surface formed by this event helped influence Charles Lyell to link earthquakes with rapid movement on faults. New Zealand lies along the boundary between the Australian and Pacific Plates, in the South Island most of the relative displacement between these plates is taken up along a single dextral strike-slip fault with a major reverse component, the Alpine Fault. The earthquake occurred on the Wairarapa Fault which is part of the NIFS, the earthquake was associated with the rupturing of approximately 150 km of the Wairarapa Fault. It has been suggested that this was caused by the rupture propagating down to where the fault links through to the top of the subducting Pacific Plate, reports identify at least another four people as having died in the surrounding countryside during the earthquake. Numerous landslides were reported along the slopes of the Rimutaka Range, minor damage was recorded in places as far away as Lyttelton and Christchurch. The uplift of the side of Wellington Harbour rendered many of the jetties in the harbour unusable, although this new area of land provided a new rail. Historic earthquakes – The 1855 Wairarapa earthquake, te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand
1855 Wairarapa earthquake
21.
1888 North Canterbury earthquake
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The epicentre was approximately 35 kilometres west of Hanmer. In Christchurch, about 100 kilometres southeast of the epicentre, shaking lasted for 40 to 50 seconds, the magnitude of the earthquake is estimated to be in the range 7. 0–7.3. Severe damage to buildings in the epicentral region was reported. It was the first earthquake observed to be associated with mainly horizontal fault displacement, new Zealand lies along the boundary between the Australian and Pacific plates. In the South Island, most of the displacement between these plates is taken up along a single dextral strike-slip fault with a major reverse component. In the North Island, displacement is taken up along the Kermadec-Tonga subduction zone. Alexander McKay, a geologist working for the survey, observed horizontal offsets in farm fences between 1.5 and 2.6 metres along the fault. He was the first to associate a strike-slip displacement with an earthquake, in the North Canterbury region many buildings were severely damaged, particularly in the Hope Valley and Hanmer areas. Landslides occurred in unconsolidated sediment and fissures up to 30 centimetres wide were observed, in Christchurch, the top 7.8 metres of the Cathedral spire fell down and minor damage, such as broken chimneys, affected many houses. The Durham Street Methodist Church, Christchurchs first church build with permanent materials, another building affected was the Christchurch Normal School, where chimneys fell down and ceilings were cracked. Damage was greatest in the northern and northwestern suburbs, probably due to the peaty sub-soil
1888 North Canterbury earthquake
1888 North Canterbury earthquake
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This surveyor stands at a fence that crosses the Hope Fault near Glynn Wye Station. The fence, originally straight, has been kinked by the sideways movement of the land.
22.
1901 Cheviot earthquake
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The 1901 Cheviot earthquake occurred at 07,47 NZT on 16 November 1901 with an estimated magnitude of 6.9, centred near the township of Cheviot in the Canterbury Region of New Zealand. A baby was killed when a sod hut collapsed, other casualties in the Canterbury region are not known. The ChristChurch Cathedral experienced some damage in this earthquake, the top of the spire fell again as a result of the 16 November 1901 Cheviot earthquake. This time, the construction was replaced with a more resilient structure of Australian hardwood sheathed with weathered copper sheeting. List of earthquakes in 1901 List of earthquakes in New Zealand
1901 Cheviot earthquake
1901 Cheviot earthquake
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McTaggart's butcher shop in Cheviot after the earthquake
23.
Christchurch Convention Centre
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The Christchurch Convention Centre was New Zealands only purpose-built Convention Centre. Christchurchs Mayor Vicki Buck opened it in November 1997, the Convention Centre was demolished in early 2012 following the 2011 Christchurch earthquake. The Christchurch Convention Centre was located in Kilmore Street in the city centre, the Convention Centre had a capacity of 2,500 people. There were seven rooms, and three halls that could be hired separately or together, to host major plenary sessions for 2,200 people theatre-style. The Convention Centre was demolished in March / April 2012, Christchurch Convention Centre Blue Bill Cuthbert, Photograph,2000, by Ross Coombes https, //www. flickr. com/photos/scapechristchurch/6049074712/lightbox/
Christchurch Convention Centre
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Christchurch Convention Centre in August 2011
Christchurch Convention Centre
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Christchurch Convention Centre after demolition in April 2012, with the
Town Hall visible in the background
24.
Hotel Grand Chancellor, Christchurch
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The Hotel Grand Chancellor was a major four star hotel in the centre of Christchurch in New Zealand, one of eleven Hotel Grand Chancellor establishments across Australia and New Zealand. The hotel was located at 161 Cashel Street, close to the citys City Mall central shopping precinct, for a long time, it was the citys tallest building at 85 metres and 26 storeys, but was overtaken in 2009 by the 86 metres tall Pacific Tower. The building was built in 1986 for office use by Forbes Construction, in 1996 it was converted to a hotel by Fletchers Construction with 15 floors of hotel accommodation, and 12 floors of car parking, also housing conference facilities for businesses. The hotel survived the 7.1 magnitude Canterbury earthquake in 2010, five months later, while fully in use, the hotel was badly damaged in the 6.3 magnitude February 2011 Christchurch earthquake. The building suffered damage, caused by the collapse of a key supporting shear wall D5-6 located in the south-east corner of the building. The shear wall was responsible for roughly one-eighth of the Hotel Grand Chancellors mass, the damaged foundations lead to the visible leaning of the building to one side. Fear that the building would totally collapse hampered search and rescue missions in the vicinity, when searched, no survivors or bodies were found in the hotel. On 25 May the public was told it would take over a year to demolish, the roof of the hotel was removed in early November 2011. A protective fence was to be built around the building to catch debris from the demolition, the Hotel Grand Chancellor management intend on rebuilding a hotel in Christchurch, although it is unclear if it will be rebuilt on the current site and when it will be rebuilt. The hotel was demolished by Ward Demolition, the Grand Hotels International owners of the former Grand Chancellor hotel Christchurch had gained approval to rebuild on the same site by the city council. The new hotel would have been on base isolators at 50 metres high and have 12 floors in the hotel and 5 floor office block in the front. The new design was from Warren and Mahoney architects and was to be built by Fletcher Construction, in April 2014, it was announced that the hotel would no longer be rebuilt on its original site, and would be replaced by shops and offices instead. The Grand Hotels International group expressed interest in building the hotel on a different site in the city, christchurchnz. com HGC page Department of Building and Housing Report on the Structural Performance of the Hotel Grand Chancellor Photo album showing earthquake damage inside the hotel
Hotel Grand Chancellor, Christchurch
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View of the Grand Chancellor from Cashel Street just minutes after the 2011 Christchurch earthquake occurred
25.
Manchester Courts
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Manchester Courts, earlier known as the MLC Building, was a commercial high-rise building in the Christchurch Central City. Built in 1905–1906 for the New Zealand Express Company, it was at the time the tallest commercial building in Christchurch, a Category I heritage building, it suffered serious structural damage in the 2010 Canterbury earthquake and was condemned to be demolished. Demolition began on 19 October, and was completed in February 2011, Manchester Courts was commissioned by the New Zealand Express Company, which had its headquarters in Dunedin with offices throughout the country. They worked in freight forwarding, customs, shipping and express forwarding agents, at the beginning of the 20th century, they were a major employer in New Zealand. The company engaged architects Sidney and Alfred Luttrell with the design of their Christchurch head offices, the architects had been in the country since 1902, and they are credited with introducing the Chicago skyscraper architectural style to New Zealand, and blending it with Edwardian architecture. The Luttrells buildings also included the same commissioners 1908 New Zealand Express House in The Exchange, from 1991 it had a Category I classification with the New Zealand Historic Places Trust. In 1986–1987, the building was refurbished, had its parapet removed and was reclad in steel, Manchester Courts is believed to have been the first steel reinforced commercial building in Christchurch. The foundations and the two stories were made from reinforced concrete. The upper five stories had external unreinforced brick columns that were load bearing, Manchester Courts suffered significant structural damage in the 2010 Canterbury earthquake. The masonry columns were left badly cracked on level three and four and showed shear failure, diagonal cracking on the top floor indicated damage from torsional forces. The building was deemed unsafe and was one of just two historic CBD buildings the City Council initially proposed for immediate demolition and that decision was reversed hours later when the buildings owner proposed to dismantle the building over several weeks. A60 m cordon was established around the building to public safety. Christchurch City Council voted 10 to 2 at their 6 October 2010 meeting that the building was a safety hazard, the councils CEO was given powers to issue a demolition warrant, which avoided the usual resource consent process that could take up to 18 months. The demolition warrant could be granted under section 129 of the Building Act 2004, consequently, resource consent was not required for the demolition. The owner presented evidence of damage in aftershocks and pressed for urgent demolition. The fate of Manchester Courts attracted significant media attention, TV One had the demolition decision as their anchor story for their 6 pm news. Demolition started on 19 October, and was nearing completion in January 2011, the building, significantly weakened by the removal of key structural supports by demolition engineers, withstood a number of large aftershocks without collapsing. During the demolition, an opponent of the demolition said he had photographs showing that the building did indeed contain substantial steel reinforcement, the buildings owner said that less steel had been found than expected, and the mayor stood by the decision to demolish
Manchester Courts
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Manchester Courts was condemned following the 2010 Canterbury earthquake
Manchester Courts
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Manchester Courts under construction in 1906
Manchester Courts
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Detail showing damage to one masonry column
26.
Civic, Christchurch
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The Civic in Manchester Street, Christchurch Central City, was one of the former civic buildings of Christchurch City Council. Built in 1900, it was first used as an exhibition hall, the northern part of the building was purchased by CCC and opened as the civic office in 1924, and served this purpose until 1980. After that it had several uses, including a restaurant, bar, the building was heavily damaged in the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake, has had its frontage removed and is on the list of buildings to be demolished. The Civic was a Category II heritage building registered with the New Zealand Historic Places Trust, the Agricultural and Industrial Hall, also known as the Canterbury Hall, was built in 1900 at 192–194 Manchester Street. The foundation stone was laid by Mayor William Reece on 14 March 1900, the contractors were Rennie and Pearce. The Canterbury Industrial Association, a branch of the New Zealand Industrial Association, was the force behind the building. Together with the Agricultural and Pastoral Association, an Agricultural and Industrial Hall Company was formed that owned the building, samuel Brown, the president of the New Zealand Industrial Association, called it possibly the finest hall in New Zealand. The building was opened on 1 November 1900 by the Mayoress. Later that afternoon, the Governor, The Earl of Ranfurly, the Premiers party consisted of Richard Seddon, Joseph Ward and families. The day was declared as a holiday from noon. The exhibition covered 74,000 square feet and took up two thirds of the city described by Manchester, Gloucester, Worcester Streets and Latimer Square. It closed on 31 January 1901, having been visited by nearly 250,000 people, the Canterbury Hall was then used as a cinema, seating 3,000. In 1906, the building was converted to a theatre with a capacity of 1,400. The remodelled building was opened with the premier of the comic opera Erminie on 28 August 1906, fullers leased the theatre for a period of ten years in early 1917, but tragedy struck on 11 November of that year when the building was gutted by fire. The building, valued at £21,000, was lost, the city organ, which was donated by the Government after the 1906 New Zealand International Exhibition, valued at £5,000 and insured for £3,750 was also consumed by the flames. The building had recently been offered to the Christchurch City Council as a town hall. Christchurch City Council started looking for new offices in 1919, as the existing offices. CCC bought the part of the burned out shell in 1920 for their new municipal offices
Civic, Christchurch
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The Civic in 2009
Civic, Christchurch
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Construction of the Agricultural and Industrial Hall in 1900
Civic, Christchurch
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Canterbury Hall prior to burning down in 1917
Civic, Christchurch
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Plan for the jubilee exhibition
