Once upon a time, there was a baker (a pie-maker, even) who left his home in Germany and travelled the length of the world to a small country in the South Pacific. There, in a young city built on a … Continue reading →
Earlier this year, we excavated a site on Armagh Street that revealed not only a large quantity of artefacts, but also a historical and material narrative set in the swampy bowels of a fledgling city, a tale of politics, commerce, … Continue reading →
Recently, Peter Mitchell, one of our building archaeology specialists, recorded a 19th century residential dwelling just on the edge of Christchurch’s Central City. This dwelling was similar in form and function to others we have seen in Canterbury – it … Continue reading →
A PDF copy of pages 196-197 of the book Christchurch: The Transitional City Pt IV. The pages document the transitional project 'Container Art'. Photos: Eugenio Boidi
A PDF copy of pages 186-187 of the book Christchurch: The Transitional City Pt IV. The pages document the transitional project 'Dino-Sauna'. Photos: Gap Filler
A PDF copy of pages 146-147 of the book Christchurch: The Transitional City Pt IV. The pages document the transitional project 'Dux Live'.
A PDF copy of pages 264-265 of the book Christchurch: The Transitional City Pt IV. The pages document the transitional project 'Knit Happens'. Photos: Jen McBride
A PDF copy of pages 192-193 of the book Christchurch: The Transitional City Pt IV. The pages document the transitional project 'Butterfly Gap'. Photos: Gap Filler
A PDF copy of pages 184-185 of the book Christchurch: The Transitional City Pt IV. The pages document the transitional project 'Re:Entry'. Photos: Gap Filler
A PDF copy of pages 330-331 of the book Christchurch: The Transitional City Pt IV. The pages document the transitional project 'Social Soup'. Photos: Joel Cocks
A PDF copy of pages 180-181 of the book Christchurch: The Transitional City Pt IV. The pages document the transitional project 'Gap Golf'. Photos: Gap Filler
Pages 2 and 3 of a Smiths City advertising insert in the Christchurch Press, published on Saturday 25 December 2010.
A copy of a letter from Empowered Christchurch to Peter Sparrow, Director of Building Control and Rebuild at the Christchurch City Council, sent on 23 October 2014. The letter is a response to another letter sent by Peter Sparrow to Empowered Christchurch regarding existing use rights and exemptions from a building consent. In this letter, Empowered Christchurch requests furthur clarification from the Christchurch Building Consent Authority about these concepts.
A paper which outlines the observed damage to Christchurch City Council-owned retaining walls and the repair solutions developed.
A blog post from US Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa, David Huebner, titled, "Independence Day in Christchurch".
Late in 2014 we were contacted by contractors working on a rebuild project in Christchurch’s city centre. It was reported that a number of bottles had been uncovered during routine earthworks and the area cordoned off until our arrival. The bottles … Continue reading →
Today we’re going back to Christchurch’s hinterland, this time to Kura Tāwhiti/Castle Hill, a place that’s still an important and valued part of the city’s surrounds. But in the interests of full disclosure, I feel like I should let you … Continue reading →
As life-changing experiences go, the earthquake on 22 February 2011 was fairly significant. On the one hand, our house was red-zoned (but still liveable), friends lost their lives and the city lost many of the old buildings that, for me, … Continue reading →
In 1861, the city of Christchurch would have been virtually unrecognisable to a 21st century resident. Buildings were scattered sparsely throughout what is now the central business district and dirt roads and low fences traversed a landscape that was more grassland … Continue reading →
A shortened version of a presentation created in 2011, outlining the approach to the central city rebuild.
A web story about the return of the stone lions to the Memorial Arch.
A document containing examples of newsletters printed and distributed to the inner city businesses and residents, to prepare them for the upcoming SCIRT rebuild work and update them on the positive progress being made.
A PDF copy of pages 282-283 of the book Christchurch: The Transitional City Pt IV. The pages document the transitional project 'Co-Location of Secondary Schools in Christchurch Post 22 February 2011 Earthquake'. Photo: Phil Arvidson. With permission: St Bede's, Marian College and the Ministry of Education.
A PDF copy of pages 266-267 of the book Christchurch: The Transitional City Pt IV. The pages document the transitional project 'Te Ariki'. Photos: Trent Hiles
A PDF copy of pages 324-325 of the book Christchurch: The Transitional City Pt IV. The pages document the transitional project 'Scaffold Pavilion'.
A PDF copy of pages 198-199 of the book Christchurch: The Transitional City Pt IV. The pages document the transitional project 'Smash Palace'. Photos: Irene Boles
A PDF copy of pages 84-85 of the book Christchurch: The Transitional City Pt IV. The pages document the transitional project 'I Am...'. Photo: Harry Tranter
A PDF copy of pages 342-343 of the book Christchurch: The Transitional City Pt IV. The pages document the transitional project 'Christchurch: See Through My Eyes (UNICEF Children's Photographs)'. UNICEF Children's Photos as supplied by Canterbury Museum and Jacqui Southey
In last week’s blog post, we talked about the use of light in Christchurch’s city streets and public spaces, from oil lamps to gas lights to electricity in the early 20th century. This week, we step out of the street and … Continue reading →
A PDF copy of pages 30-31 of the book Christchurch: The Transitional City Pt IV. The pages document the transitional project 'Homage to the Lost Spaces'. Photo: Andrew Hewson