The construction of government buildings have long attracted opinion and criticism and the Italian Renaissance style Government Buildings on the corner of Worcester street and Cathedral Square were…
“Bridges are as much a distinctive part of the Christchurch landscape as its well-planted appearance and its old Gothic style provincial buildings. The chance which placed the city by the river Avo…
The story of a rugby mad church cleric, his neglected wife and a widowed publican. Read time approximately 26 minutes. He was a widower and father of two children. She was a cleric’s wife, te…
“In the bay in which we landed, we found two or three miserable primitive Maori cabins, inhabited by half-a-dozen helpless old creatures and a few diseased children — forming a pa named Rapaki.”…
The health benefits, cleanliness and exoticism of the Turkish Bath so appealed to Canterbury settlers that it became the height of fashion in the 1880s. Today we enjoy city operated spa facilities …
“William Wilson was formerly a cabbage dealer in Canterbury; but fourteen years ago he was poor, whereas now he is rich, a circumstance attributable to a lucky speculation in a piece of land …
Cobb & Co, Corner of Cashel and High Streets c. 1880. Source: Christchurch City Libraries Photo Collection 22, Img 00803, Private Collection For as far back as 1856, when the first hansom cab p…
Retired Aircraft Engineer, Corporal Colin Creighton, No. 41 Squadron, RNZAF recounts his experiences serving during the American Vietnam war.
Charismatic, athletic and intelligent, Jonathan Roberts came from a respectable family. A native of Cornwall, he immigrated to New Zealand with his family as a small child in 1862. After leaving sc…
Dressed in a black cutaway coat, dark trousers and a white silk neckcloth, and sporting a Billy-Cock hat over short hair, Henry Jame Muir stood before a London magistrate in 1889 dressed in the clo…
From 1919 until 1963, New Zealand audiences were guaranteed ‘snappy scenes, bright singing, excellent dancing and sparkling comedy’ when attending a Stan Lawson Production.
Sandwiched between the iconic White Hart Hotel and the Universal Boot Depot at 223-225 High Street, was the business founded by Mr James Freeman, a pastry cook and caterer. Opened in 1891, the buil…
“Perambulators are one of the necessities of the nineteenth century. The children of savages may roll in the dust or be carried in a shawl, or strapped to a piece of board, but the children of civi…
John Jauncey Buchanan and his Valuable Allotment Before arrival in Christchurch, the family of Scotsman John Jauncey Buchanan purchased land on what would become the centre of Christchurch. It was …
The Commissioner of the Christchurch Constabulary Department, Robert Clarke Shearman, was undeterred. He saw Little River, a pivotal stop between Akaroa and the plains, as a prime location for figh…
In the Tasmanian News “Miscellaneous Wanted” section of the 18 March 1892 issue, a small classified, nestled among advertisements for pears, clean rags, and 250 pigeons, read, “Wanted a…
This thesis revisits the topic of earthquake recovery in Christchurch City more than a decade after the Canterbury earthquakes. Despite promising visions of a community reconnected and a sustainable and liveable city, significant portions of the city’s core – the Red Zone – remain dilapidated and “eerily empty”. At the same time, new developments in other areas have proven to be alienated or underutilised. Currently, the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority’s plans for the rebuilding highlight the delivery of more residential housing to re-populate the city centre. However, prevalent approaches to housing development in Christchurch are ineffective for building an inclusive and active community. Hence, the central inquiry of the thesis is how the development of housing complexes can revitalise the Red Zone within the Christchurch city centre. The inquiry has been carried out through a research-through-design methodology, recognising the importance of an in-depth investigation that is contextualised and combined with the intuition and embodied knowledge of the designer. The investigation focuses on a neglected site in the Red Zone in the heart of Christchurch city, with significant Victorian and Edwardian Baroque heritage buildings, including Odeon Theatre, Lawrie & Wilson Auctioneers, and Sol Square, owned by The Regional Council Environment Canterbury. The design inquiry argues, develops, and is carried through a place-assemblage lens to housing development for city recovery, which recognizes the significance of socially responsive architecture that explores urban renewal by forging connections within the social network. Therefore, place-assemblage criteria and methods for developing socially active and meaningful housing developments are identified. Firstly, this thesis argues that co-living housing models are more focused on people relations and collective identity than the dominant developer-driven housing rebuilds, as they prioritise conduits for interaction and shared social meaning and practices. Secondly, the adaptive reuse of derelict heritage structures is proposed to reinvigorate the urban fabric, as heritage is seen to be conceived as and from a social assemblage of people. The design is realised by the principles outlined in the ICOMOS charter, which involves incorporating the material histories of existing structures and preserving the intangible heritage of the site by ensuring the continuity of cultural practices. Lastly, design processes and methods are also vital for place-sensitive results, which pay attention to the site’s unique characteristics to engage with local stakeholders and communities. The research explores place-assemblage methods of photographic extraction, the drawing of story maps, precedent studies, assemblage maps, bricolages, and paper models, which show an assembly of layers that piece together the existing heritage, social conduits, urban commons and housing to conceptualise the social network within its place.
This thesis explores the intricate relationship between dance and trauma, focusing on how embodied practices facilitate psychological recovery. Dominant narratives often prioritise cognitive experiences, limiting our understanding of healing. By employing a qualitative, post-positivist and critical autoethnographic approach, I reflect on my journey through trauma following the Christchurch earthquakes, utilising journal entries from the point of view of my younger self to illustrate the transformative power of movement and dance. The key themes of this research are structure and routine, socialisation, and alleviation of anxious thoughts, demonstrating how engaging with the body challenges conventional notions of recovery. Furthermore, it highlights the complementary role of Dance Movement Therapy in trauma- informed practices, advocating for a holistic approach that recognises the mind-body connection. The findings underscore the necessity of viewing trauma as an embodied experience and propose a shift toward movement-based therapeutic practices that empower individuals through their lived experiences. Ultimately, this research calls for reimagining therapeutic frameworks, emphasising dance's potential to complement current trauma- informed therapies and promote a bottom-up approach to recovery.
Friday 22 February 2013. File reference: CCL-2013 -02-22- IMG_4088 From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries.
Friday 22 February 2013. File reference: CCL-2013 -02-22-IMG_4082 From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries.
Friday 22 February 2013. File reference: CCL-2013 -02-22-IMG_4046 From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries.
Friday 22 February 2013. File reference: CCL-2013 -02-22-IMG_3965 From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries.
Friday 22 February 2013. File reference: CCL-2013 -02-22-IMG_3949 From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries.
Friday 22 February 2013. File reference: CCL-2013 -02-22-IMG_3961 From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries.
Friday 22 February 2013. File reference: CCL-2013 -02-22-IMG_3970 From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries.
File Reference: CCL-CE-2013-09-30-EQNZ-2010.JPG Photo taken by G. Coster From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries
Friday 22 February 2013. File reference: CCL-2013-02-22-River-of-FlowersDSC_03413.JPG From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries.
Friday 22 February 2013. File reference: CCL-2013 -02-22-IMG_4038 From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries.
Friday 22 February 2013. File reference: CCL-2013 -02-22-IMG_4077 From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries.
Friday 22 February 2013. File reference: CCL-2013 -02-22-IMG_4036 From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries.