Christchurch is New Zealand’s second-largest city and the largest city in the South Island. Situated on the Canterbury Plains in the eastern South Island, it is bordered by the Pacific Ocean and the estuaries of the Avon and Heathcote Rivers to the east, the volcanic slopes of the Port Hills to the south, and the Waimakariri River to the north. It covers approximately 1,426 square kilometres and has a population of about 391,000. Its numerous English-style parks, private gardens and extensively planted residential properties have earned it the name “Garden City”.

The city has a long history, with Māori settlement dating back to the mid-13th century. Europeans began arriving on the Canterbury Plains in 1840. In 1850–1851, British settlers arrived aboard four ships at Lyttelton Harbour, southeast of the city. Christchurch was formally granted city status by Queen Victoria in July 1856.

Christchurch is an important commercial and industrial centre and a distribution hub for agricultural products. Its fertile land supports well-developed agriculture and pastoral farming, with strengths in vegetables, horticulture, grain, dairy products, wool, seafood and timber. It also has strengths in software development, tourism, light industry and electronics. Lyttelton, approximately seven kilometres southeast of the city, is a natural deep-water harbour and one of New Zealand’s major ports, ranking third nationally by annual cargo throughput. Christchurch International Airport, approximately ten kilometres from the city centre, is New Zealand’s second-largest airport.

Christchurch has several universities and a strong research and development base. The long-established University of Canterbury has particular strengths in engineering and business, while Lincoln University is a nationally recognised centre for agricultural and pastoral research. Christchurch is also an Antarctic gateway city and home to Antarctica New Zealand. Countries including the United States, Italy and South Korea cooperate with New Zealand on Antarctic research here, and researchers use the city as a base for travel to and from Antarctica.

At the initiative of Rewi Alley, the renowned friend of China who was born in Canterbury, Christchurch established a sister-city relationship with Gansu Province in 1984. It formally became a sister city of Wuhan in 2006 and Shenzhen in 2026.

The city suffered severe damage in two major earthquakes on 4 September 2010 and 22 February 2011, measuring magnitude 7.1 and 6.3 respectively. The latter claimed 185 lives, including 24 Chinese students, one of whom was from Taiwan. More than 20,000 buildings collapsed or were damaged, with the city centre and eastern suburbs particularly badly affected.

Major attractions include the International Antarctic Centre, Canterbury Museum and the Cardboard Cathedral.

The current mayor is Phil Mauger, who was elected in 2022 and re-elected in 2025.