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1000
First Inhabitants
They arrived in 1000 and by 1450 they had hunted the moa to extinction by burning the land in the Canterbury area. -
Period: 1000 to
Canterbury's History
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Captain James Cook ship
In 1770 Captain James Cook's ship, The Endeavour, was sighted in the Canterbury Pennisula. In 1815 European sailors were the first europeans to set foot on the canterbury land. In 1837 William Wiseman named Lyttleton Harbour. -
Canterbury Settlements formed
Europeans established a small settlement on the Canterbury Plains in 1843. In 1847 John Robert Godly began planing the first settlement in the canterbury area, which was formed in 1848 and named "Christchurch", after the colledge he'd attended. -
Canterbury settlements were prepared for new settlers
In 1850 Captain Joseph Thomas began building new settlements to prepare for the arival of new settlers. He planned 3 towns which were Christchurch, Sumner and Lyttleton. The first ship, The Charlotte Jane, arrived on December 16 1850. -
There were many ' Firsts' in Canterbury.
in 1851 the many schools, services and establishments were had in canterbury. -
Christchurch wealth allowed it to create many establishments
In 1857- 1864 Canterbury was wealthy and prosperous, this meant that Christchurch had the resources to build a hospital, a telegraph between christchurch and lyttleton, and a theatre. -
Canterbury became a province
Christchurch became a City by Royal Charter on 31 July 1856, and canterbury became a province. -
Christchurchs population had health issues
The increase in the number of people living in the city led to serious public health problems. From 1872-75 there were epidemics of diptheria and whooping cough every year, and in the typhoid epidemic of 1875-76 152 people died in Christchurch. These diseases are all diseases of poverty - poor food and unhealthy living conditions. -
End of a provincial era
In November 1876 the different provincial councils throughout New Zealand were replaced by a system of town boards, boroughs, road and harbour boards. Canterbury had been one of the more successful provinces. By 1876 the city of Christchurch had a population of over 12,000 in the central city and another 10,000 in the suburbs. -
Other important events in 1877
Land boom in Canterbury, followed by a depression in the 1880s.
New Christchurch railway station opened. A railway line now extended north to Amberley. By 1878 it had reached Dunedin in the south.