The New Zealand region of Canterbury mostly comprises the Canterbury Plains. Christchurch is the main city, which is also the seat of the Canterbury Regional Council (trading as Environment Canterbury) and the Christchurch City Council.

Geography

When the current local government structure was introduced in 1989, Kaikoura District was part of the Nelson-Marlborough Region. That region was later abolished and replaced with 3 unitary authorities. Kaikoura was too small to function as an independent unitary authority and was moved under the jurisdiction of the Canterbury Regional Council. In the minds of many people Kaikoura remains part of Marlborough.

Pre-European History

1769 - 1850

Colonisation

In 1848 Edward Gibbon Wakefield and John Robert Godley established the Canterbury Association to plan a Church of England colony in New Zealand's South Island. The colony was to be based upon theories developed by Wakefield while in prison for eloping with a woman not-of-age. Following 1850 the province developed, during this era the architect Benjamin Mountfort, as the first Provincial architect, designed many civic and ecclesiastical buildings in the Gothic Revival style.

The University of Canterbury is located in Christchurch.

Terminology

People in New Zealand commonly refer to people from the Canterbury region as Cantabrians. However, this would seem to be a more proper term for people from Cantabria. People from the original town of Canterbury in England refer to themselves as Cantuarians.