- Archaeological evidence suggests Christchurch was first settled by moa-hunting tribes as early as AD 1000.
- The Māori name for Christchurch is Ōtautahi. The name is derived from a Ngai Tahu chief, Tautahi, who along with his people, had settlements on the riverbanks of the Ōtākaro-Avon River.
- Planning of the Christchurch settlement began in England in the late 1840s, named after the college at Oxford University that key founder John Godley attended. It was planned as a model Anglican church settlement, intending to replicate a typical English community. It was established as a colony in 1850.
- Christchurch became New Zealand’s first city by Royal Charter in 1856.