Canterbury region
|
Canterbury Waitaha |
|
|---|---|
| Region of New Zealand | |
| Canterbury Region | |
 Canterbury Region within New Zealand |
|
| Coordinates: 43°36′S 172°00′E / 43.6°S 172.0°ECoordinates: 43°36′S 172°00′E / 43.6°S 172.0°E | |
| Country |
 New Zealand
|
| Island | South Island |
| Established | 1989 |
| Seat | Christchurch |
| Territorial authorities | |
| Government | |
| • Chairperson | Margaret Bazley |
| Area | |
| • Region | 44,508 km2 (17,185 sq mi) |
| Population (June 2016) | |
| • Region | 600,100 |
| • Density | 13/km2 (35/sq mi) |
| Demonym(s) | Cantabrian |
| Time zone | NZST (UTC+12) |
| • Summer (DST) | NZDT (UTC+13) |
| Largest groups of overseas-born residents | |
| Nationality | Population (2013) |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom
|
34,719 |
 Australia
|
8,520 |
 China
|
7,380 |
 Philippines
|
4,647 |
 South Africa
|
4,107 |
 Netherlands
|
3,087 |
 India
|
2,937 |
 South Korea
|
2,904 |
 United States
|
2,754 |
 Samoa
|
2,523 |
Canterbury (Māori: Waitaha) is a region of New Zealand, located in the central-eastern South Island. The region covers an area of 44,508 square kilometres (17,185 sq mi), and is home to a population of 600,100 (June 2016).
The region in its current form was established in 1989 during nationwide local government reforms. The Kaikoura District joined the region in 1992 following the abolition of the Nelson-Marlborough Regional Council.
Christchurch, the South Island's largest city and the country's third-largest urban area, is the seat of the region and home to 65 percent of the region's population. Other major towns and cities include Timaru, Ashburton, Rangiora and Rolleston.
In 1848, Edward Gibbon Wakefield, a Briton, and John Robert Godley, an Anglo-Irish aristocrat, founded the Canterbury Association to establish an Anglican colony in the South Island. The colony was based upon theories developed by Wakefield while in prison for eloping with a woman not-of-age. Due to ties to the prestigious Oxford University, the Canterbury Association succeeded in raising sufficient funds and recruiting middle-class and upper-class settlers. In April 1850, a preliminary group led by Godley landed at Port Cooper—modern-day Lyttelton Harbour—and established a port, housing and shops in preparation for the main body of settlers. In December 1850, the first wave of 750 settlers arrived at Lyttelton in a fleet of four ships.
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