Christchurch, New Zealand

Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the third largest urban area in the country. It is a coastal city, situated in the middle of the South Island's east coast just north of Banks Peninsula.

Named after Christ Church College at the University of Oxford, it was originally known as Christ Church, the name being abbreviated by common usage by the 1880s.

The pre-European ( Māori ) name Otautahi, is said to originate from a Māori chief named Tautahi, who is believed to have occupied a seasonal dwelling on a bank of the Avon River near to where the Barbadoes Street bridge now stands. To date there is no documentary or archaeological evidence to support this contention.

Christchurch is the provincial capital of Canterbury, New Zealand, which is about the size of Belgium. The city is situated at the southern end of Pegaus Bay, near the centre of the east coast of the South Island, between Banks Peninsula and the Canterbury Plains. The city is bounded to the east by the Pacific Ocean coast and the estuary of the Avon and Heathcote rivers. To the south and south-east the city is limited by the volcanic slopes of the Port Hills, and to the north by the braided Waimakariri River.

The large number of public parks and well-developed residential gardens with many trees has given Christchurch the name of The Garden City. Hagley Park and the 30-hectare (75-acre) Christchurch Botanic Gardens, founded in 1863, are located in the central city, with Hagley Park being a site for sports such as golf, cricket, netball and rugby, and for open air concerts by local bands and the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra.

With much of the city being flat and only a few metres above sea level, spectacular views can be obtained from almost any high building. At these low elevations the city appears more like a forest with only a few buildings visible, rather than a major city.

At the centre of the city is Cathedral Square, surrounding the Anglican cathedral, Christ Church.

Christchurch's local government is a democracy that includes:

• A city council comprising the Mayor of Christchurch, and 12 councillors elected in six wards.
• Six community boards, each covering one ward, with three members each plus the two ward councillors.
• The Canterbury Regional Council, known as Environment Canterbury including four Christchurch constituencies with two members from each constituency.
• The Canterbury District Health Board, with five members for Christchurch.
• District councils in surrounding areas: Selwyn and Waimakariri.
• Banks Peninsula district council was almalgamated into Christchurch city after a vote by the Banks Peninsula residents to disestablish in November 2005

In 1993, Christchurch was selected as the "Best Run City in the World", also known as the Carl Bertelsmann Prize, by the Bertelsmann Foundation of Germany, a branch of Bertelsmann media company. It shared the honour with Phoenix, Arizona, USA.