How many records does the archive hold?

63,896 records about Christchurch, every one linked at the provider that keeps the original.

How far back does the archive reach?

1800, the oldest record on file.

Where do the records come from?

30 collections: council archives, Papers Past, DigitalNZ’s partners, cemetery registers, the heritage list itself. The shelf says what exists and where it lives.

Are these documents verified?

They are leads and citations, not evidence, a record says a document exists and where to read it. What a document actually says is only claimed once somebody has read it; those readings live on the place pages.

“"The Lagoon"”, the shelf

Every record the archive holds about Christchurch, the oldest first. The originals live at the provider each row links to.

39 records matching 39 of these 39 with their text read Papers Past · Canterbury Stories · Kura Heritage Collections Online · Te Papa Collections Online · National Publicity Studios black and white file prints · TAPUHI · Canterbury Museum · Auckland Museum Collections · New Zealand Gazette · Digital Public Library of America · V.C. Browne & Son NZ Aerial Photograph Collection · Christchurch City Libraries Flickr · Hocken Digital Collections · Museums Victoria · Air Force Museum of New Zealand Photograph Collection · Wellington City Council Archives · The New Zealand Heritage List/Rārangi Kōrero · New Zealand Electronic Text Collection · Christchurch City Libraries Heritage Images Collection · Lincoln University Living Heritage: Tikaka Tuku Iho · Flickr · Radio New Zealand · Alexander Turnbull Library Flickr · Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki · Te Hikoi Museum · iNaturalist NZ — Mātaki Taiao · Manawatū Heritage · Canterbury Photography Museum · Akaroa Museum · Hawke's Bay Museum

the 1850s
1 Mar 1851
RURAL SECTIONS CHOSEN. (Lyttelton Times, 01 March 1851) Lyttelton Times · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · text read · about 1 place
27 Nov 1858
Provincial Council. (Lyttelton Times, 27 November 1858) Lyttelton Times · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · text read · about 1 place
the 1860s
29 May 1861
Page 4 Advertisements Column 3 (Lyttelton Times, 29 May 1861) Lyttelton Times · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · text read
21 Aug 1866
Page 3 Advertisements Column 4 (Grey River Argus, 21 August 1866) Grey River Argus · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · text read
12 Feb 1869
NELSON REGATTA. (Colonist, 12 February 1869) Colonist · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · text read · about 2 places
the 1870s
24 Nov 1871
NEW ZEALAND GENERAL NEWS. (Colonist, 24 November 1871) Colonist · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · text read · about 1 place
22 Dec 1871
Page 3 Advertisements Column 2 (West Coast Times, 22 December 1871) West Coast Times · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · text read
16 Feb 1872
NEW ZEALAND.-GENERAL NEWS. (Colonist, 16 February 1872) Colonist · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · text read
17 Apr 1872
Untitled (Grey River Argus, 17 April 1872) Grey River Argus · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · text read
4 May 1872
EVENTS OF THE MONTH. (West Coast Times, 04 May 1872) West Coast Times · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · text read
27 Mar 1873
A VISIT TO THE WEST COAST. (West Coast Times, 27 March 1873) West Coast Times · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · text read
10 Jul 1873
GENERAL INTELLIGENCE. (Tuapeka Times, 10 July 1873) Tuapeka Times · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · text read
14 Sept 1874
ISLANDS OF THE PACIFIC. XXIII. GENTE HERMOSA (Continued). (Daily Southern Cross, 14 September 1874) Daily Southern Cross · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · text read
24 Oct 1874
LOCAL AND GENERAL (Star, 24 October 1874) Star · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · text read
12 Dec 1874
News of the Week. (Otago Witness, 12 December 1874) Otago Witness · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · text read · about 1 place
2 Jan 1875
News of the Week. (Otago Witness, 02 January 1875) Otago Witness · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · text read
16 Jan 1875
News of the Week. (Otago Witness, 16 January 1875) Otago Witness · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · text read · about 1 place
23 Jan 1875
News of the Week. (Otago Witness, 23 January 1875) Otago Witness · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · text read
4 Jun 1879
SOCIAL AND GENERAL. (Otago Daily Times, 04 June 1879) Otago Daily Times · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · text read · about 1 place
the 1880s
18 Jun 1880
SOCIAL AND GENERAL (Otago Daily Times, 18 June 1880) Otago Daily Times · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · text read
25 Oct 1881
AKAROA COUNTY COUNCIL. (Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, 25 October 1881) Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · text read
26 Aug 1882
Local & General. (Star, 26 August 1882) Star · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · text read
31 Jan 1884
ROUND ABOUT NEW ZEALAND. (Grey River Argus, 31 January 1884) Grey River Argus · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · text read
the 1890s
26 May 1890
The Volunteer Field Day. (Star, 26 May 1890) Star · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · text read
23 Jun 1890
CHRISTCHURCH. (Star, 23 June 1890) Star · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · text read
27 Apr 1896
O-RUA-PAEROA. (Star, 27 April 1896) Star · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · text read
16 Feb 1897
SOCIAL AND GENERAL. (Otago Daily Times, 16 February 1897) Otago Daily Times · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · text read
8 Apr 1899
Page 1 Advertisements Column 4 (Timaru Herald, 08 April 1899) Timaru Herald · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · text read
22 Apr 1899
Page 1 Advertisements Column 6 (Timaru Herald, 22 April 1899) Timaru Herald · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · text read
22 May 1899
TOWN & COUNTRY (Timaru Herald, 22 May 1899) Timaru Herald · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · text read
30 Nov 1899
THE TOLL OF THE SEA, (Otago Witness, 30 November 1899) Otago Witness · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · text read · about 4 places
the 1900s
5 Oct 1900
TOWN & COUNTRY. (Timaru Herald, 05 October 1900) Timaru Herald · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · text read · about 1 place
27 Oct 1902
Page 6 Advertisements Column 2 (Otago Daily Times 27-10-1902) Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · text read · about 1 place
16 Jan 1904
LOCAL AND GENERAL. (Star, 16 January 1904) Star · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · text read · about 1 place
11 Sept 1907
LETTERS FROM THE LITTLE FOLK. (Otago Witness, 11 September 1907) Otago Witness · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · text read · about 1 place
the 1920s
1 Dec 1920
NEWS IN BRIEF. (Otago Daily Times 12-1-1920) Otago Daily Times · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · text read
28 Jan 1927
COUNTY WORKS (Ellesmere Guardian, 28 January 1927) Ellesmere Guardian · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · text read
the 1930s
9 Dec 1938
DRAINAGE BOARD (Ellesmere Guardian, 09 December 1938) Ellesmere Guardian · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · text read
the 1940s
3 Dec 1943
ELLESMERE LANDS (Ellesmere Guardian, 03 December 1943) Ellesmere Guardian · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · text read · about 1 place

Most of these originals are not republishable here, the link goes to the provider that keeps them. A search result is a lead, not evidence: what a document actually says is only claimed once somebody has read it, and those readings live on the place pages.

“"The Lagoon"”, the shelf

The shelf

Its patch