chch.live a suburb, in depth

Hornby, Christchurch

7,016 council reports since May 2015, the 17th busiest suburb in the city. 5,560 photographs on record. 8,760 people at the 2023 Census, 1,716 to the square kilometre across 5.1 km².

Reports, all time
7,016
In the year to 12 Oct 2026
982
Busiest in Christchurch
17th
Photographs
5,560

The record also holds about $550 a week to rent 2023 Census snapshot 5,560 photographs 30 old photographs 4 schools 16 parks 1 civic facility 5 places of worship 16 tracks 6 names on the map graded mostly TC1 in 2011 ecological sites over 1% of the outline noise overlays over the whole outline setback strips over 1% of the outline 18% of the outline inside the plan’s density overlays 957 SCIRT photographs filed on this ground 35.7 km of cycleway crosses the outline 2 remembered names on this ground 6 drawn rules bind this ground 21 parcels on the dangerous-work register 92 parcels of made ground 1 parcels with a cleanup on file the 2019 model grades this ground mostly low 11 council structures on the register 56 recreation register records 2,080 trees on the register the plan’s word on this ground 9% of the outline reserved the plan’s exceptions touch 1% of the outline 3 epicentres inside the outline 461 injury crashes 4,213 recorded victimisations 44 bus stops 234 businesses the council’s fix times 7 heritage places 40 documents 5 mentions on the wire

See it on the map Its decade, charted

Living here rent · the ground · the day-to-day

$550/week middle half $510–$598

New bonds here ran at about $550 a week in the April–June 2026 quarter, the middle half of them between $510 and $598, across 15 bonds lodged, down 8% on a year ago. That’s in line with the city’s own quarter median of $550. Tenancy Services counts these under the Hornby West areas combined, approximately this suburb.

By dwelling type and bedrooms, April–June 2026 quarter
  • 1-bedroom house, $600 a week · 9 new bonds
  • 3-bedroom house, $540 a week · 6 new bonds

Median and quartiles of weekly rents on new private bonds, by quarter. New bonds are fresh lodgements, not the whole rental stock; under five bonds the rent is withheld, and counts are randomly rounded. Source: Tenancy Services rental bond data: provisional while the bond system migrates.

The ground: the 2011 grading filed it mostly TC1, the rest of the watch is drawn further down.

Day to day it holds 4 schools, 16 parks, 1 civic facility, 5 places of worship, 16 tracks and 44 bus stops, each is counted further down.

Lately the record’s mostly graffiti & vandalism, 982 reports in the year to 12 October 2026, the newest 12 October 2026.

One for the quiz, Its busiest day on record was 30 September 2022, 34 reports in a single day.

2023 Census snapshot SA1 areas grouped here

People
2,949
Occupied households
1,101

About 2,949 people and 1,101 occupied private households in the “Hornby Central”, “Hornby West” and “Islington-Hornby Industrial” areas, grouped from 24 SA1 areas. Several statistical areas are combined here, so this is a grouped proxy rather than a count for one suburb boundary.

Stats NZ’s 2023 Census uses fixed random rounding to base 3. Unavailable or confidential cells are left out, not treated as zero. individuals · households · geography · CC BY 4.0.

About the suburb

Hornby is a residential and retail suburb at the western edge of Christchurch, New Zealand. The suburb is directly connected to other parts of Christchurch and the South Island by a number of main arterial routes, including State Highway 1 and the Christchurch Southern Motorway.

the encyclopaedia’s version · Wikipedia · population: Stats NZ 2023 Census SA2 counts; the area is measured from the suburb outline

As reported 5,560 on record

40 Shands Road, Hornby28 Brynley Street, Hornby112 Springs Road, Hornby15 Witham Street, Hornby26 Brynley Street, Hornby184 Springs Rd 5,560 photographs
on the wall →

The suburb, back then 30 in the archive

Hornby League Football Team, 1915Pte G McIlroy of Hornby (Christchurch), killed in action, 1917Gunner C. S. Cockburn, of Hornby, Christchurch, died as result of accident, 1941Private R. McDonald, of Hornby, Christchurch, died of wounds, 1941Private W. E. Dove, of Hornby, Christchurch, presumed died of wounds, 1941Private L. R. Willan, of Hornby, Christchurch, killed in action, 1942Goods train derailed in Canterbury: coal trucks piled up in Hornby station yard, 1943Hornby, Christchurch City, Canterbury Region, including K P Fertiliser factory, 1951K P Fertiliser factory, Hornby, Christchurch, Canterbury Region, 1951Hornby, Christchurch, showing sub station, 1955 30 photographs
from back when →

Placed by the record’s locality join or the name in its own title, a lead, not a claim each frame stood here.

The record on Hornby

Lately the newest reports

Reports per year up 12% 2024→2025

What gets reported

Graffiti & vandalism 2,071
Roads & footpaths 1,395
Rubbish & dumping 1,291
Trees & parks 993
Water & drains 831
Vehicles & parking 209
Everything else 177
Animals & pests 29 Noise 20

Streets that keep coming up each a street page

Every street the archive knows in Hornby →

Exactly what people say

How fast the council fixes things here 10,100 finished jobs on record

The median council work order pinned in Hornby took 3 days to resolve, the city-wide median is 3 days, so this ground runs faster than the city as a whole. The slowest tenth waited 9 weeks or longer. 223 tickets are open here now, the oldest was filed 7 April 2021.

Work orders, not the resident reports above, the council’s MyCouncilTicket stream, and one job can appear in both. A median counts only finished jobs; open ones are named as open, never averaged in. The ticket roll · the whole city’s fix times.

Alcohol rules on this ground

3 sensitive sites stand here, Hornby High School, Hornby Primary School, Te Manu Tukutuku South Hornby School, and the Local Alcohol Policy restricts new off-licences within 200 m of them.

The council’s bylaw zones and the Local Alcohol Policy’s buffer list, read from the Regulatory open-data service. A ban rules drinking in public places; it says nothing about whether a premises may sell, that is the licence register’s job.

The suburb today

Schools here 4

Zoned for Christchurch Adventist School · Hornby High School · Middleton Grange School · Our Lady of Victories · St Thomas of Canterbury College · Te Puna Wai o Waipapa - Hagley College · and 6 more zones, the drawn zone is indicative; the Ministry’s written scheme is the legal boundary.

Decile and EQI describe the community a school draws from, not how well it teaches.

The green here 16

The first eight of 16, Parks and reserves in the council’s open data, a park lands in the suburb its centre falls inside. The whole roll is at /parks.

The civic shelf 1

Libraries, halls, cemeteries and the rest in the council’s open data, a facility lands in the suburb its point or centre falls inside. The whole shelf is at /facilities.

Where the suburb worships 5

Places of worship in the open map’s record, one lands in the suburb its building stands in. The whole roll is at /worship.

The tracks through here 16

The first eight of 16, Tracks in the council’s open data, a line belongs to every suburb it passes through. The whole network is at /tracks.

The names on this ground 6

The 2011 grading filed 49.0% of this outline, about 250 hectares, mostly TC1. A graded area files under the suburb its middle sits in, and a category is a verdict for a patch of ground, not a finding about an address; the grades are drawn at /technical-categories.

21 parcels inside this outline sit on the hazardous-activities register, mostly chemical manufacture, application and bulk storage, vehicle refuelling, service and repair, cemeteries and waste recycling, treatment and disposal, 17 still doing the work. A listing records the work, not a soil test; the whole register is drawn at /hazards.

The files record 92 parcels of made or characterised ground inside this outline, about 66 hectares, mostly engineered fill, silt, topsoil, 7 carry fill the file can’t vouch for. A record is the file’s word on what was laid, not a fresh survey; the whole layer is drawn at /fill.

1 parcel inside this outline carries a cleanup on the file. A cleanup on the file is the register’s word, not a clearance; the whole register is drawn at /remediated.

The 2019 liquefaction study put 93% of this outline in the low class. A class is the model’s verdict on a patch of ground, not a finding about an address; the whole study is drawn at /vulnerability.

The council’s structure register stands 11 assets on this ground, 5 sets of steps, 3 bridges, 3 ramps, sited at Denton Oval, Kyle Park, Warren Park, Owaka Reserve 2. The register’s site names are its own labels for the ground an asset stands in; the layer is drawn at the map.

The recreation register keeps 56 records inside this outline, bookable surfaces for 18 disc golf, 13 football, 10 cricket, 4 touch rugby. Seasons and surfaces are the register’s record, not this week’s draw; the layer is drawn at the map.

The register counts 2,080 living trees inside this outline, 8 veterans among them, 2 carrying a protection, mostly Smooth Arizona Cypress, Ribbonwood, Deodar Cedar. The file remembers 766 trees felled here. A tree record is the register’s word on what stands or stood; the whole canopy is drawn at /trees.

The plan files 20% of this outline under Industrial Heavy, 33% residential, the rest mostly Transport 15%, Residential Suburban 14%. A zone is a permission, not a description, the mix is read from a sampled join of the plan’s polygons; the whole district is drawn at /zones.

The plan reserves about 45 hectares of this outline, 9%, under 7 designations, mostly movement, learning. A designation is a claim on the ground, not a build date, the mix is read from a sampled join; the whole register is drawn at /designations.

The plan’s exceptions touch 1% of this outline, 1 qualifying matter, mostly residential. A matter narrows how the density rule applies, it does not forbid; the mix is read from a sampled join, and the cultural-significance areas are the plan’s own unnamed ones. The whole register is drawn at /matters.

The plan’s ecological schedules cover 1% of this outline across 1 scheduled site, all protected under Schedule A. Shares read from a sampled join; a recognition overlay, not a survey. The whole ledger is drawn at /ecology.

The plan’s noise overlays cover all of this outline, about 511 hectares across 1 mapped overlay, and inside the airport’s bird-strike buffer. Shares read from a sampled join; a planning line, not a meter’s reading. The quiet lines are drawn at /noise.

The plan’s water-margin layers cross this outline, 11 classified reaches, the plan calling Waterloo Road Drain and Awatea Stream by name, 1% of it inside the setback strips, the widest holding 5 m off the bank. The margin is the plan’s drawing, not a survey of the bank; the reaches, strips and held edges are mapped at /water-margin.

The plan’s allowed shape holds this outline, 18% of it inside the residential overlays, the densest standing Medium Density. The shape is the plan’s permission, not a survey of what stands; the allowed shape is drawn at /density.

The rebuild’s cameras filed 957 photographs on this ground, 2011–2014, wastewater work mostly. Each frame is a receipt the dig left behind, a work log, not a survey of what stands now; the whole record is drawn at /rebuild.

The pedal network threads this ground, 35.7 km of cycleway crosses the outline, 0.4 km of it separated from the traffic, Little River Link, South Express. A segment counts under every suburb its path enters; the whole network is drawn at /cycleways.

The remembered names stand on this ground, 2 inscribed plaques, Pathways Home, Denton Park among the grounds. The plaque is the register’s pin, not a surveyed spot; the whole roll is kept at /plaques.

The rulebook binds this ground, 6 drawn instruments, 1 alcohol ban, 5 bottle-store buffers; the outline sits inside the takiwā of Te Ngai Tuahuriri Runanga. The bylaw is the instrument, this the map of it, the whole rulebook is drawn at /rules.

GeoNet’s catalogue puts 3 magnitude-3+ epicentres inside this outline since the sequence opened, the biggest a M4.1 in 2010. An epicentre is where the instruments placed the break, not a measure of the shaking here; the whole catalogue is counted at /sequence, the live record is /quakes, and the story in plain language is the earthquakes explainer.

The named waterways, bays, headlands, monuments, summits and old sites OpenStreetMap puts inside this outline, a pin is the mapper’s own; a waterway belongs to every suburb it crosses. Every roll, counted: /geography.

The crash record 461 injury crashes

461 crashes that hurt somebody on record inside Hornby's outline, 3 people killed, 80 seriously hurt.

The corner that keeps appearing: Halswell Junction Road at Springs Road, 15 injury crashes.

the suburb’s crashes on the map →

The crime record 4,213 recorded victimisations

4,213 victimisations on the Police record inside Hornby’s outline, September 2022–August 2026, mostly theft, about 357 a year per 1,000 residents. Down 17% on the year before. Reported is not all, how much never reaches the record depends on the offence.

the suburb on the crime map →

The buses through it 44 stops

44 Metro stops inside Hornby's outline, in ECan’s stop record, served by route 5, route 125, route 80, route 130, route 100, route 140.

Every route in the record →

Businesses here 234 in the directory

234 premises in Hornby across 71 kinds, from OpenStreetMap, the council’s licensed-premises register and its 2024 Find Christchurch directory. Each kind below opens at this suburb’s shelf.

Among them, the ones the record says most about:

The whole directory →

Before any of that

On the register here

  1. 79 Carmen Road79 Carmen Road
  2. Former Canterbury Aviation Company Barracks and Setting
  3. Former RNZAF Station Wigram Hangar 4 and Setting95 Sioux Avenue
  4. Former RNZAF Station Wigram Hangar 5 and Setting75 Sioux Avenue
  5. Former RNZAF Station Wigram Instructional Building/Control Tower and Setting69 Corsair Drive
  6. Former RNZAF Station Wigram No 1 Officers' Mess, Brevet Garden and Setting14 Henry Wigram Drive
  7. Kingsford Smith Landing Site32R Bennington Way

The register’s own page for Hornby →

Documents 40

What the archive’s sources say about Hornby, titled for it, turned up by a search for one of its places, or carrying its name in the text. These are leads and citations: the originals live at the provider, linked from each row.

LAST- NIGHT'S MEETING. (New Zealand Gazette and Wellington Spectator, 15 December 1841)…ley townley s hogg boavdley winnington s birmingham muntz s sdioleheld blackburn fielding hornby bodmiii major vivian s lord liecster bolton ainsworth s bownug s boston duke s brownrigg bradford hardy…New Zealand Gazette and Wellington Spectator · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · · text held
Page 4 Advertisements Column 1 (Lyttelton Times, 03 May 1851)…towards the site of the college named lincoln and ellesmere for particulars apply to mr j hornby evans christchurch or jtulloch auctioneer lyttelton 4 money jtanted to borrow and for such time w as ma…Lyttelton Times · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · · text held
Page 4 Advertisements Column 1 (Lyttelton Times, 10 May 1851)…part of rural section no 118 further particulars may be obtained by applying to mr thomas hornby evans christ church who will show the land to richard wormald esq solicitor canterbury street lyttelton…Lyttelton Times · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · · text held
Miscellaneous. (Lyttelton Times, 11 January 1860)…mr c pout office adelaide australia hanmer esq hillyard alexander esq post office sydney hornby mrs 76 grove street liverpool england humphries m esq christchurch hunt mr christchureh hulcup mr j mr…Lyttelton Times · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · · text held
Page 3 Advertisements Column 3 (Otago Daily Times, 30 December 1871)…avedding cakes made to order from 10s upwards donaldson and galloavay 5 n proprietors ohn hornby anchor hotel maclaggan street dnnedin late of port chalmers good board and residence hairdressers fb e…Otago Daily Times · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · · text held
MR STOUT IN REPLY TO MR D. REID. (Otago Witness, 01 June 1878)…ones the most likely to come are i t walker a j webbe a p lucas w s patterson e grace a n hornby f townsend d q steel j m cotterill lord harris f penp perhaps 0 k francis and a appleby and if they cau…Otago Witness · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · · text held
LOCAL AND GENERAL. (Star, 13 June 1878)…those most likely to come are i d walker a j webbe a p lucas w s patterson g f grace a n hornby f townsend d q steel j m cotterm lord hams f perm perhaps c k francis and a appleby and if they can get…Star · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · · text held
News of the week. (Otago Witness, 29 June 1878)…ket players who are to visit the colonies will cousiafc of it walker j walker lord harris hornby a webbe luea absolom perm pearson and longman the message ended with the words one sport amsinck mr ams…Otago Witness · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · · text held
TELEGRAMS. (Marlborough Express, 24 July 1878)…etary while sympathising with theobject said hp could not introduce such a bill j admiral hornby is to be created kcb earl dufferin has accepted the presidency df the royal geographic society the prin…Marlborough Express · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · · text held
LOCAL AMD GENERAL. (Star, 17 August 1878)…is the home of many of the best cricketers of the day including the brothers steel messrs hornby appleby patterson and the professionals barlow watson and mlntyre since their lato dofeat by cambridge…Star · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · · text held

The rest are a search away, the whole shelf, for the name →

The wire on Hornby 5 lately

Waipuna Halswell-Hornby-Riccarton Community Board — 4.30 pm, 13 Oct 2026The council · Christchurch City Council ·
Information Session/Workshop - Waipuna Halswell-Hornby-Riccarton Community Board, 13 Oct 2026The council · Christchurch City Council ·
Large Crane Flies seen — Main South Rd near Chalmers St, Hornby, Christchurch 8042, New ZealandiNaturalist · aldwinromeo ·
Atomaria seen — Main South Rd near Chalmers St, Hornby, Christchurch 8042, New ZealandiNaturalist · aldwinromeo ·
Non-biting Midges seen — Main South Rd near Chalmers St, Hornby, Christchurch 8042, New ZealandiNaturalist · aldwinromeo ·

The whole wire →

31 more documents came up in searches for Hornby's places and have not been read yet, a lead is a search result, not a fact, until somebody reads it.

Next door

Hei HeiHornby SouthIslingtonWigramBroomfieldSockburn

Compare Hornby with Hei Hei · Hornby South · Islington · Wigram · Broomfield · Sockburn, same record, side by side.

Questions, answered briefly

What is Hornby?

Hornby is a residential and retail suburb at the western edge of Christchurch, New Zealand. The public record holds 7,016 council reports for it, the first filed in May 2015.

How many people live in Hornby?

8,760 people at the 2023 Census, 1,716 per square kilometre across 5.1 km².

How many people does the 2023 Census count for Hornby?

About 2,949 people and 1,101 occupied private households (combined SA2s): grouped from Stats NZ SA1 areas through this site’s suburb join. Indicative, not a LIM.

What gets reported in Hornby?

7,016 reports on record, most often graffiti & vandalism (2,071), roads & footpaths (1,395), rubbish & dumping (1,291). 982 of them in the year to 12 October 2026.

How many crashes has Hornby had?

461 injury crashes on the police record inside the suburb’s outline, 3 people killed, 80 seriously hurt. The suburb’s crashes, mapped →

Did earthquakes strike under Hornby?

GeoNet’s catalogue puts 3 magnitude-3+ epicentres inside the suburb’s mapped outline since the September 2010 mainshock, the biggest a M4.1 in 2010. An epicentre is where the instruments placed the break, not a measure of the shaking felt here. The whole sequence, counted → · The story, in plain language →

Every suburb in Christchurch → · Its decade, charted → · the whole A–Z →