chch.live a suburb, in depth

Islington, Christchurch

1,891 council reports since July 2015, the 66th busiest suburb in the city. 1,519 photographs on record. 1,040 people at the 2023 Census, 169 to the square kilometre across 6.1 km².

Reports, all time
1,891
In the year to 13 Oct 2026
303
Busiest in Christchurch
66th
Photographs
1,519

The record also holds about $550 a week to rent 2023 Census snapshot 1,519 photographs 15 old photographs 8 parks 2 tracks 1 name on the map 0.1% of the outline mapped liquefied ecological sites over 10% of the outline noise overlays over the whole outline 2% of the outline inside the plan’s density overlays 327 SCIRT photographs filed on this ground 16.0 km of cycleway crosses the outline 1 remembered name on this ground 2 drawn rules bind this ground 30 parcels on the dangerous-work register 63 parcels of made ground 3 parcels with a cleanup on file the 2019 model grades this ground mostly low 2 council structures on the register 10 recreation register records 420 trees on the register the plan’s word on this ground 15% of the outline reserved the plan’s exceptions touch 1% of the outline 3 epicentres inside the outline 90 injury crashes 513 recorded victimisations 8 bus stops 41 businesses the council’s fix times 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 $530–$550

New bonds here ran at about $550 a week in the April–June 2026 quarter, the middle half of them between $530 and $550, across 9 bonds lodged, up 16% on a year ago. That’s in line with the city’s own quarter median of $550. Tenancy Services counts these under the “Islington” statistical area, close to this suburb’s outline, not exactly it.

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 February 2011 survey drew liquefaction over 0% of it, the rest of the watch is drawn further down.

Day to day it holds 8 parks, 2 tracks and 8 bus stops, each is counted further down.

Lately the record’s mostly rubbish & dumping, 303 reports in the year to 13 October 2026, the newest 12 October 2026.

One for the quiz, Its busiest day on record was 31 October 2024, 15 reports in a single day.

2023 Census snapshot SA1 areas grouped here

People
954
Under 15
15%
65 and over
15%
Occupied households
363

About 954 people and 363 occupied private households in the “Islington” statistical area, grouped from 7 SA1 areas. This exact statistical-area match is close to this suburb’s outline, not exactly it.

More of the 2023 Census
  • Born overseas24% of stated birthplace
  • European ethnicity69% of ethnicity responses
  • Māori ethnicity18% of ethnicity responses
  • Pacific Peoples ethnicity9% of ethnicity responses
  • Asian ethnicity17% of ethnicity responses
  • Households with internet81% of stated households
  • Households with two or more vehicles55% of stated households

Ethnicity is a multiple-response measure, so those percentages are not meant to add to 100%.

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

Islington is a suburb on the western side of Christchurch city.

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

As reported 1,519 on record

Gilberthorpes Reserve 7 Gilberthorpes Road, Islington48 Wilson St48 Wilson St48 Wilson St7 Gilberthorpes Road, IslingtonHornby Domain 531 Main South Road, Islington 1,519 photographs
on the wall →

The suburb, back then 15 in the archive

Freezing works, Islington, 1896Islington Freezing Works from the air, Christchurch., 1920Finish of the Islington Handicap, won by Korero, 1935Youthful golfers compete on their own links: play by members of the Islington Village Green Golf Club, near Christchurch, 1935Freezing works, [Islington?], Christchurch, 1950Freezing works, [Islington?], Christchurch, 1950Islington Freezing Works, Christchurch, 1950, 1950Islington, Christchurch, Canterbury Region, 1951Islington Freezing Works, Christchurch, Canterbury Region, 1959Islington Freezing Works, near Christchurch, 1963 15 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 Islington

Lately the newest reports

General Request, a report photo
General Request48 Wilson St

This fence is broken and is dangerous especially as children play in the reserve outside. Also damage worse because of the wind. Please can it be repaired.

Reports per year up 34% 2024→2025

What gets reported

Rubbish & dumping 623
Roads & footpaths 502
Trees & parks 273
Graffiti & vandalism 252
Water & drains 130
Vehicles & parking 82
Everything else 25
Animals & pests 4

Streets that keep coming up each a street page

Every street the archive knows in Islington →

Exactly what people say

How fast the council fixes things here 2,574 finished jobs on record

The median council work order pinned in Islington took 3 days to resolve, about the city-wide median (3 days). The slowest tenth waited 9 weeks or longer. 71 tickets are open here now, the oldest was filed 26 July 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.

The suburb today

Schools here

Zoned for Christchurch Adventist School · Hornby High School · Middleton Grange School · St Bernadette's School (Hornby) · St Thomas of Canterbury College · Te Puna Wai o Waipapa - Hagley College · and 5 more zones, the drawn zone is indicative; the Ministry’s written scheme is the legal boundary.

The green here 8

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 tracks through here 2

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 1

The February 2011 survey drew mapped ground failure over 0.1% of this outline. A patch is a footprint, not a finding about an address; the count for the whole city is at /liquefaction.

30 parcels inside this outline sit on the hazardous-activities register, mostly vehicle refuelling, service and repair, cemeteries and waste recycling, treatment and disposal, chemical manufacture, application and bulk storage, 19 still doing the work. A listing records the work, not a soil test; the whole register is drawn at /hazards.

The files record 63 parcels of made or characterised ground inside this outline, about 146 hectares, mostly silt, engineered fill, gravel, 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.

3 parcels inside this outline carry a cleanup on the file, about 21 hectares. 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 70% 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 2 assets on this ground, 1 bridge, 1 boardwalk, sited at Templeton Country Club, Hornby Domain. 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 10 records inside this outline, bookable surfaces for 4 tennis, 2 bowls, 1 croquet, 1 basketball. Seasons and surfaces are the register’s record, not this week’s draw; the layer is drawn at the map.

The register counts 420 living trees inside this outline, 1 veteran among them, 1 carrying a protection, mostly Deodar Cedar, Pin Oak, Silver Birch. The file remembers 204 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 23% of this outline under Rural Urban Fringe, 12% residential, the rest mostly Industrial General 23%, Industrial Heavy 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 95 hectares of this outline, 15%, under 5 designations, mostly power & signal, movement. 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 infrastructure. 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 10% of this outline, about 58 hectares 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 615 hectares across 5 mapped overlays, 50% of it inside the airport’s air-noise contours, where the 55 dB line bites, 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 allowed shape holds this outline, 2% of it inside the residential overlays, the densest standing Suburban. 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 327 photographs on this ground, 2012–2014, 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, 16.0 km of cycleway crosses the outline, 2.9 km of it separated from the traffic, 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, 1 inscribed plaque, Little Waterloo 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, 2 drawn instruments, 2 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 M4.2 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 90 injury crashes

90 crashes that hurt somebody on record inside Islington's outline, 2 people killed, 19 seriously hurt.

The corner that keeps appearing: State Highway 1S at Halswell Junction Road, 12 injury crashes.

the suburb’s crashes on the map →

The crime record 513 recorded victimisations

513 victimisations on the Police record inside Islington’s outline, September 2022–August 2026, mostly theft, about 134 a year per 1,000 residents. Down 20% 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 8 stops

8 Metro stops inside Islington's outline, in ECan’s stop record, served by route 5, route 130.

Every route in the record →

Businesses here 41 in the directory

41 premises in Islington across 27 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

Documents 40

What the archive’s sources say about Islington, 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.

METROPOLITAN ANTI-CORN LAW ASSOCIATION. (New Zealand Colonist and Port Nicholson Advertiser, 13 June 1843)…lebone no v western division of st pancras kentish-town and camden-town somers-town no vi islington st lukes clerkenwell holloway no vil edmonton tottenham hackney south hackney west hackney no viil h…New Zealand Colonist and Port Nicholson Advertiser · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · · text held
LIST OF RETURNED LETTERS. (Lyttelton Times, 08 October 1859)…treet collingvvood melbourne jgqugh william hiecarton f6iieea mr hollyers gloucester road islington london divis george lower lincoln road douglas hugii 33 gladstone street liverpool douglas eleanor 3…Lyttelton Times · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · · text held
CHRISTCHURCH. (Lyttelton Times, 19 January 1861)…nd jones william post office christchurch keates mr christchurch mason mrs new north road islington london mclver john care mr stewart melbourne morrison mrs ravenswood sandhurst victoria obrien john…Lyttelton Times · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · · text held
BIRTHS. (Lyttelton Times, 10 July 1861)…ustralia slater benjamin stoneyhurst small jacob akaroa stuart catherine harewood terrace islington london tovey john christchurch townsend mr carpenter timaru waldron w marriage hill mansbury north w…Lyttelton Times · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · · text held
Page 3 Advertisements Column 5 (Lyttelton Times, 12 October 1861)…dd fellows hotel elizabeth street hobart town 2 stuart miss catherine 18 harewood terrace islington london thompson mr robert schoolmaster wairo tummins mr john 35 singleton st east road hoxton london…Lyttelton Times · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · · text held
Page 5 Advertisements Column 1 (Lyttelton Times, 17 May 1862)…the county of warwick in england herbalist richard twigger of no 23 hemmingford cottages islington in the county of middlesex ironmonger and sarah louisa twigger of rugby aforesaid spinster claim to…Lyttelton Times · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · · text held
Page 1 Advertisements Column 5 (Timaru Herald, 15 September 1869)…cupation of messrs g p todd medical fr fish mrcse andlsa late senior surgeon to the north islington dispensary london begs to inform residents of geraldine and surrounding districts that he has commen…Timaru Herald · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · · text held
Local and General. (Star, 03 December 1873)…ich he was rendered deaf the home life of the noor boy his workhouse career his career at islington malta c were passed in review then came a sketch of his travels with incidents by the way concluding…Star · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · · text held
LOCAL AND GENERAL. (Star, 30 January 1880)…s oyrs old und is a son of perfection who took tho first prizo for thrco yoars running at islington and was sold to tho cob mtud oompany for 400 guineas tho dam of princo charming was cinderella also…Star · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · · text held
NOTES BY PASQUIN, (Otago Witness, 06 October 1883)…ight future the piece with which messrs holt and wilmott have opened their new theatre at islington bids fair to be sue cessful it is a melodrama replete with theusual sensations and ingenious in cons…Otago Witness · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · · text held

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

The wire on Islington 5 lately

Taraxacum pulchrifolium seen — Islington, Christchurch, New ZealandiNaturalist · reinderw ·
Taraxacum seen — Islington, Christchurch, New ZealandiNaturalist · reinderw ·
Dove's-foot Crane's-Bill Complex seen — Islington, Christchurch, New ZealandiNaturalist · reinderw ·
Hamata seen — Islington, Christchurch, New ZealandiNaturalist · reinderw ·
Taraxacum seen — Islington, Christchurch, New ZealandiNaturalist · reinderw ·

The whole wire →

Next door

Hei HeiHornby SouthHornbyBroomfieldYaldhurstTempleton

Compare Islington with Hei Hei · Hornby South · Hornby · Broomfield · Yaldhurst · Templeton, same record, side by side.

Questions, answered briefly

What is Islington?

Islington is a suburb on the western side of Christchurch city. The public record holds 1,891 council reports for it, the first filed in July 2015.

How many people live in Islington?

1,040 people at the 2023 Census, 169 per square kilometre across 6.1 km².

How many people does the 2023 Census count for Islington?

About 954 people and 363 occupied private households: grouped from Stats NZ SA1 areas through this site’s suburb join. Indicative, not a LIM.

What gets reported in Islington?

1,891 reports on record, most often rubbish & dumping (623), roads & footpaths (502), trees & parks (273). 303 of them in the year to 13 October 2026.

How many crashes has Islington had?

90 injury crashes on the police record inside the suburb’s outline, 2 people killed, 19 seriously hurt. The suburb’s crashes, mapped →

Did earthquakes strike under Islington?

GeoNet’s catalogue puts 3 magnitude-3+ epicentres inside the suburb’s mapped outline since the September 2010 mainshock, the biggest a M4.2 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 →