chch.live a suburb, in depth

Riccarton, Christchurch

16,394 council reports since May 2015, the 4th busiest suburb in the city. 12,808 photographs on record. 11,200 people at the 2023 Census, 3,848 to the square kilometre across 2.9 km².

Reports, all time
16,394
In the year to 12 Oct 2026
2,304
Busiest in Christchurch
4th
Photographs
12,808

The record also holds about $544 a week to rent 2023 Census snapshot 12,808 photographs 150 old photographs 5 schools 8 parks 1 civic facility 8 places of worship 22 tracks 7 names on the map 8.5% of the outline mapped liquefied graded mostly TC2 in 2011 the record drew water over 2% of the outline the Ngāi Tahu schedule covers 1% of the outline ecological sites over 1% of the outline landscape schedules over 1% of the outline noise overlays over the whole outline setback strips over 2% of the outline 53% of the outline inside the plan’s density overlays 1,730 SCIRT photographs filed on this ground 19.4 km of cycleway crosses the outline 26 remembered names on this ground 22 drawn rules bind this ground 7 parcels on the dangerous-work register 72 parcels of made ground 2 parcels with a cleanup on file the 2019 model grades this ground mostly medium 48 council structures on the register 2 recreation register records 1,559 trees on the register the plan’s word on this ground 4% of the outline reserved the plan’s exceptions touch 40% of the outline 8 places on the heritage schedule 1 epicentre inside the outline 697 injury crashes 8,127 recorded victimisations 31 bus stops 446 businesses the council’s fix times alcohol ban over nearly all of the outline 9 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

$544/week middle half $443–$612

New bonds here ran at about $544 a week in the April–June 2026 quarter, the middle half of them between $443 and $612, across 159 bonds lodged: flat on a year ago. That’s in line with the city’s own quarter median of $550. Tenancy Services counts these under the Riccarton West, Riccarton Central, Riccarton South and Riccarton East areas combined, approximately this suburb.

By dwelling type and bedrooms, April–June 2026 quarter
  • 1-bedroom house, $560 a week · 78 new bonds
  • 2-bedroom house, $536 a week · 24 new bonds
  • 3-bedroom house, $600 a week · 9 new bonds
  • boarding-house room, $330 a week · 6 new bonds
  • 4-bedroom house, $660 a week · 6 new bonds
  • room in a shared house, $270 a week · 6 new bonds

Median and quartiles of weekly rents on new private bonds, by quarter; suburb figures are a bond-weighted blend of the areas. 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 9% of it; the 2011 grading filed it mostly TC2, the rest of the watch is drawn further down.

Day to day it holds 5 schools, 8 parks, 1 civic facility, 8 places of worship, 22 tracks and 31 bus stops, each is counted further down.

Lately the record’s mostly rubbish & dumping, 2,304 reports in the year to 12 October 2026, the newest 12 October 2026.

One for the quiz, Its busiest day on record was 12 February 2019, 92 reports in a single day.

2023 Census snapshot SA1 areas grouped here

People
8,385
Occupied households
2,856

About 8,385 people and 2,856 occupied private households in the “Riccarton West”, “Riccarton Central”, “Riccarton South” and “Riccarton East” areas, grouped from 52 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

Riccarton is a suburb of Christchurch. It is due west of the city centre, separated from it by Hagley Park. Upper Riccarton is to the west of Riccarton.

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

As reported 12,808 on record

78 Hinau StClarence St near Lyndon St, Riccarton74 Brockworth Pl35 Elizabeth St29 Elizabeth St34 Elizabeth St 12,808 photographs
on the wall →

The suburb, back then 150 in the archive

Photograph: Riccarton Bush, 1860Photograph: Riccarton School, 1871Riccarton Hotel, 1885Riccarton Parish Church, 1896The Canterbury Jockey Club's spring meeting at Riccarton, 1897The Canterbury Jockey Club's spring meeting at Riccarton, 1897The Grandstand at Riccarton on N.Z. Cup Day, 1898The Lawn at Riccarton - Showing the Governor and Suite, 1898Riccarton House and driveway from the east, 1900Riccarton House from the east, 1900 150 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 Riccarton

Lately the newest reports

Hazard, vehicle, a report photo
Hazard, vehicle74 Hinau St

Cones blocking off park on one of the most sought-after roads for student parking. Presumably the residents. Would move them but afraid of having car damaged…

Reports per year down 8% 2024→2025

What gets reported

Rubbish & dumping 6,278
Graffiti & vandalism 4,666
Roads & footpaths 2,303
Water & drains 1,615
Trees & parks 765
Vehicles & parking 457
Everything else 257
Animals & pests 41 Noise 12

Streets that keep coming up each a street page

Every street the archive knows in Riccarton →

Exactly what people say

How fast the council fixes things here 19,128 finished jobs on record

The median council work order pinned in Riccarton 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 7 weeks or longer. 308 tickets are open here now, the oldest was filed 4 November 2020.

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 one ban zone reaches in

Riccarton-Ilam. A public drinking ban, at all times, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, covers nearly all of Riccarton.

3 sensitive sites stand here, Christchurch Girls' High School -Te Kura o Hine Waiora, St Teresas School, Wharenui 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 5

Zoned for Christchurch Adventist School · Christchurch Boys' High School · Christchurch Girls' High School -Te Kura o Hine Waiora · Ilam School · Kahikatea Kirkwood Intermediate · Middleton Grange School · and 11 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 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 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 8

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 22

The first eight of 22, 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 7

The February 2011 survey drew mapped ground failure over 8.5% of this outline, about 25 hectares. A patch is a footprint, not a finding about an address; the count for the whole city is at /liquefaction.

The 2011 grading filed 11.4% of this outline, about 33 hectares, mostly TC2, with TC3 4 ha · TC2 29 ha. 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.

The flood record drew water over 1.6% of this outline, across 2 named events. A patch is one event’s observation, not a live hazard finding; the whole record is drawn at /floods.

7 parcels inside this outline sit on the hazardous-activities register, mostly vehicle refuelling, service and repair, any other land that has been subject to the intentional or accidental release of a hazardous substance in sufficient quantity that it could be a risk to human health or the environment, chemical manufacture, application and bulk storage, 3 still doing the work. A listing records the work, not a soil test; the whole register is drawn at /hazards.

The files record 72 parcels of made or characterised ground inside this outline, about 8 hectares, mostly silt, compacted hardfill, topsoil, 4 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.

2 parcels inside this outline carry 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 89% of this outline in the medium class, and 3 assessed areas here carry the free-face flag for possible lateral spreading. 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 48 assets on this ground, 17 sets of steps, 10 bridges, 8 ramps, 5 shelters, sited at Mona Vale, Picton Reserve, Wharenui Pool, Paeroa Reserve. 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 2 records inside this outline, bookable surfaces for 1 cricket, 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 1,559 living trees inside this outline, 52 veterans among them, 119 carrying a protection, mostly Common Lime, Kowhai, Red maple. The file remembers 692 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 38% of this outline under High density residential zone, 55% residential, the rest mostly Transport 19%, Medium density residential zone 15%. 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 12 hectares of this outline, 4%, under 4 designations, mostly learning, 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 40% of this outline, 43 qualifying matters, mostly utilities, heritage, 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 heritage schedule protects 8 places by name in this suburb, 2 graded highly significant, Former Dwelling and Setting, Mona Vale, Mona Vale Grounds, 35 Rata Street among them. A setting is the ground the item stands in, each files under the suburb holding its centroid; the whole schedule is at /heritage.

The plan’s schedule of sites significant to Ngāi Tahu covers 1% of this outline, ngā wai. Shares read from a sampled join; a recognition overlay, not a catalogue. The whole schedule is drawn at /cultural.

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 landscape schedules cover 1% of this outline across 1 scheduled area. Shares read from a sampled join; a protection overlay, not a ranking of views. The kept view is drawn at /landscape.

No high-hazard flood area covers this outline. The broader flood-management watch covers 15% of it, Avon River. Shares read from a sampled join; a model’s map, not a promise. The waiting water is drawn at /flood-hazard.

The plan’s noise overlays cover all of this outline, about 291 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, 57 classified reaches, the plan calling Avon River and Riccarton Main Drain by name, 2% of it inside the setback strips, the widest holding 15 m off the bank, and an esplanade line holds a public edge here. 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, 53% 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 1,730 photographs on this ground, 2010–2016, 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, 19.4 km of cycleway crosses the outline, 3.1 km of it separated from the traffic, Northern Line, South Express, Uni-Cycle. A segment counts under every suburb its path enters; the whole network is drawn at /cycleways.

The remembered names stand on this ground, 26 inscribed plaques, Mona Vale, Shand Crescent Reserve, Mandeville Reserve 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, 22 drawn instruments, 9 of them dog rules, 4 alcohol bans, 1 camping zone, a certified self-contained van can stay the night at Christchurch Urban Restricted Area, 8 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 1 magnitude-3+ epicentre inside this outline since the sequence opened, the biggest a M3.5 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 697 injury crashes

697 crashes that hurt somebody on record inside Riccarton's outline, 6 people killed, 103 seriously hurt.

The corner that keeps appearing: Blenheim Road at Matipo Street, 42 injury crashes.

the suburb’s crashes on the map →

The crime record 8,127 recorded victimisations

8,127 victimisations on the Police record inside Riccarton’s outline, September 2022–August 2026, mostly theft, about 242 a year per 1,000 residents. Down 3% 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 31 stops

31 Metro stops inside Riccarton's outline, in ECan’s stop record, served by route 130, route 140, route 120, route 3, route 5, route 80, route 86, route 100, the Orbiter (anticlockwise), the Orbiter (clockwise).

Every route in the record →

Businesses here 446 in the directory

446 premises in Riccarton across 90 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. 35 Rata Street35 Rata Street
  2. Dwellling and Setting20 Mona Vale Avenue
  3. Former Dwelling and Setting23 Mandeville Street
  4. Former dwelling and setting, Deans Cottage
  5. Former dwelling and setting, Riccarton16 Kahu Road
  6. Former Pumphouse and Setting, Pump No. 24.5 Matai Street East
  7. Former Riccarton Farm Buildings and Setting39V Kahu Road
  8. Riccarton Bush
  9. Riccarton Grounds

The register’s own page for Riccarton →

Documents 40

What the archive’s sources say about Riccarton, 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.

Original deeds in favour of the brothers Deans of their property at Dean's Bush, Riccarton, near Christchurch…hotographs of the deeds in favour of the brothers Deans of their property at Dean's Bush, Riccarton, near Christchurch. Names: Deans family Collection: T.M. Hocken's Māori-related photograph album - P…Hocken Digital Collections · Hocken Collections - Uare Taoka o Hākena, University of Otago; University of Otago ·
Original deeds in favour of the brothers Deans of their property at Dean's Bush, Riccarton, near Christchurch…hotographs of the deeds in favour of the brothers Deans of their property at Dean's Bush, Riccarton, near Christchurch. Names: Deans family Collection: T.M. Hocken's Māori-related photograph album - P…Hocken Digital Collections · Hocken Collections - Uare Taoka o Hākena, University of Otago; University of Otago ·
No. I.—THE BRIDLE-PATH TO THE PERRY (Lyttelton Times, 18 January 1851)…ng the top of the ridge to the westward towards the present bridge over the heathcote and riccarton that way we hope to describe on some future occasion but now we shall follow the bridle-path dippin…Lyttelton Times · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · · text held
WALKS ON THE ROADS. (Lyttelton Times, 25 January 1851)walks on the roads no litracks prom the bridle-path to riccarton and christchubch from the summit of the bridle road as already stated a trackjust passable for horse…Lyttelton Times · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · · text held
WALKS ON THE ROADS. (Wellington Independent, 19 February 1851)…ng the top of the ridge to the westward towards the present bridge over the heathcote and riccarton that way we hope to describe on some future occasion but now we shall follow the bridle-path dipping…Wellington Independent · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · · text held
Page 1 Advertisements Column 3 (Lyttelton Times, 05 April 1851)…particulars may be learned by applying to mr ebenezer hay of pigeon buyor messrs deans of riccarton lyttelton march 19 is5…Lyttelton Times · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · · text held
Page 8 Advertisements Column 2 (Lyttelton Times, 12 April 1851)…articulars may be learned by applying to mr ebenezer hay of pigeon bay or messrs deans of riccarton lyttelton march 19 1851 for sale ex australia a tons of good firewood uj 125 tons of coals 50000 ger…Lyttelton Times · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · · text held
Page 1 Advertisements Column 1 (Lyttelton Times, 19 April 1851)…xt the 25th instant for the formation of about 50 chains of road between christchurch and riccarton bush specifications and all necessary information may be had at the office on and after monday next…Lyttelton Times · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · · text held
Page 1 Advertisements Column 2 (Lyttelton Times, 24 May 1851)…496 498 also rural land in small or large portions on the lincoln and ellesmere road near riccarton bush and on the christchurch and sumner roads apply to mr hahman christchurch notice mi-ie whale-boa…Lyttelton Times · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · · text held
Page 1 Advertisements Column 2 (Lyttelton Times, 28 June 1851)…on the waimari river about two miles from christchurch in the immediate neighbourhood of riccarton and papanui bush to be sold in plots or sections of not less than five acres each the purchasers wil…Lyttelton Times · Papers Past · National Library of New Zealand · · text held

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

The wire on Riccarton 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 ·
Hi, we are selling our townhouse in Riccarton and are wanting recommendations on good real estate agents, particularly based on experience if possible. Thanksr/chch · Elmoz_2000 ·
Something seen — Riccarton Ave (Hospital), Christchurch Central City, Christchurch 8011, New ZealandiNaturalist · jacqueline_176 ·
New Zealand Giant Stick Insect seen — Westfield Riccarton, Riccarton, Christchurch 8041, New ZealandiNaturalist · fabulize ·

The whole wire →

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

Next door

FendaltonMiddletonUpper RiccartonAddingtonMerivaleHillmorton

Compare Riccarton with Fendalton · Middleton · Upper Riccarton · Addington · Merivale · Hillmorton, same record, side by side.

Questions, answered briefly

What is Riccarton?

Riccarton is a suburb of Christchurch. The public record holds 16,394 council reports for it, the first filed in May 2015.

How many people live in Riccarton?

11,200 people at the 2023 Census, 3,848 per square kilometre across 2.9 km².

How many people does the 2023 Census count for Riccarton?

About 8,385 people and 2,856 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 Riccarton?

16,394 reports on record, most often rubbish & dumping (6,278), graffiti & vandalism (4,666), roads & footpaths (2,303). 2,304 of them in the year to 12 October 2026.

How many crashes has Riccarton had?

697 injury crashes on the police record inside the suburb’s outline, 6 people killed, 103 seriously hurt. The suburb’s crashes, mapped →

Did earthquakes strike under Riccarton?

GeoNet’s catalogue puts 1 magnitude-3+ epicentre inside the suburb’s mapped outline since the September 2010 mainshock, the biggest a M3.5 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 →