# Tai Tapu, Christchurch

56 council reports since March 2022, the 104th busiest suburb in the city. 54 photographs on record.
1,360 people at the 2023 Census, 42 to the square kilometre across 33 km².

https://www.chch.live/tai-tapu

## Live source links

Link-outs to the source’s own live pages, chch.live does not copy their live values or source text.

- [Christchurch City Council What’s On](https://www.ccc.govt.nz/news-and-events/whats-on)
- [Christchurch City Libraries events](https://my.christchurchcitylibraries.com/events/)

## The encyclopaedia on it

Tai Tapu, previously known as Taitapu, is a small town adjacent to the Halswell River and nestled in the Port Hills, located 6 km east of the town of Lincoln and 18 km south west of Christchurch in the Canterbury region of New Zealand's South Island. State Highway 75 passes through the centre of the village, connecting Christchurch with Akaroa and the Banks Peninsula.

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tai_Tapu), a tertiary source
Population: Stats NZ 2023 Census Statistical Area 2 counts summed over the suburb’s own areas, as Wikipedia maps them; the area is measured from the suburb boundary.

## Living here

New bonds here ran at about **$500 a week** in the April–June 2026 quarter, the middle half $498–$528, across 6 bonds. That’s about **$50 a week below** the city’s own quarter median of $550. Tenancy Services counts these under the “Tai Tapu” statistical area, close to this suburb’s outline, not exactly it.

Median and quartiles of weekly rents on new private bonds (Tenancy Services), new bonds only, not the whole stock.

## As reported (54 on record)
- [Canterbury, Tai Tapu 7672](https://www.chch.live/report/8823521)
- [2531 Christchurch-Akaroa Rd, Tai Tapu 7672](https://www.chch.live/report/8823495)
- [2010–2016 Summit Rd, Tai Tapu 7672](https://www.chch.live/report/8732131)
- [Summit Road Region](https://www.chch.live/report/8350499)
- [628–634 Tai Tapu Rd, Tai Tapu 7672](https://www.chch.live/report/8279280)
- [2018 Summit Rd, Tai Tapu 7672](https://www.chch.live/report/8182124)

[54 photographs on the wall](https://www.chch.live/wall?suburb=tai-tapu)

## The suburb, back then (4 in the archive)

*Placed by the record’s locality join or the name in its own title, a lead, not a claim each frame stood here.*
- [A beautiful New Zealand home - the residence of Mr. R. H. Rhodes M.P., at Tai Tapu, near Christchurch](https://www.chch.live/then/1910s#p-43357181), 1912 · Kura Heritage Collections Online
- [Masons preparing stone for the Memorial Church Tai Tapu](https://www.chch.live/then/1930s#p-46086091), 1930 · Canterbury Stories
- [The vice-regal visit to the South Island: the Governor General, Lord Bledisloe, and Lady Bledisloe visit the Tai Tapu School](https://www.chch.live/then/1930s#p-38515739), 1933 · Kura Heritage Collections Online
- [Daffodils in Christchurch and Tai Tapu](https://www.chch.live/then/1930s#p-30094822), 1939 · Kura Heritage Collections Online

## The record on Tai Tapu
- Tai Tapu enters the written record in 22 October 1853, [“JURY LIST. (Lyttelton Times, 22 October 1853)”](https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/LT18531022.2.5), [Papers Past](https://www.chch.live/collection/papers-past).
- “Tai Tapu” appears somewhere in 585 of the archive’s records.
- A Papers Past search for the name surfaced 30 records, leads by provenance.
- The first report here: general request, 21 March 2022, at 500.
- Its busiest day was 4 November 2024, 5 reports in a single day.
- The street that keeps coming up is [Christchurch-Akaroa Road](https://www.chch.live/street/tai-tapu/christchurch-akaroa-road), reported on 9 separate days.

## Lately
- [Overgrown Vegetation](https://www.chch.live/report/8823521), 28 Aug 2026 · Canterbury, “These trees are very dangerous as well as many others in this domain. Previous snap solve and send not actioned…”
- [Facility - General Request](https://www.chch.live/report/8823495), 28 Aug 2026 · 2531 Christchurch-Akaroa Rd, “Outside light is not working at the Kaituna hall old folks use this building and it is very dark at the door without it”
- [General Request](https://www.chch.live/report/8732131), 12 Aug 2026 · 2010–2016 Summit Rd, “Surface flooding on summit road. Need to create drainage channel to allow water to drain”
- [General Request](https://www.chch.live/report/8350499), 2 Jun 2026 · Summit Road Region, “dumped rubbish”
- [General Request](https://www.chch.live/report/8279280), 20 May 2026 · 628–634 Tai Tapu Rd, “Just an odd pot hole on Halswell River walk that someone could trip on”
- [General Request](https://www.chch.live/report/8182124), 1 May 2026 · 2018 Summit Rd, “Washout by Summit Road: grade roadside ditch to gully drain to culvert pipe (gravel has blocked the flow of…”
- [Dumped Rubbish](https://www.chch.live/report/8084525), 14 Apr 2026 · 2531 Christchurch-Akaroa Rd, “Rubbish dumped by hall door we have an event here this weekend and this is not nice to look at”
- [Pothole](https://www.chch.live/report/7995031), 29 Mar 2026 · 160–258 McQueens Valley Rd, “Previous repair blown out”
- [Dumped Rubbish](https://www.chch.live/report/7869266), 8 Mar 2026 · 2543 Christchurch-Akaroa Rd, “Bins of rubbish been there for many years now rusted but people still add rubbish to them”
- [Fallen Tree](https://www.chch.live/report/7869237), 8 Mar 2026 · 2543 Christchurch-Akaroa Rd, “Dead branches hanging precariously”
- [Fallen Tree](https://www.chch.live/report/7869228), 8 Mar 2026 · 2543 Christchurch-Akaroa Rd, “Tree damaged by storm now hanging”
- [Fallen Tree](https://www.chch.live/report/7869217), 8 Mar 2026 · 2543 Christchurch-Akaroa Rd, “Fallen trees hanging dangerously”

## Reports per year
- 2022, 3
- 2023, 2
- 2024, 16
- 2025, 16

## What gets reported
- Everything else, 29
- Roads & footpaths, 10
- Trees & parks, 7
- Rubbish & dumping, 6
- Water & drains, 3
- Vehicles & parking, 1

## Exactly what people say
- General Request, 26
- [Dumped Rubbish](https://www.chch.live/problems/dumped-rubbish), 6
- [Pothole](https://www.chch.live/problems/potholes), 5
- [Fallen Tree](https://www.chch.live/problems/trees), 5
- [Roads - General](https://www.chch.live/problems/road-damage), 3
- Facility - General Request, 3
- [Flooding](https://www.chch.live/problems/flooding), 2
- [Damaged Road](https://www.chch.live/problems/road-damage), 2

## On the heritage register (13)
- [Ellesmere Arms](https://www.chch.live/place/596)
- [Former Governors Bay Lock-up](https://www.chch.live/place/551)
- [Former Quarry Stables](https://www.chch.live/place/550)
- [Memorial Gate](https://www.chch.live/place/604)
- [Otahuna – Apple House](https://www.chch.live/place/609)
- [Otahuna – Game House](https://www.chch.live/place/606)
- [Otahuna – Gatehouse](https://www.chch.live/place/610)
- [Otahuna – Gray Cliffe House](https://www.chch.live/place/612)
- [Otahuna – Stables](https://www.chch.live/place/607)
- [Otahuna – Stone Vegetable Shed](https://www.chch.live/place/608)
- [Otahuna Homestead](https://www.chch.live/place/597)
- [Rhodes Spring](https://www.chch.live/place/598)
- [St Peter's Church and Setting](https://www.chch.live/place/357), 834 Gebbies Pass Road

## The streets that keep coming up
- [Christchurch-Akaroa Road](https://www.chch.live/street/tai-tapu/christchurch-akaroa-road), reported on 9 separate days
- [McQueens Valley Road](https://www.chch.live/street/tai-tapu/mcqueens-valley-road), reported on 3 separate days
- [Gebbies Pass Road](https://www.chch.live/street/tai-tapu/gebbies-pass-road), reported on 3 separate days
- [Tai Tapu](https://www.chch.live/street/tai-tapu/tai-tapu), reported on 2 separate days
- [Summit Road](https://www.chch.live/street/tai-tapu/summit-road), reported on 2 separate days

Zoned for [Aidanfield Christian School](https://www.chch.live/school/82-aidanfield-christian-school) · [Christchurch Adventist School](https://www.chch.live/school/317-christchurch-adventist-school) · [Middleton Grange School](https://www.chch.live/school/335-middleton-grange-school) · [St Thomas of Canterbury College](https://www.chch.live/school/331-st-thomas-of-canterbury-college) · [Villa Maria College](https://www.chch.live/school/326-villa-maria-college) · [Cashmere High School](https://www.chch.live/school/340-cashmere-high-school) (part) · and 3 more zones, the drawn zone is indicative; the Ministry’s written scheme is the legal boundary.

## The green here (6)
- [Otahuna](https://www.chch.live/park/2795-otahuna), Sports ground · 122 ha
- [Otahuna Reserve](https://www.chch.live/park/995-otahuna-reserve), Regional · 121 ha
- [Orongomai Reserve](https://www.chch.live/park/1452-orongomai-reserve), Regional · 54 ha
- [Rhodes Park](https://www.chch.live/park/2787-rhodes-park), Sports ground · 29 ha
- [Coopers Knob](https://www.chch.live/park/1013-coopers-knob), Regional · 21 ha
- [Ahuriri Scenic Reserve](https://www.chch.live/park/1071-ahuriri-scenic-reserve), Regional · 7 ha

A park lands in the suburb its centre falls inside, a centroid call, not a containment claim.

## The ground that moved
The February 2011 survey drew mapped ground failure over 0.8% 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](https://www.chch.live/liquefaction).
The plan’s schedule of sites significant to Ngāi Tahu covers **0%** of this outline, about 12 hectares, ngā tūranga tūpuna. Shares read from a sampled join; a recognition overlay, not a catalogue. The whole schedule: [cultural](https://www.chch.live/cultural).
The plan’s water-margin layers cross this outline, **1** classified reach, the plan calling **Halswell River**
           by name. The margin is the plan’s drawing, not a survey of the bank. The drawn water: [water-margin](https://www.chch.live/water-margin).
The outline sits inside the takiwā of Rapaki Runanga and Te Ngai Tuahuriri Runanga. The bylaw is the instrument, this the map of it, the rulebook: [rules](https://www.chch.live/rules).
The rockfall survey mapped **6** rocks inside this outline across 2 survey pins. A pin may stand for a cluster and marks where the survey saw the rock, not where it is now; the survey is at [boulders](https://www.chch.live/boulders).
The council’s structure register stands **1** asset on this ground, 1 boardwalk, sited at Coopers Knob. Site names are the register’s own labels; the layer is drawn on [the map](https://www.chch.live/map?layer=structures).
GeoNet’s catalogue puts 1 magnitude-3+ epicentre inside this outline since the sequence opened, the biggest a M3.6 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](https://www.chch.live/sequence), and the story in plain language is [the earthquakes explainer](https://www.chch.live/how-nz-works/canterbury-earthquakes).

## The names on this ground (1)
- [Halswell River](https://www.chch.live/river/halswell-river), waterway · 18.5 km

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](https://www.chch.live/geography).

## Documents that name it

*These are leads, not verified claims, search ties, not read sources.*
- [JURY LIST. (Lyttelton Times, 22 October 1853)](https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/LT18531022.2.5), [Papers Past](https://www.chch.live/collection/papers-past) · 1853-10-22T00:00:00.000Z
- [JURY LIST. (Lyttelton Times, 31 March 1855)](https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/LT18550331.2.3), [Papers Past](https://www.chch.live/collection/papers-past) · 1855-03-31T00:00:00.000Z
- [Evans, Charles, Papauni Laboure (Lyttelton Times, 20 February 1856)](https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/LT18560220.2.4), [Papers Past](https://www.chch.live/collection/papers-past) · 1856-02-20T00:00:00.000Z
- [Page 9 Advertisements Column 5 (Lyttelton Times, 10 February 1858)](https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/LT18580210.2.20.5), [Papers Past](https://www.chch.live/collection/papers-past) · 1858-02-10T00:00:00.000Z
- [Page 6 Advertisements Column 2 (Lyttelton Times, 22 January 1859)](https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/LT18590122.2.23.2), [Papers Past](https://www.chch.live/collection/papers-past) · 1859-01-22T00:00:00.000Z
- [Page 6 Advertisements Column 3 (Lyttelton Times, 11 June 1859)](https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/LT18590611.2.19.3), [Papers Past](https://www.chch.live/collection/papers-past) · 1859-06-11T00:00:00.000Z
- [Commercial. (Colonist, 06 December 1859)](https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/TC18591206.2.4), [Papers Past](https://www.chch.live/collection/papers-past) · 1859-12-06T00:00:00.000Z
- [JURY LIST FOR 1860. (Lyttelton Times, 19 May 1860)](https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/LT18600519.2.3), [Papers Past](https://www.chch.live/collection/papers-past) · 1860-05-19T00:00:00.000Z
- [Page 6 Advertisements Column 3 (Lyttelton Times, 09 June 1860)](https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/LT18600609.2.20.3), [Papers Past](https://www.chch.live/collection/papers-past) · 1860-06-09T00:00:00.000Z
- [Page 6 Advertisements Column 1 (Lyttelton Times, 13 June 1860)](https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/LT18600613.2.20.1), [Papers Past](https://www.chch.live/collection/papers-past) · 1860-06-13T00:00:00.000Z

## The wire on Tai Tapu
- [Tupaia seen — South Island, Tai Tapu, Canterbury, NZ](https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/407404034), iNaturalist · sarah_richardson, 11 Oct 2026
- [bristly oxtongue seen — Old Tai Tapu Rd, Christchurch, Canterbury, NZ](https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/406002844), iNaturalist · wellsg, 5 Oct 2026
- [Knobbled Orbweaver seen — South Island, Tai Tapu, Canterbury, NZ](https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/405428479), iNaturalist · putaweta, 3 Oct 2026
- [House Spiders seen — South Island, Tai Tapu, Canterbury, NZ](https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/405428328), iNaturalist · putaweta, 3 Oct 2026
- [Something seen — South Island, Tai Tapu, Canterbury, NZ](https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/405147977), iNaturalist · marknixonacc, 2 Oct 2026

[The whole wire](https://www.chch.live/wire)

## Businesses here (3 in the directory)

From OpenStreetMap, the council’s licensed-premises register and its 2024 Find Christchurch directory, each kind opens at this suburb’s shelf.

- [B&Bs](https://www.chch.live/businesses/bnb#in-tai-tapu), 1
- [Cafés](https://www.chch.live/businesses/cafe#in-tai-tapu), 1
- [Farm](https://www.chch.live/businesses/farm#in-tai-tapu), 1

- [The whole directory](https://www.chch.live/businesses)

## Next door
- [Gebbies Valley](https://www.chch.live/gebbies-valley)
- [Ataahua](https://www.chch.live/ataahua)
- [Charteris Bay](https://www.chch.live/charteris-bay)
- [Governors Bay](https://www.chch.live/governors-bay)
- [Te Rapaki o Te Rakiwhakaputa](https://www.chch.live/te-rapaki-o-te-rakiwhakaputa)
- [Rapaki](https://www.chch.live/rapaki)

[Compare](https://www.chch.live/compare) Tai Tapu with [Gebbies Valley](https://www.chch.live/compare?a=gebbies-valley&b=tai-tapu) · [Ataahua](https://www.chch.live/compare?a=ataahua&b=tai-tapu) · [Charteris Bay](https://www.chch.live/compare?a=charteris-bay&b=tai-tapu) · [Governors Bay](https://www.chch.live/compare?a=governors-bay&b=tai-tapu) · [Te Rapaki o Te Rakiwhakaputa](https://www.chch.live/compare?a=tai-tapu&b=te-rapaki-o-te-rakiwhakaputa) · [Rapaki](https://www.chch.live/compare?a=rapaki&b=tai-tapu), same record, side by side.

## Questions, answered briefly

**What is Tai Tapu?**

Tai Tapu, previously known as Taitapu, is a small town adjacent to the Halswell River and nestled in the Port Hills, located 6 km east of the town of Lincoln and 18 km south west of Christchurch in the Canterbury region of New Zealand's South Island. The public record holds 56 council reports for it, the first filed in March 2022.

**How many people live in Tai Tapu?**

1,360 people at the 2023 Census, 42 per square kilometre across 33 km².

**What gets reported in Tai Tapu?**

56 reports on record, most often everything else (29), roads & footpaths (10), trees & parks (7). 22 of them in the year to 12 October 2026.

**What stood in Tai Tapu before?**

The heritage register holds 13 places here, [Ellesmere Arms](https://www.chch.live/place/596), [Former Governors Bay Lock-up](https://www.chch.live/place/551) among them. The written record goes back further: [the shelf, for the name →](https://www.chch.live/documents?q=%22Tai%20Tapu%22)

Data: https://api.chch.live/suburb?name=Tai%20Tapu · Reports: https://api.chch.live/reports.rss?suburb=Tai%20Tapu