
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "James Bell, Cross Bros butchery manager, in the well known butchery in Sydenham back open for business after the earthquake".
Christchurch is rightly or wrongly traditionally thought of as an English city, but at every turn we can see a glimpse of England’s arch enemy…the Scots. While they may now technically be at peace, they do still meet annually on … Continue reading →
Gender matters. And it’s complicated, which is why writing this blog post has been particularly difficult. Why is it so complicated, from an archaeological standpoint? Well, let me try and explain. Historical archaeology developed as a discipline in the mid-20th … Continue reading →
So, that message in a bottle? Well, it turns out it wasn’t the only interesting thing about the site it came from. A fellmongery, German Danes, shoes… read on! First up, the bottle came from under a house built in … Continue reading →
A photograph looking south down Manchester Street from the intersection with Armagh Street. Badly-damaged buildings can be seen along the street, as well as the Hotel Grand Chancellor in the distance.
An aerial photograph of Pegasus Bay near the mouth of the Waimakariri River. To the left, Brooklands can be seen as well as Kairaki in the distance.
A store on Manchester Street with "NO GO" spray-painted in the front window as well as other search and rescue codes. 'Danger keep out' tape has been placed across the property.
Demolition along Kilmore Street. A digger can be seen as well as a construction worker with a high hat and high-visibility vest. The rubble has been separated into different piles.
The Salvation Army has been helping earthquake victims find food and shelter, as well as providing support to distraught and fearful people around Christchurch. Chris talked to Major Campbell Roberts, who is co-ordinating the Sallie's national response.
The smaller buildings that collapsed in the Christchurch earthquake, killing those in them as well as passers by, will be the focus of the Canterbury Earthquakes Royal Commission when hearings resume today
Mountains cannot be surmounted except by winding paths. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe The Port Hills may not be mountains as such, but they formed a formidable barrier for the first European Settlers. Of course, Māori had a number of well-established … Continue reading →
Broken windows on a building in Welles Street. The photographer comments, "Keep out of sight. The wind will cover our breathing. Is there anything to eat in here?".
Have you always wanted to travel the world? See the famous cathedrals of Europe? Smell the streets of China? Taste the spices of India? But travelling is expensive and everything’s just so damn far away, right? Well have we got … Continue reading →
Bones, of the animal variety, are a common find on historic archaeological sites in Christchurch. The vast majority of the bones we come across are sheep and cattle, with the occasional pig and chicken showing up as well. From these … Continue reading →
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "The Craig's Investment Partners House looking very dirty after forteen months without the glass being cleaned as well as demolitions happening around it".
Temporary office space set up in the NZi3 building. The photographer comments, "University of Canterbury administration all fits into one building! Well, sort of. Looking east from our bay - library and IT people".
Staff meet in temporary office space set up in the NZi3 building. The photographer comments, "University of Canterbury administration all fits into one building! Well, sort of. Two meeting spaces in the middle of the floor".
University of Canterbury IT staff in their temporary office in the NZi3 building. The photographer comments, "University of Canterbury administration all fits into one building! Well, sort of. A rather truncated IT help desk".
A large crack running through a propery in Avonside after the September 4th quake, creating a gap in the drive way and front of the house, as well as buckling on the gate.
A digger being used to clear the rubble from the Convention Centre on Peterborough Street. In the background, the Town Hall can be seen, as well as the Forsyth Barr building.
A photograph looking north up Colombo Street from near the intersection with Tuam Street. Building rubble litters the left side of the road, as well as the right in some places in the distance.
A damaged building on the corner of Manchester and Welles Streets. Cordon fencing and road cones have been placed around the footpath and road to contain the demolition rubble and to keep the public away.
A demolition site on Welles Street, where the interior structures have been removed. View into the building site through the partial demolished exterior wall. A crane and demolition workers can be seen on site.
A demolition site on Welles Street, where the interior structures have been removed. View into the building site through the partial demolished exterior wall. A crane and demolition workers can be seen on site.
A demolition site on Welles Street, where the interior structures have been removed. View into the building site through the partial demolished exterior wall. A crane and demolition workers can be seen on site.
Some of the most common archaeological finds related to the European settlement of New Zealand during 19th century are usually from residential occupation. Features like rubbish pits, underfloor deposits, wells (brick and artesian), cesspits, soak pits, post holes and drainage … Continue reading →
During recent earthquake repairs at a residential property on well-known Sumner Road in Lyttelton, our archaeologists uncovered a small assemblage of artefacts that represented everyday Victorian household items. At first glance these appeared a somewhat ordinary – but when Lydia … Continue readi...
A model of the ChristChurch Transitional Cathedral made predominantly out of laser cut and engraved coloured acrylic as well as timber dowels to represent the cardboard tubes.
Social and natural capital are fundamental to people’s wellbeing, often within the context of local community. Developing communities and linking people together provide benefits in terms of mental well-being, physical activity and other associated health outcomes. The research presented here was carried out in Christchurch - Ōtautahi, New Zealand, a city currently re-building, after a series of devastating earthquakes in 2010 and 2011. Poor mental health has been shown to be a significant post-earthquake problem, and social connection has been postulated as part of a solution. By curating a disparate set of community services, activities and facilities, organised into a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) database, we created i) an accessibility analysis of 11 health and well-being services, ii) a mobility scenario analysis focusing on 4 general well-being services and iii) a location-allocation model focusing on 3 primary health care and welfare location optimisation. Our results demonstrate that overall, the majority of neighbourhoods in Christchurch benefit from a high level of accessibility to almost all the services; but with an urban-rural gradient (the further away from the centre, the less services are available, as is expected). The noticeable exception to this trend, is that the more deprived eastern suburbs have poorer accessibility, suggesting social inequity in accessibility. The findings presented here show the potential of optimisation modelling and database curation for urban and community facility planning purposes.
During 2010 and 2011, a series of major earthquakes caused widespread damage in the city of Christchurch, New Zealand. The magnitude 6.3 quake in February 2011 caused 185 fatalities. In the ensuing months, the government progressively zoned residential land in Christchurch on the basis of its suitability for future occupation (considering damage from these quakes and future earthquake risk). Over 6,000 homes were placed in the ‘red-zone’, meaning that property owners were forced to sell their land to the Crown. This study analysed patterns of residential mobility amongst thirty-one red-zone households from the suburb of Southshore, Christchurch. Drawing on interviews and surveys, the research traced their experience from the zoning announcement until they had moved to a new residence. The research distinguished between short (before the zoning announcement) and long term (post the red zone ‘deadline’) forms of household relocation. The majority of households in the study were highly resistant to short term movement. Amongst those which did relocate before the zoning decision, the desire to maintain a valued social connection with a person outside of the earthquake environment was often an important factor. Some households also moved out of perceived necessity (e.g. due to lack of power or water). In terms of long-term relocation, concepts of affordability and safety were much more highly valued by the sample when purchasing post-quake property. This resulted in a distinct patterning of post-quake housing location choices. Perceived control over the moving process, relationship with government organisations and insurance companies, and time spent in the red-zone before moving all heavily influenced participants’ disaster experience. Contrary to previous studies, households in this study recorded higher levels of subjective well-being after relocating. The study proposed a typology of movers in the Christchurch post-disaster environment. Four mobility behaviours, or types, are identified: the Committed Stayers (CSs), the Environment Re-Creators (ERCs), the Resigned Acceptors (RAs), and the Opportunistic Movers (OMs). The CSs were defined by their immobility rather than their relocation aspirations, whilst the ERCs attempted to recreate or retain aspects of Southshore through their mobility. The RAs expressed a form of apathy towards the post-quake environment, whereas, on the other hand, the OMs moved relative to pre-earthquake plans, or opportunities that arose from the earthquake itself. Possibilities for further research include examining household adaptability to new residential environments and tracking further mobility patterns in the years following relocation from the red- zone.