Wikipedia

Governors Bay

For the bay in Ottawa, Canada, see Governor Bay.

Governors Bay is a small town in Canterbury, New Zealand.

Governors Bay
View of Governors Bay from the Port Hills
View of Governors Bay from the Port Hills
Rural settlement area within Christchurch City Council boundaries
Rural settlement area within Christchurch City Council boundaries
Governors Bay is located in South Island
Governors Bay
Governors Bay
Governors Bay is located in New Zealand
Governors Bay
Governors Bay
Coordinates: 43°37′29″S 172°38′54″E / 43.62472°S 172.64833°E / -43.62472; 172.64833
CountryNew Zealand
RegionCanterbury
Local authorityChristchurch City Council
WardBanks Peninsula
CommunityTe Pātaka o Rākaihautū Banks Peninsula
Electorates
Government
 • Territorial AuthorityChristchurch City Council
 • Regional councilEnvironment Canterbury
 • Mayor of ChristchurchPhil Mauger
 • Banks Peninsula MPVanessa Weenink
 • Te Tai Tonga MPTākuta Ferris
Area
[1]
 • Total
3.24 km2 (1.25 sq mi)
Population
 (June 2024)[2]
 • Total
970
 • Density300/km2 (780/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+12 (NZST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+13 (NZDT)

Geography

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The settlement of Governors Bay is located on Banks Peninsula near the head of Lyttelton Harbour.[3][better source needed] It is connected via Governors Bay Road to Lyttelton,[4] via Dyers Pass Road over the Port Hills to the Christchurch suburb of Cashmere, and via Main Road to the south side of the harbour basin and Banks Peninsula.

Demographics

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Governors Bay is defined by Statistics New Zealand as a rural settlement and covers 3.24 km2 (1.25 sq mi).[1] It had an estimated population of 970 as of June 2024,[2] with a population density of 299 people per km2.

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
2006801—    
2013816+0.27%
2018864+1.15%
Source: [5]

Governors Bay had a population of 864 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 48 people (5.9%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 63 people (7.9%) since the 2006 census. There were 339 households, comprising 423 males and 441 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.96 males per female. The median age was 47.8 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 159 people (18.4%) aged under 15 years, 105 (12.2%) aged 15 to 29, 462 (53.5%) aged 30 to 64, and 141 (16.3%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 95.8% European/Pākehā, 3.8% Māori, 1.4% Pasifika, 2.1% Asian, and 3.1% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.

The percentage of people born overseas was 33.0, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 61.1% had no religion, 28.5% were Christian, 0.3% were Muslim, 0.3% were Buddhist and 4.2% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 297 (42.1%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 42 (6.0%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $46,700, compared with $31,800 nationally. 240 people (34.0%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 384 (54.5%) people were employed full-time, 135 (19.1%) were part-time, and 15 (2.1%) were unemployed.[5]

Amenities

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Governors Bay School in Jetty Road caters for students from year 0 to year 8.[6][7] It had a roll of 89 as of August 2024.[8] From year 9 onwards, students attend Cashmere High School.[9]

Ōtoromiro Hotel (previously known as Governors Bay Hotel) is a 150-year-old hotel located in Governors Bay. The hotel recently dropped its connection with Sir George Grey, a controversial colonial former Governor of New Zealand.[10]

Cholmondeley Children's Centre in Cholmondeley Lane is a children's home providing short-term or emergency residential care for children, usually between the ages of 3–12 years, and support for their families.[11]

 
Governors Bay Jetty in November 2023

Governors Bay Jetty is a 300 m (980 ft)-long wooden jetty that juts out into the bay. It is open to the public and free to use. The jetty is generally used for walking, fishing, and jetty jumping. It provides a great view of the surrounding volcanic landscape and access to the water at tide times when it is not possible to access from the shore due to the mudflats. The original short jetty (approx. 20m long) was built in 1874 and extended to 300m in 1913. After the 2011 Christchurch earthquakes, the jetty was closed to the public and the Council did not plan to repair it. However, a group of local volunteers set up Governors Bay Jetty Restoration Trust and raised money to rebuild the jetty. The rebuild project started in October 2022 and finished in September 2023 and was managed by the trust.[12]

Heritage buildings

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The Ohinetahi historic homestead, in Ohinetahi, is a Category I heritage building,[13][14] and the associated formal garden is considered to be one of New Zealand's finest.[15] A partnership of three purchased the property in 1977 [16] and one of them, prominent Christchurch architect Sir Miles Warren, has lived in the property since soon afterwards. Damage from the September 2010 quake forced changes to lighten the upper story of the building.[16] Sir Miles gifted the property "to the nation" in early 2013.[16]

 
St Cuthberts church (2023)

St Cuthbert's Church in Governors Bay Road, built in 1860, is also a Category I building.[17] It was extensively damaged in the September 2010 quake.[18] The local community worked with the Church Property Trust to repair and restore the church and it was reopened in 2017.[19] The church grounds contain the grave of Mary Elizabeth Small whose story is told in the children’s novel The Runaway Settlers.[20][21]

The original 1868 Governors Bay School and the associated school house are both Category II heritage structures, significant because there are very few remaining school buildings from provincial government times. The school is located on land donated by Thomas Potts.[22][23]


Notable residents

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  • Leslie Kenton (1941–2016) American-born writer, journalist and entrepreneur[24]
  • Margaret Mahy (1936–2012), author of children's and young adult books
  • Mary Elizabeth Small (1812–1908), market gardener and farmer, and the inspiration for Elsie Locke's 1965 children's novel The Runaway Settlers[25][26]
  • Mona Tracy (1892–1959), children's novelist, journalist, poet, short-story writer, and community worker
Photos from Governors Bay

References

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  1. ^ a b "ArcGIS Web Application". statsnz.maps.arcgis.com. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Aotearoa Data Explorer". Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  3. ^ "Welcome to Governors Bay". Governors Bay Community Association. Archived from the original on 2 February 2018. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
  4. ^ Robertson, Jane (2016). Head of the Harbour: A History of Governors Bay. Christchurch, New Zealand: Philip King Publisher for the Governors Bay Heritage Trust. ISBN 9780473366711. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
  5. ^ a b "Statistical area 1 dataset for 2018 Census". Statistics New Zealand. March 2020. Governors Bay (332200). 2018 Census place summary: Governors Bay
  6. ^ "Governors Bay School". Governors Bay School. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
  7. ^ Education Counts: Governors Bay School
  8. ^ "New Zealand Schools Directory". New Zealand Ministry of Education. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  9. ^ "CHS zone". Cashmere High School. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  10. ^ "Canterbury pub cans colonial name for area's original te reo Māori name". Stuff. 23 December 2020. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  11. ^ Pollock, Kerryn (6 July 2011). "Children's homes and fostering – Residential homes for children, early 2000s". Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
  12. ^ "Governors Bay Jetty". Governors Bay Jetty Restoration Trust. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
  13. ^ "Ohinetahi". New Zealand Heritage List/Rārangi Kōrero. Heritage New Zealand. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  14. ^ Wilson, John (2 March 2009). "Canterbury places – Lyttelton Harbour". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 26 February 2011.
  15. ^ Mackay, Janetta (25 February 2009). "Christchurch: Take a blooming lovely tour". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 26 February 2011.
  16. ^ a b c "Sir Miles Warren's Ohinetahi", Rosa sheils, February 2013, The Press
  17. ^ "St Cuthbert's Church". New Zealand Heritage List/Rārangi Kōrero. Heritage New Zealand. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  18. ^ "St Cuthbert's" Archived 24 July 2013 at the Wayback Machine, Canterbury Earthquake Heritage Buildings Fund
  19. ^ "St Cuthbert's Church, Governors Bay – Anglican Life". anglicanlife.org.nz. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  20. ^ Locke, Elsie (2009). The runaway settlers. Auckland [N.Z.]: HarperCollins. ISBN 978-1-86950-769-5. OCLC 286929627.
  21. ^ "Governors Bay Heritage walk" (PDF).
  22. ^ "Governors Bay School". New Zealand Heritage List/Rārangi Kōrero. Heritage New Zealand. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  23. ^ "Governors Bay School House". New Zealand Heritage List/Rārangi Kōrero. Heritage New Zealand. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  24. ^ Cowdrey, Katherine (29 November 2016). "Health and beauty writer Leslie Kenton dies". The Bookseller. Retrieved 31 December 2016.
  25. ^ The time of the child : a sequence of poems. Dublin, OH: OCLC. OCLC 42004954 – via WorldCat.
  26. ^ Hebley, Diane (1998). "Locke, Elsie". In Robinson, Roger; Wattie, Nelson (eds.). The Oxford Companion to New Zealand Literature. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-558348-9. OCLC 803233825. Retrieved 9 August 2012. Also available to subscribers at Oxford Reference Online.
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