165 Years, 165 Voices: The Cantabrians who shaped our province
Monday, 25 May 2026
The Press has been publishing for 165 years, and to mark this anniversary we have chosen 165 remarkable individuals who have helped shape the Canterbury of today. We will publish those names over the course of this week. Many of the region’s most significant figures, pre-dated the first edition of The Press.
Tūrākautahi (c. 1600s–1700s) Brilliant strategist who led the migration of Ngāi Tahu into Canterbury. He founded the Kaiapoi Pā around the year 1700 and it became the main centre for trading pounamu, food, and resources. Because he had a physical disability (a clubfoot) and could not fight, he dedicated his life to masterminding tribal politics and fortification strategy.
Te Rakiwhakaputa (c.1600s–1700s) Fierce military commander who secured the Lyttelton Harbour (Whakaraupō) and Port Hills area for Ngāi Tahu, establishing settlements at Rāpaki.
Matiaha Tiramōrehu (c.1806–1881) Highly educated tohunga (expert) and scribe who spent his life fighting for Māori land rights, schools, and hospitals, effectively launching the 150-year legal battle that Tā Tipene O'Regan finally settled in the 1990s.
Natanahira Waruwarutu (c.1810–1895) A survivor of the 1831 siege of Kaiapoi Pā by Te Rauparaha. He later became an assessor in the Native Land Court and a church leader at Tuahiwi. He recorded the genealogies (whakapapa), migration histories, and traditions of Canterbury Ngāi Tahu.
Bishop Henry Harper (1804–1893) – The first Anglican Bishop of Christchurch who drove the construction of the Christ Church Cathedral.
John Robert Godley (1814–1861) – Considered the founder of Canterbury.
Henry Tancred (1816–1884) – Served on the Canterbury Provincial Council for much of its existence and also on the Legislative Council, NZ’s upper chamber.
Thomas Cass (1817–1895) – Chief Surveyor of Canterbury during the crucial decades of the 1860s and 70s. He was responsible for mapping out the vast majority of the region's rural layouts and towns.
James FitzGerald (1818–1896) – Founder of The Press, brilliant orator, and politician.
William 'Cabbage' Wilson (1819–1897) – Nurseryman, prominent merchant, and the very first Mayor of Christchurch (elected in 1868).
John Deans (1820–1854) – Pioneer farmer who, along with his brother William, established Riccarton Bush.
William Deans (1820–1851) – Pioneer farmer who, along with his brother John, established Riccarton Bush.
Julius von Haast (1822–1887) – Explorer, geologist, and founder of the Canterbury Museum.
George Gould (1823–1889) – Early businessman who was influential in Canterbury shipping and farming.
Sir John Hall (1824–1907) – The 12th Premier of NZ (1879-1882) and supported Kate Sheppard's suffrage petition in Parliament. In 1906 he became mayor of Christchurch.
Benjamin Mountfort (1825–1898) – The pre-eminent Gothic Revival was the supervising architect for the design of the Christ Church Cathedral, and involved in the design of the Canterbury Provincial Council Buildings. He designed Canterbury Museum.
William Moorhouse (1825–1881) – Early Superintendent of Canterbury who drove the creation of the Lyttelton Rail Tunnel.
John Ballantyne (1825–1894) – Ballantynes, the iconic, long-surviving department store was founded when John Ballantyne bought an existing business, Dunstable House, in 1872 and rebranded it. His great great grandson Jonathan Ballantyne is now the store’s general manager.
Thomas Potts (1824–1888) – An early campaigner for nature reserves, once owner of Ohinetahi in Governor’s Bay.
Sir Charles Bowen (1830–1917) – Canterbury politician responsible for a law making primary school education free, compulsory, and secular.
William Rolleston (1831–1903) – 19th-century politician and scholar, superintendent of the Canterbury province whose statue sits near the Canterbury Museum.
Samuel Butler (1835–1902) – The English author lived for several years on Canterbury’s Mesopotamia station where he wrote much of his Erewhon masterpiece. He also contributed an essay for The Press under the pseudonym Cellarius in which he predicted that machines would eventually “hold the real supremacy over the world and its inhabitants”.
George Stead (1841–1908) – A major grain merchant and keen owner of race horses, he also bought The Press in 1890.
Alexander Bickerton (1842–1929) – First professor of chemistry at Canterbury College, an eccentric genius and mentor to Rutherford.
Bishop John Grimes (1842–1915) – The first Catholic Bishop of Christchurch and driving force behind the fundraising and construction of the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament
Archbishop Churchill Julius (1847–1938) – The charismatic second Anglican Bishop of Christchurch was a progressive who supported the trade union movement and women's rights.
Kate Sheppard (1848–1934) – Suffragist leader who led NZ to become the first country in the world where women won the right to vote.
John Anderson (1850–1934) – Engineer and businessman who led Andersons Foundry, the heavy engineering firm that built many of the South Island’s early rail and road bridges.
Teone Taare Tikao (1850–1927) – Highly respected Ngāi Tahu scholar, leader, and historian from Banks Peninsula who preserved vital tribal history, traditions, and navigation lore.
Sir Joseph Kinsey (1852–1936) – Christchurch businessman, art patron, and philanthropist connected to Antarctic expeditions.
Samuel Hurst Seager (1855–1933) – A leading designer of large houses in the English domestic revival style such as Daresbury.
Sir Henry Wigram (1857–1934) – Mayor of Christchurch, businessman, and one of the founders of the Canterbury Aero Club. He purchased the Sockburn airfield (later renamed Wigram in his honour).
Sir Arthur Dudley Dobson (1841–1934) – He arrived in Lyttelton in 1850 on one of the First Four Ships and became known for his work developed the road over Arthur’s Pass, a route settled on after consultation with Māori chief Tarapuhi. The road opened in 1866.
Tomorrow we will publish another 33 names, in rough chronological order based on birth year. Inevitably, we will not have thought of everyone so please send your suggestions to reporters@press.co.nz