The New Zealand National Film Unit presents Canterbury is a Hundred (1950)

15 November 2013 is Canterbury Anniversary day, often referred to locally as 'Show Day'. The founding of the province of Canterbury is celebrated with a regional public holiday, and the popular Agricultural and Pastoral (or 'A&P') Show. This show has been held annually since 1862, and attracts huge crowds from around the region. Canterbury Anniversary Day was originally held on or around 15 December, the anniversary of the old Canterbury province marking the arrival of the First Four Ships at Lyttelton, 1850. However in the late 1950s the day was moved to a more convenient time for horse racing, in mid November.


The film 'Canterbury is One Hundred' was produced by the National Film Unit in 1950 to celebrate the region's centennial. Written and directed by Oxley Hughan, it emphasises the bucolic agricultural productivity of the Canterbury region, particularly through the lambing and wheatgrowing industries. Life in Canterbury's cities is presented as people 'taking pleasure in their neat gardens and comfortable wooden houses', in contrast to the rustic huts built by the early settlers a century earlier. The film is also a poignant tribute to Christchurch's celebrated NeoGothic architecture, much of which was destroyed following the February 2011 earthquake.


Archives reference: AAPG W3471/3012

   • Canterbury is a Hundred (1950)  

For updates on our On This Day series and news from Archives New Zealand, follow us on Twitter   / archivesnz  

Material from Archives New Zealand






The Province of Canterbury after 100 years of progress. Famous for its wheat and Canterbury lamb. The Cathedral City of Christchurch, fertile plains, and scenery ranging from quiet countryside to the spectacular mountain scenery of New Zealand's Southern Alps.

Music composed by Anthony Noorts, played by the Alex Lindsay Orchestra.

The Early settlers were played by members of the Canterbury Repertory Theatre Society and their frocking was supervised by Miss Rose Reynolds .


DV file of Beta SP telecine (Tape 164) of 16mm film W3606/c/42

Please comment on, share and remix this film