PRE-WAR PAPANUI

Papanui was first settled in the early 1850s when Christchurch city was first being established. What made Papanui valuable initially was the large stand of native bush which covered the area between Harewood Road and Sawyers Arms' Road that is now occupied by Papanui High School and Northlands Mall. This native bush provided much of the timber for the initial buildings in Christchurch city. The Cyclopedia of New Zealand describes the area north of the village of early Christchurch as “covered with a thick growth of flax, toitoi and tutu, intermingled with high fern. Vegetation was luxuriant …”

An early resident of Papanui was the Rev George Dunnage. He was responsible for the building of the first Anglican Church in Papanui near where the current St Paul's Church stands. He described the areas surrounding Christchurch in this manner. “The native bush dotted here and there at Riccarton, Papanui, Kaiapoi and Rangiora, the silvery lines of the flowing rivers, the placid ocean to the east and north-east, and as a background the snowy ranges extending from the north-east to beyond the Rakaia Gorge in the west, all tended to make a grand panorama.”

The initial 19th century residents of the district were sawyers, a “hard-working but free-living lot of men” who made their living milling timber from the Papanui Bush. Once the timber was cut out, the area stagnated for some time. Gradually, more people began to settle on land in the area and farms devoted to the growing of crops such as oats for horse feed and orchards began to be become established. The creation of railways in the 1870s in Canterbury led to the main line north being established through Papanui and Belfast. The growth of Christchurch resulted in the expansion of some suburbs northward from the centre of the city, and Papanui became to northern edge of this suburban fringe. Increasing affluence among business and professional people was evident in the handsome houses which still stand alongside Papanui Road. The establishment of the first tram line up Papanui Road, connecting with the Papanui Railway Station, was an indication of the growth or this area. By 1914, Papanui had developed into a suburb of Christchurch, with a well developed shopping centre, several churches, a primary school and community organisations such as Merivale Rugby Club, established in 1882. Local churches provided for interests as diverse as tennis, singing and debating.

As Papanui grew and developed, so did small communities based around the outer areas of Harewood, Styx, Belfast and Ouruhia. These communities began to develop their own facilities, with the building of churches, schools and roads. National developments such as the Education Act of 1877, making education free and compulsory, with community boards, facilitated such developments. The growth of railways, funded by the Vogel borrowings, helped to link some communities together.

A 1914 photograph showing the junction of Papanui Road, Harewood Road leading off to the left and North Road curving away in the centre of the picture. The two-storied block of shops still stands today. Behind these shops is the Papanui Hotel, where Harold Johnson worked. Opposite these shops is the Seven Oaks Butchery, which Albert Pattrick operated with his father Thomas. (C. H. Dawson Collection, 19XX.2.648, Canterbury Museum).

Harewood Road, branching out westwards from the junction of Papanui Road and (Main) North Road, led to a rural settlement established near the northern end of the runway of the present Christchurch International Airport (originally called Harewood Airport, established in 1940). The first settlers there were John and Mary Stanley, and Henry Nunweek and Hubert Gardiner, whose names are preserved in the roads and park named after them. Other settlers followed as people bought or leased land from original landowners. St James Church was established as an outpost of St Paul 's Papanui in 1862, to be followed three years' later by the first school to be built near the present site at the top end of Harewood Road . People in this area farmed or grew orchards, some of which survived into the 21st century.

The Styx area relates to the area between Papanui and Belfast which today is encompassed by the suburb Redwood. This area was a mixture of farms, orchards and mills along the river Styx. According to the Cyclopedia of New Zealand, “The district is closely settled, and well cultivated, and the crops are chiefly onions, potatoes and oats for horse feed. A considerable amount of fruit is also grown in the district.” A large amount of land, Rural Section 243 – about 600 acres- was owned by the Church of England. The land was granted to it as a source of income when Christchurch was first settled in 1850. The Church leased this land to a number of different settlers, including families such as the Clarkes, who lost two sons in World War I. (see Albert Clarke and George Clarke).

Belfast was described by the Cyclopedia of New Zealand as “a rich agricultural district, occupied by farmers holding an average of about forty acres each, and growing chiefly oats, potatoes and onions.” It is claimed that the district was named by one of the early settlers, James Watt, who originated from Northern Ireland . Certainly today, many of the street names have an Irish connection, though many of the original street names were changed in the mid-20th century in order to avoid confusion with identical names in Christchurch city .

The 1903 Cyclopedia of New Zealand also lists a series of other industries at Belfast associated with the meat works, such as the Kaputone Wool Works, the New Zealand Provision and Produce Company's manure and soap works as well as a butter factory and a creamery. By 1903, there were a number of public facilities created in the town.

The Belfast Public School, established in 1878 on the site of the current Belfast Museum, had a roll of 300 children by 1903, under the direction of the Headmaster, Mr W.D. Bean, three certificated female teachers and two pupil teachers. In 1899 the recently-ordained Rev Frank Dunnage, son of the first Papanui minister, became vicar of the newly-established St David's Anglican Church. The Belfast Methodist Church was built with the help of a large donation by James Watt. Finally the Belfast Library, referred to in The Press article above, became a section of the Belfast Town Hall building, which was “erected by public subscription in the year of 1888 … the main hall was used for entertainments of various kinds, and has an excellent floor for dancing.” Coutts Island was, and still remains, a substantially rural area, separating Belfast and Harewood from the south branch of the Waimakariri River .

A 1902 photograph looking south from the CFM Freezing works in Belfast towards Styx and Papanui, with the Port Hills faintly in the background. (Bishop Collection 1923.53.375, Canterbury Museum).

This was the increasingly complex society from which young men came who were to fight and die in World War I. In many ways, this district was a microcosm of communities throughout New Zealand from which all New Zealand soldiers of the time originated. It was a mixture of urban and rural. Many of the young men were imbued with a strong sense of being British by lineage and education and were swept along by the patriotic enthusiasm for war through service in the Territorials. They were linked by community bonds of family, school, work, sport and friendship. It is therefore unsurprising that the young men of this district volunteered in their dozens early in the war, and as it progressed, served in their hundreds. Nearly one hundred of them would not return to the community that fostered them.

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