Kennedys Bush

Suburb in Christchurch, New Zealand

Kennedys Bush

Suburb

Aerial view of Halswell Quarry

Coordinates: 43°36′11″S 172°34′59″E﻿ / ﻿43.603°S 172.583°E﻿ / -43.603; 172.583
Country| New Zealand
City| Christchurch
Local authority| Christchurch City Council
Electoral ward| Halswell
Area

[1]

• Land| 988 ha (2,441 acres)
Population

(June 2023)[2]

• Total| 820

Halswell |  | Westmorland

|
|

Kennedys Bush

| Port Hills
Ladbrooks | Lansdowne |

Kennedys Bush is a south-western suburb of Christchurch, New Zealand.

## History

[edit]

Kennedys Bush was first settled by Thomas Kennedy, an Irishman born in Cork around 1819, who arrived in New Zealand from America in 1838. He met Sophia Streeter in Wellington and they later married.

In 1841 the couple moved to Akaroa where Kennedy worked as a constable for the French settlers. Five of the Kennedy’s twelve children were born in Akaroa.

In 1856 Kennedy bought 28 acres on the hills above Halswell with a licence to cut the bush.[3]

Kennedy opened a sawmill and felled trees from the bush using a team of bullocks to haul the processed timber on a sledge down a track.[4]: 263 This was known as ‘Kennedys Track.’ Later it became ‘Quarry Road’ then ‘Pattersons Road’ (after one of the quarry managers), and eventually ‘Kennedys Bush Road.’[4]: 258 [5]

The full length of the road was surveyed in the late 1850s and constructed in 1863.[4]: 263

Kennedy established the first[6] timber business in Christchurch selling sawn timber, posts and rails and firewood-all sourced from the hills above Halswell.[4]: 263 He built two houses, the first in the bush, the second on flat land opposite the present quarry park. He named this ‘Waterford.’ Neither house remains, though the site of the Kennedy home is now a featured location on one of the bush walks below the Sign of the Bellbird.[4]: 264

The flat land at Kennedys Bush was originally owned by W. G. Brittan and Michael J. Burke who bought it as part of the Lansdowne Run from the Canterbury Association in 1851.[4]: 261 Brittan bought Burke out in 1860[4]: 270 and in 1873 sold a block of land on the south side of Kennedys Track to Premier Sir Edward Stafford who lived in Old Tai Tapu Road in his house called ‘Lansdowne.’[4]: 272

In 1859 relatives of Kennedy’s wife Sophia arrived from Australia to work for Kennedy.[4]: 304 These included Alfred Streeter who married Margaret Watkins. The young couple bought an acre of land from Sir Edward Stafford in 1874 and built a house on the corner of Kennedys Bush Road and Glovers Road. They raised twelve children there.[7] This house still stands, probably the oldest surviving dwelling in Kennedys Bush.

The first residential subdivision in the area was in 1913.[4]: 264 In 1954 the Christchurch City Council sold 32 subdivided sections on the quarry-side of Kennedys Bush Road, possibly to help fund the royal visit that year.[4]: 264

Halswell Quarry Park is located within Kennedys Bush.

## Demographics

[edit]

Kennedys Bush statistical area covers 9.88 km2 (3.81 sq mi).[1] It had an estimated population of 820 as of June 2023,[2] with a population density of 83 people per km2.

Historical populationYear| Pop.| ±% p.a.

|
|

2006| 684| —
2013| 849| +3.14%
2018| 906| +1.31%
Source: [8]

Before the 2023 census, the statistical area had a larger boundary, covering 12.01 km2 (4.64 sq mi).[1] Using that boundary, Kennedys Bush had a population of 906 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 57 people (6.7%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 222 people (32.5%) since the 2006 census. There were 321 households. There were 453 males and 453 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.0 males per female. The median age was 50.2 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 129 people (14.2%) aged under 15 years, 153 (16.9%) aged 15 to 29, 459 (50.7%) aged 30 to 64, and 162 (17.9%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 94.7% European/Pākehā, 3.0% Māori, 1.3% Pacific peoples, 3.0% Asian, and 2.6% other ethnicities (totals add to more than 100% since people could identify with multiple ethnicities).

The proportion of people born overseas was 20.2%, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people objected to giving their religion, 52.3% had no religion, 40.4% were Christian, 0.7% were Hindu, 0.3% were Buddhist and 1.0% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 279 (35.9%) people had a bachelor or higher degree, and 72 (9.3%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $48,200, compared with $31,800 nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 393 (50.6%) people were employed full-time, 144 (18.5%) were part-time, and 15 (1.9%) were unemployed.[8]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c "ArcGIS Web Application". statsnz.maps.arcgis.com. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
2. ^ a b "Population estimate tables - NZ.Stat". Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
3. ^ "Test productive not just receptive knowledge", Penny Ur's 77 Tips for Teaching Vocabulary, Cambridge University Press, pp. 78–78, 31 March 2022, ISBN 978-1-009-07289-2, retrieved 17 February 2024
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Ogilvie, Gordon (2009). The Port Hills of Christchurch (2nd ed.). Christchurch: Phillips & King. ISBN 9780958331562.
5. ^ Christchurch City Libraries (February 2016). "Christchurch Street Names: I-K" (PDF). Christchurch City Council. p. 75\. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 July 2023.
6. ^ Graeme C.Penny A Short History of Halswell, published by Graeme C. Penny, Christchurch 2006
7. ^ E. Y. (30 July 1932). "Captain Penny, The Whaler". Notes and Queries. CLXIII (jul30): 79–79. doi:10.1093/nq/clxiii.jul30.79e. ISSN 1471-6941.
8. ^ a b "Statistical area 1 dataset for 2018 Census". Statistics New Zealand. March 2020. Kennedys Bush (329000). 2018 Census place summary: Kennedys Bush

* v
* t
* e

Christchurch, New Zealand

Seat: Christchurch Central

Populated places|

| Northern suburbs|

* Belfast
* Bishopdale
* Bottle Lake
* Bridgend
* Brooklands
* Casebrook
* Chaneys
* Coutts Island
* Edgeware
* Harewood
* Kainga
* Mairehau
* McLeans Island
* Northcote
* Northwood
* Papanui
* Redwood
* Shirley
* Spencerville
* Styx

|

Eastern suburbs|

* Aranui
* Avondale
* Bexley
* Burwood
* Dallington
* Marshland
* New Brighton
* North New Brighton
* Parklands
* Prestons
* South New Brighton
* Southshore
* Waimairi Beach
* Wainoni

Central suburbs|

* Addington
* Avonside
* Barrington
* Bryndwr
* Central City
* Bromley
* Fendalton
* Hillmorton
* Hoon Hay
* Linwood
* Merivale
* Middleton
* Phillipstown
* Riccarton
* Richmond
* Spreydon
* St Albans
* Strowan
* Sydenham
* Upper Riccarton
* Woolston

Western suburbs|

* Avonhead
* Broomfield
* Burnside
* Hei Hei
* Hornby
* Ilam
* Islington
* Paparua
* Russley
* Sockburn
* Templeton
* Yaldhurst

Southern suburbs|

* Aidanfield
* Beckenham
* Cashmere
* Clifton
* Cracroft
* Ferrymead
* Halswell
* Heathcote Valley
* Hillsborough
* Huntsbury
* Kennedys Bush
* Lansdowne
* Moncks Bay
* Mount Pleasant
* Murray Aynsley Hill
* Oaklands
* Opawa
* Redcliffs
* Richmond Hill
* Scarborough
* Somerfield
* St Martins
* Sumner
* Taylors Mistake
* Waltham
* Westmorland
* Wigram

Geographic features|

* Avon River / Ōtākaro
* Avon-Heathcote Estuary / Ihutai
* Lyttelton Harbour
* Ōpāwaho / Heathcote River
* Port Hills
* Tauhinukorokio / Mount Pleasant

Facilities and attractions|

* Akaroa Marine Reserve
* Cathedral Square
* Christchurch Adventure Park
* Christchurch Gondola
* Ferrymead Regional Park
* Hagley Park
* International Antarctic Centre
* Margaret Mahy Playground
* Tūranga

Government|

* City Council
* Mayor
* Regional Council

* v
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Settlements of Banks Peninsula and the Port Hills, Canterbury, New Zealand

Settlements|

* Allandale
* Akaroa
* Ataahua
* Barrys Bay
* Birdlings Flat
* Cass Bay
* Charteris Bay
* Chorlton
* Church Bay
* Cooptown
* Corsair Bay
* Diamond Harbour
* Duvauchelle
* French Farm
* Gebbies Pass
* Gebbies Valley
* Governors Bay
* Gold Valley
* Hilltop
* Kaituna Valley
* Kukupa
* Lansdowne
* Le Bons Bay
* Little Akaloa
* Little River
* Lyttelton
* Motukarara
* McQueens Valley
* Ohinetahi
* Okains Bay
* Okuti Valley
* Onuku
* Orton Bradley Park
* Otanerito Bay
* Peraki
* Pigeon Bay
* Port Levy
* Prices Valley
* Puaha
* Purau
* Robinsons Bay
* Tai Tapu
* Takamatua
* Teddington
* Te Rāpaki-o-Te Rakiwhakaputa
* Wainui

Port Hills suburbs|

* Cashmere
* Clifton
* Cracroft
* Ferrymead
* Halswell
* Heathcote Valley
* Hillsborough
* Hoon Hay
* Huntsbury
* Kennedys Bush
* Moncks Bay
* Mt Pleasant
* Murray Aynsley Hill
* Redcliffs
* Richmond Hill
* Scarborough
* St Andrews Hill
* Sumner
* Te Onepoto / Taylors Mistake
* Westmorland

Māori pā and kāinga|

* Ōnawe Peninsula
* Ōnuku
* Puāri
* Takapūneke

*[Pop.]: Population
*[±% p.a.]: Per annum growth rate
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